You can blame it on the rise of celebrity chefs, or all the cooking shows on Netflix. Before, if we wanted to book a restaurant reservation, all we needed to know was whether their food was good. Now, we enter restaurants with a set of questions in mind: Is the space complementary to the dining experience? What’s the concept? Our expectations have changed, and so have our dining experiences.

All our questions boil down to a need that’s becoming more apparent more than ever: a strong brand identity.

Tetsuo is a highly personal project for Sean Bautista, Wesley Chan and Timmy Jacob. An exciting combination of their different passions and interests, Tetsuo is a reflection of how Japanese culture, skateboarding, streetwear and music are all translated into food and design. Borrowing the name of an antagonist in the cult 80s anime Akira and a grotesque transhuman salaryman from the 80s cyberpunk horror film Tetsuo: The Iron Man, these two films provide inspiration for Tetsuo’s aesthetic sensibilities.

“Tetsuo started as a project in the Mercato Night Food Market before it was put inside Ateneo. But, due to school commitments, it wasn’t practical to continue with pop-ups during weekends.” The team took their concept to the John Gokongwei Student Enterprise Center to further grow their idea and their following, while learning the basics of running their own food business.

While chicken is often fried, grilled or roasted – Tetsuo found a way to make it appetizing with colorful shirts, well-lit neon signs, and events. “We weren’t too worried about experimenting with other verticals of the business. We see these extensions of the brand as opportunities to have fun and be creative.”

The team expressed that they always had plans of creating a restaurant that represented their point of view when it comes to F&B. “It’s no surprise that it’s gained popularity amongst communities that the team is involved in. Partnering up with these groups weren’t necessarily conscious business decisions, but rather honest reflections of friendships.”

“It’s no surprise that it’s gained popularity amongst communities that the team is involved in.”

“We weren’t too worried about experimenting with other extensions of the brand as opportunities to have fun and be creative.”

Tetsuo merges different forms of media, like graphic, video and apparel to keep engagements friendly and inclusive across different communities. “We’ve been really happy with how the brand has been received by different communities. We want to continue this path and hopefully be a business that achieves mainstream success but has strong grassroots support — because of its food quality and approach to hospitality.”

When interactions are not purely transactional, a different kind of space emerges. Restaurants like Tetsuo represent a new brand of space, where restaurants don’t have to be purely utilitarian or absolutely theatric. We’re not just talking about making room for good food, but giving home to creativity and talent.

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