MANILA, Philippines - San Juan Vice Mayor Francis Zamora recently opened his Goldilocks franchise at the Greenhills Shopping Center.
A firm believer and loyal patron of the brand’s well-loved and reasonably priced Filipino dishes, cakes and pastries since way back, Zamora was initially surprised that there was no Goldilocks in the entire city, prompting him to scout for the best location, and eventually take the initial steps in investing in the franchise.
And what better place to be than at the heart of San Juan’s shopping mecca with its endless array of retail stores and restaurants.
A hands-on entrepreneur, Zamora oversees the store’s operational details from franchise application, human resource training and development to actual store operations. Even after fulfilling his daily duties as a public servant, Zamora complied with the franchise’s training program requirements by going to the Goldilocks head office from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for one month to complete the managing director’s training. And now that Goldilocks Greenhills is open, he visits the store before and after City Hall office hours to make sure that everything is running smoothly.
Aside from finishing his degree in Psychology from De La Salle University, Zamora also completed a Business and Entrepreneurship program in New York University, after which he finished his Masters in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez, along with celebrities including Edu Manzano, Grace Lee, PBA players Asi Taulava, Gary David, Simon Atkins, Rico Maierhofer and Carlo Sharma, Ervic Vijandre and 2013 Miss Universe third runner-up Ariella Arida.
Also present were Goldilocks Philippines VP Franklin Go, Goldilocks marketing director Pinky Yee, talent manager Arnold Vegafria, The Philippine STAR columnist Wilson Lee Flores, Greenhills Shopping Center GM Cathy Ko, members of the San Juan City council, the Vice Mayor’s mom Rose Marie Zamora, his wife Keri Zamora and their children Amanda, Rocco, Nikita and Noah.