foodpanda Unveils How Female Restaurant Owners and Managers #PressforProgress In A Male-Dominated Industry

Every March, specially on the 8^th day, for the past several decades, the world has recognized women for their achievements, value and dedication, while calling for gender equality. But the truth is, International Women’s Month should be commemorated every single day of the year. Be it entrepreneurs, visionaries, mothers, influencers or community leaders, women, in every sense of the word, have played extraordinary roles in the the advancement of women in their own community and the world. Even with an industry that is so heavily saturated by men, women restaurant owners and chefs globally continue to make their mark on the industry as we see more and more go-to establishments go up every day.

Food delivery platform foodpanda, who partners with thousands of restaurants around the world to deliver food to your home or office, took this opportunity to showcase the incredible successes of some of its female chefs and restaurant owners across the market. Kat Asanza, owner of Juju Eats, Milka Romero, owner of Sushi Nori, and Arianne Valenton, Marketing Director of the Foodie Global Group, shared their thoughts that are nothing short of inspiring:

What is the key ingredient that you need to have to become successful?

KA: Creativity. Perseverance. Guts.

MR: Passion is the most important factor. If you care so much for your product, you aim to create the best one out there for your target market’s needs. A product is an extension of yourself, it represents who you are. You want to give it your all to the best of your abilities.

AV: There are three things that drives me daily –

Explore- I never grow tired of chasing after my dreams. Build it brick by brick even if I don’t see it coming together, or even if I’m discouraged, even if no-one believes in the dream but me.

Excite- and be Excited- Doing the things that I love and let this overflow.I’m passionate with the things that I do combined with a lot of prayer & faith. Do things to honor God and surrender to his will. He alone has then power to give us success, so I try my best to put him first in life.

Engage- connecting with my family, friends and other people. Making each connection worth the time & effort. I invest in relationships whether professional and more so personally. Be a team player, know when to take the lead and when to take a back-seat. Moreover, I take advantage of the tools and technology to cultivate relationships…specifically the ones far from me.

How much risk goes into being in your position

KA: A whole lot. There is a common perception of the good industry as being easy – but there is nothing farther from the truth if you want to do it right.

MR: With the rapid development of the Food and Beverage industry today, competition is really steep. Customers nowadays have many restaurants to choose from and options on even where to eat it. However, once you understand your market and provide to their needs, that risk becomes a calculated risk. The more you focus and aim to do better on your craft, the smaller the risk becomes.

AV: As a Marketing Practitioner, working in the food industry…I see daily engagement (visits, engagement, likes, transaction etc) as an opportunity to improve my craft and better understand my/our consumers.how to better improve their daily experience with the brand/restaurant. For the same reason, my/our brand can be relevant by truly understanding and finding a way to reduce the white space between consumers and the product/ brand.

If you could eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?

KA:I would have to say pasta. It’s relatively quick to make, plus it’s easy to get creative with it – and one can make it as healthy or as decadent as you like.

MR: Sushi of course!!!

AV:Only one dish is difficult ;( but I’ll go with fruit salad, I can eat all of my favorite fruits in one bowl.