With an impressive portfolio of restaurants, Rikki Dee of Foodee Global Concepts made his mark as the Founder and CEO of the leading multi-faceted food operations in the Philippines. Here's how he did it.

For Filipino-Chinese entrepreneur Enrico "Rikki" Dee, two paths await him: to stay in the family business or to start a business from scratch. While being in the family business promises structure and security, veering away from it leads to an unchartered road—both risky but also full of endless possibilities.

Rikki Dee chose the latter and thus, set out to make a name for himself in the F&B industry. But with little experience in the food business—having come from a family in the hardware business—his journey was wrought with many growing pains, challenges, and lessons along the way.

In the end, it all paid off. As the CEO and Founder of billion-peso food empire Foodee Global Concepts, he has amassed a strong portfolio of homegrown restaurant concepts and international franchises like MESA, Tim Ho Wan, Hawker Chan, Llaollao Philippines, POUND, and more. And to date, it proudly stands as one of the largest multi-brand F&B groups in Manila—firmly entrenched in every major mall and food court, nationwide.

Here's how he did it.

Creating a Name for Himself

Having been born into a Filipino-Chinese family of entrepreneurs, Dee was the fifth of seven siblings who were all exposed to the construction business at an early age. "My grandparents—my grandfather—started a sawmill in Quezon, Lucena. And then it was passed on to my father, who operates the sawmill, lumber, and hardware," he begins in an exclusive interview with The Business Manual.