Here’s the local Philippine brand that turned flavored fries into an international craving.

From a humble food cart to a global phenomenon, this is the story of Potato Corner.

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💡How the idea started

Meet Jorge Wieneke, a young father in the Philippines. He was always pushed to be resourceful to support his family.

In 1992, Jorge met Ricky Montelibano. They spoke, and he found out Ricky was selling flavored popcorn! There were just two powder-based flavors—barbecue and cheese.

Ricky was clearly making a ton of money, just from flavored popcorn. Inspired, Jorge couldn’t stop thinking about the business.

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🤯 Finding his corner

Jorge wanted to build something similar—but he'd use french fries. French fries would be his niche, or his Potato “corner”.

Then, he told his best friend, Danny Bermejo about the idea, and Dan came on board. And of course, they brought in Ricky, who was running the popcorn business.

Finally, they tapped Jose Magsaysay (Jomag), Ricky's brother-in-law, who had been working for Wendy's for years — they wanted his expertise in food operations.

Like them, Jomag wanted more out of his career, especially as a young husband. He was looking for a side hustle and this was the perfect opportunity!

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❌ The problem?

They didn’t have much capital, but what they lacked in funding, they made up for with resourcefulness.

They borrowed from family, banks, and pooled what little they had to bring the idea to life.

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👑 Building on what already works

They didn’t invent something entirely new. They reinvented something everyone already loved.

French fries were familiar, comforting. But by adding powder-based flavors like cheese and barbeque, they created a fresh, craveable twist.

It was affordable, easy to serve, and hit the sweet spot between indulgence and convenience.

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⭐️ The first outlet

Soon, they were ready to launch their first outlet, a small food stall in an SM Megamall.

It was one of the largest and most popular malls in the Philippines—even in the early '90s. Launching there meant immediate exposure to thousands of people daily.

Before launch, the four co-founders joked about their possible first-day sales. One guessed they’d make PHP 2,500 ($45). Another, PHP 3,000 ($54).

The surprise? They made PHP 15,000 ($270).

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😱 The lines never ended

And it didn’t stop. Customers lined up day after day—through nothing but word-of-mouth.

What makes it crazier? It was 1992 and all those customers came through word-of-mouth.

First, they were given a space at a Robinson's mall. Then, they got the attention of Ayala Malls, where they were given a kiosk with a location right in the middle of a major mall.

They were in Robinson’s, Ayala Malls, and SM Malls. The three largest mall operators in the Philippines.

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📈 100 outlets in 3 years

With barely any knowledge of franchising, they leaned on what they had: trust

Friends and family became their first franchisees. It was an unconventional but deeply effective move. By keeping it close, they could expand quickly without losing control.

They needed to grow fast! Since they didn't have much $$$, franchising was the fastest way to get there.

Within three years, they had over 100 outlets across the country.

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🌏 International expansion

In 2006, they got a call from an Indonesian student who loved Potato Corner and wanted to bring it to his country.

At first, they brushed it off. But he was persistent. They eventually gave it a shot—and it worked. That first overseas store was the spark.

From there, they began expanding to more countries: Thailand, Australia, and later the U.S., where their colorful kiosks started popping up in malls and Filipino communities.

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🤩 Here and now

In 2022, Potato Corner was acquired by Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. (SPAVI), a major Philippine restaurant group. Under Shakey’s, Potato Corner accelerated further.

By 2024, it had over 2,000 outlets globally—1,100+ in the Philippines, and nearly 900 across 15 international markets.

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