Dubai OFW shares journey from being an employee to a restaurateur

As a kid, waking up at 4 a.m. to help sell in the market was hard to grasp.  Now as an entrepreneur and restaurateur, Rolly Brucales realized that hard work would play a big part in his humble beginnings that brought him to the path of success.

According to a GMA Pinoy TV report, the 46-year-old Brucales made the tough decision of leaving the Philippines to be an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Dubai to join his wife, who works there as a nurse.

Landing in a medical company as an accountant, Brucales made sure to save a substantial portion of his salary as he learned the ropes of venturing into his own business.

In 2016, together with a few partners, he opened the first branch of the Off The Hook (OTH) Seafood Restaurant in Dubai and became its managing director.

OTH now has nine branches and has become a popular dining destination of Filipinos and locals.

As a gesture of giving back to the Filipino community for his success, Brucales hires fellow Filipinos to work in his restaurant.

“It’s one of our advocacies in our business to hire our kababayan (countrymen), fellow Filipinos to provide them a job. We also teach them how to save, to invest. We’re teaching them the financial literacy program,” he said.

“For me, hiring a Filipino is a good idea because they are service-oriented and there’s no communication gap,” he added.

Family man

Brucales wife, Angie, said she is lucky to have him as a husband and the father of their kids.

“You can really see his unconditional love for the family,” she said.

For Brucales, openness within the family, especially with the children, is important.

“My children are quite lucky because we’re providing them everything they need. [We can provide] the love not only in material things but also the love in spending time with them. That is very important to me,” Brucales said.

He added that he is happy with his career as he can provide for his family and has an investment to prepare for his retirement.

Angie also said their family always makes time to communicate.

“Dada is very cool about everything. You can discuss everything with him. If you’re having problems, he will not hesitate to help you or even give you advice on what you should do,” said Leonard, Brucales’ son.

Meanwhile, daughter Claire described her father as an “open-minded person” since they can talk about everything with him without any judgment from him.

She also said she cherished their father’s “cute messages” like sending his selfie.

His other son Zachary said he appreciates his dad for being supportive and for encouraging them to do their best.

“I'm really proud to see the accomplishments you've made throughout the years and I really appreciate how you make time for us even though you are really busy,” Zachary said. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/LDF, GMA Integrated News