Stepping into Mama Lou’s feels a bit like a paradox. It is casual and cozy like coming home to mom and dad’s yet the branded condiments such as their chili oil and hot honey expose the magnitude of the operation.
Currently operating 30 branches, husband-and-wife team David and Crystal Sison will be the first to say they never expected their family-run venture to be this massive when they opened their first Mama Lou’s in Tropical Avenue at BF Homes, Parañaque in 2010.
Named after Crystal’s mom, she wanted to serve the homey Italian dishes that they grew up eating, favorites of her French Canadian father, Richard Tremblay, who developed a taste for the cuisine growing up in an Italian neighborhood.
The original Tropical Avenue branch was built on the bones of the Tremblays’ European restaurant that opened in 2001, a repurposed property they were having trouble liquidating.
“The house was initially difficult to sell due to its residential location,” Crystal narrates, “but it turned out to be a busy intersection. So my mom thought that if they cannot sell the property, they might as well make money out of it. So, she decided to open a restaurant despite my father’s initial reluctance.”
Crystal’s Mama Lou was not formally trained but had a natural gift in the kitchen, and her restaurant, which was dominated by Italian comfort food dishes, lasted for almost a decade
Crystal’s Mama Lou was not formally trained but had a natural gift in the kitchen, and her restaurant, which was dominated by Italian comfort food dishes, lasted for almost a decade. Eventually, what was once a brisk business started to slow down, as restaurant concepts eventually lost steam and needed to be refreshed.
In 2010, Crystal and David took over the business (dad Richard still plays an active role in operations), turned it into a fully casual Italian concept and renamed it to honor the woman whose natural culinary prowess inspires them. The food at Mama Lou’s is what the couple describes as “democratized” Italian food, made with the best ingredients but offering good value for money.
David is credited for being the visionary that took Mama Lou’s from its initial mom-and-pop operation to the household brand it is today. “David is really my inspiration, he is the entrepreneur,” Crystal smiles. “He put the right systems in place to take the business to the next level. He was all about professionalizing Mama Lou’s to prepare it for expansion.”
David Sison is credited for being the visionary that took Mama Lou’s from its initial mom-and-pop operation to the household brand it is today. “David is really my inspiration, he is the entrepreneur,” Crystal smiles
Still, getting into the restaurant business is not to be trifled with, even a seasoned businessman like David knows this who dove in with eyes wide open.
“The restaurant business is one of the hardest businesses—if not the hardest—to get into because excellent food will not guarantee your success,” he candidly expresses. “Not excellent hospitality and service. Even if you are trending now it will not guarantee that you will always be successful. You have to have the right brand, the right product, the right position. And you have to be really profitable to be successful, too.”
“The restaurant business is one of the hardest businesses—if not the hardest—to get into because excellent food will not guarantee your success,” David candidly expresses
That success lies in striking a balance between profitability and maintaining product quality with the use of the best ingredients from here and abroad. “We like to work with our local farmers because for Italian food, it’s about keeping it simple,” David points out. “So we like to use the best local tomatoes from Benguet, the best local seafood, olive oil and flour from Italy… we do not scrimp on ingredients. For some restaurants, they think value for money is offering something for cheap. At Mama Lou’s, we believe in giving our customers what they paid for. That, to us, is real value for money.”
In regard to authenticity, the Sisons prefer to focus on cooking within the context of preparing homemade Italian food for a Filipino audience. “Authenticity is always a debatable issue,” David admits. “For instance, we have two kinds of carbonara on our menu. One is the original Roman recipe with pecorino, guanciale, eggs, and black pepper. But, we also have the carbonara with cream that some accept as authentic. It’s just two different markets.”
David also points out that their pizza has always been thin crust, and they like to serve it with alfalfa sprouts and arugula on the side simply because, to him, it tastes good. “Our foundation at Mama Lou’s has always been about good food; masarap siya,” he says. “We never lose our focus on the details.”
Crystal adds: “We never claimed to be the best or the most popular. We just want to be your favorite.”
Opening stores in the right locations played a huge role in the success of their expansion. “Also, we were very careful about how we positioned ourselves as a restaurant that is affordable but good quality,” David explains. “So when we expanded, we avoided the central business districts, we avoided Makati. But, when we opened in Laguna, we took a chance and discovered that this is to be our strategy, which is to expand in developing cities outside Manila.”
Having conquered those areas and perhaps emboldened by their successes elsewhere, the Sisons opened a branch in a prime location at Megaworld Lifestyle Mall’s Venice Grand Canal at McKinley Hill in Upper McKinley Road, Taguig.
“We never claimed to be the best or the most popular. We just want to be your favorite,” says Crystal
Working with the development giant has been a breeze and plays into their game plan of expanding their brand. “Megaworld has a lot of townships, and we are excited to give these communities the Mama Lou’s experience. We are opening many more branches in their various townships and we feel really blessed to be one of their commercial partners.”
The Sisons also acknowledged how Megaworld was very helpful and offered concessions during the pandemic when businesses were operating at a loss, ensuring that they all survived those dark times together.
With continued growth on the horizon, the Sisons are eager to bring Mama Lou’s to greater heights armed with their passion for food, deep love for family, a nose for good business, and strong partnerships with suppliers and developers. They are proof that a little self-awareness goes a long way, and that when you stay true to yourself and your values, your people will find their way to you.
