A couple of days ago , we had our first annual business review of Crocs. Concept store partners and distributors from all over Visayas and Mindanao, as well as principals from Manila, came to Cebu for the meeting which was held at the new Alpa City Suites in Subangdaku, which incidentally is a must try.

Later that night, we had dinner at the recently opened Out Of Africa Restaurant in Nivel Hills. A few columns back, I wrote about the need to master Engage, Delight , and Convert. When I was asked where should we eat, I suggested something new and exciting, and we were not disappointed.

What makes Out Of Africa stand out is the attitude and personality of the general manager, South African Mike Halgreen. He is a fascinating person to know, stumbling upon Cebu a couple of months ago, then planting roots and opening not only this restaurant, but launching a ambitious plan to open 40 more franchised outlets.

He is a man’s man, Crocodile Dundee in the flesh. He greeted us with excitement, welcoming us with drinks and stories. He built up excitement to try the many exotic dishes that were the specialties of the house.

We tried out South African bread which is a must try. We also ordered the pumpkin soup, Mozambique Trinchado, and Cream Dory Fillets. I can’t recall the rest but they were all very good. Mike gave us the full treatment, describing the menu and the food as it arrived. On one dish, a combination of four kinds of kebab skewered on a metal rod, it was set on fire in front of us. When one of my companions observed the need for music to complete the spectacle, Mike suddenly erupted in an African tribal chant, complete with wild swinging arm motions.

After dinner, he again presided over all of us, regaling us with his personality and stories. He taught us what Jagermeister is for and how it should be taken. He then whipped up a round for all of us, making sure that we follow tradition and blow off the dust from our elbows before drinking. Then again, Mike might have been pulling our leg with the elbow thing, who knows.

What Mike has mastered is the principles of Engage, Delight, and Convert. In surviving and prospering in this financial uncertainty, we need to go back to the fundamentals. Mike is showing that it doesn’t take a lot of money, or brilliant architecture, or expensive consultants to achieve EDC. All it takes is an honest and sincere effort to satisfy the consumer.

Engage – Capture the attention.


Delight – Evoke joy and a sense of discovery.

Convert – Harvest reward thru purchase.

The only disappointment for the men and to the joy of the ladies was the unavailability of Crocodile steak. It is a specialty of the house, according to Mike, as he explained the right way to store and cook the Croc. Which led us to propose that we open our first restaurant retail door. We offered to put up a retail stand for Crocs in the restaurant so that Mike can add a bit of spice to his Croc story, “we serve them and you can also walk on them.” Or something like that, huh Mike?

Cheers Mate, Thanks for making our night.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

 For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com ,  or

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