Taters: Satisfying cravings through generations

We know Taters well: the tantalizing whiff of their popcorn from stands, crunchy potatoes, delectable sandwiches, and those signature beverages found near movie theaters in malls and kiosk stands in areas nationwide. Taters has been the top-of-mind brand for entertainment food in the country in the last 28 years. Yet, not many know that it is actually a homegrown food franchise.

Established in 1994, Taters Enterprises Inc. (TEI)—franchisor of Taters—started out with the intent of providing premium quality products and excellent service to customers. The company was guided by a vision to become a conglomerate of exemplary and distinctive food brands. That vision achieved 28 years later, the objectives now are geared towards growth, sustainability and consistency.

Three family members are actively involved in the 100% Filipino-owned family business: founder and President, Annie Tanchanco, her son and successor, Brian, and Annie’s sister, Ellen De Castro, who is involved in the department of Human Resources and Information Systems.

“Our brand, visually, satisfies a sense of nostalgia,” Brian Tanchanco said about Taters. “In terms of products, we satisfy a sense of comfort. Customers like buying Taters since they find it as their ‘go-to’ comfort snack.”

Brian stated that customers love Taters so much that their line of snacks found their market even during the pandemic. He explains that customers thanked them during the lockdowns for making their work/study from home much bearable with Taters’ line of products.

Taters has been around long enough to see their customers grow through different generations. Parents who grew up with the brand now enjoy the snacks with their children. And those children have now become adults, and have passed on the enjoyment of Taters to their own children.

With that staying power, Taters has evolved through the years to include catering snacks outside the confines of movie theaters.

“Taters amplifies experiences,” Brian said. “Inside the cinema, customers enjoy the movie better with our snacks. We satisfy cravings in those moments between the wedding ceremony and reception. Big companies trust us with an on-premise snack for their sales rallies or quarterly reviews.”

This evolution to Taters expanding beyond being snacks at cinemas was not necessarily by design.

“As a brand, Taters has been hit hard during the pandemic,” Brian stated. “Cinemas being closed for so long created new habits for people to embrace digital streaming services. Even when the cinemas reopened, people did not feel as comfortable watching anymore. So, the brand began to pivot its positioning beyond the cinemas.”

Brian said that Taters prioritized and strengthened the company’s homegrown digital services at the height of the pandemic. They then revisited and evolved their other programs like catering, working with resellers, and franchising.

“The expansion also went full throttle when the economy was bouncing back, but we now explored locations we’ve never tried before, like ground floor mall locations or community subdivision areas,” Brian explained. “To sum up, we went above and beyond our comfort zone.”

As recognizable and iconic Taters has been through almost three decades, the brand has seen its share of fierce competitors over the years.

“We’ve always welcomed healthy competition as it ultimately benefits the customer and challenges us to evolve and grow as a brand,” Brian said. “We usually monitor and pay attention to our competitors to align if our initiatives are at par or better.”

As Taters continue to grow—despite setbacks it has experienced during the pandemic—the owners want the brand to continue to be as iconic and relevant as they are today for the next generation of Filipinos.

Taters’ consistent expansion initiatives have provided jobs for many Filipinos. Their franchise are quite affordable, and has maintained a good track record with its stakeholders—which include malls, suppliers, and existing franchisees. The company has what they call Taters Reseller Program for budding entrepreneurs. You can find more about these programs and opportunities at ilovetaters.com.

Some of Taters delectable snacks are Tater’s Superpop Popcorn, Tofu, and Tortilla Chips, Tater Chips, Mexican Munchers, and much more. These also come in Snacker Gift Packs for those Holiday binge-watching moments. You can order these snacks through Lazada, Shopee, GrabFood, Foodpanda, Metromart, and Pick-a-roo.

You can also find Taters in Shell Select outlets. It is also the official snack partner of SM Game Park.

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Editor’s Note: BrandedUp is designed to provide you with insightful, inspiring and educational content created by PhilSTAR L!fe in collaboration with brands like Taters.