HomeInternational Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Researchvol. 6 no. 8 (2025)

Resilience and Recovery of Albay’s Food Services in the Post-Pandemic Era

Jason L. Abrera

Discipline: agriculture, food and related studies

 

Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the food services sector across the Philippines, with localized industries such as those in Albay Province facing unprecedented challenges. This study examines the re-covery dynamics of Albay’s food services sector in the post-pandemic era using a descriptive quantitative approach. Business profiles were analyzed in terms of employee count, capital investment, and modes of operation (dine-in, take-out, delivery, catering), revealing a predomi-nance of micro-enterprises (77.05%) and limited capital resources. De-spite minimal government support, food service establishments demon-strated strong resilience through adaptive strategies, most notably, the adoption of advanced digital tools. The study found high uptake of e-com-merce platforms (94.26%), online delivery systems (81.97%), and uni-versal implementation of digital payments and marketing strategies (100%). Financial recovery was also bolstered by private loans (24.59%), primarily bank-based. Survey data indicate that businesses achieved full recovery across key dimensions including operational effi-ciency, customer loyalty, financial stability, and employee retention. These findings show the industry capacity for innovation and adaptation despite the institutional gaps. The study recommends for the continued investment in technology, instruction and assistance using digital tools, and improve online payment systems to sustain the growth and ensure preparedness against the future disruptions.



References:

  1. ALADAĞ,M.(2024). Pre-disasterplanningandresiliencebuildinginSMEs:Alongitudinal analysis.  Journal  of  Business  Continuity, 18(1), 55–70.
  2. Belitski,  M.,  Desai,  S.,  &  Golubeva,  N.  (2021). "Research on entrepreneurship in the era of  COVID-19:Implicationsforpolicy  andpractice."JournalofBusinessResearch,130,6-19.DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.053
  3. Burgos, D., & Ivanov, D. (2021). Food retail sup-ply chain resilience and the COVID-19 pan-demic:Adigitaltransformationperspec-tive.TransportationResearchPartE:Lo-gisticsand  Transportation  Review,  152, 102412.
  4. Chen,Y.,&  Biswas,  M.  I.  (2021).Turning  crisis into opportunities: How a firm can enrich its  businessoperationsusingartificialin-telligenceandbigdataduringCOVID-19.

JL Abrera, 2025/Resilienceand RecoveryofAlbay’sFoodServicesin thePost-PandemicEraIJMABER 4011Volume 6| Number 8| August | 2025Sustainability, 13(22), 12656. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212656

  1. CloudBusinessContinuityandDisasterRecov-eryStrategies.(2023).Bestpracticesforcloud-based  resilience  during  disruption. CloudTech Insights, 11(2), 87–99.Demuyakor,J.,&Geng,Y.(2022). Artificialintel-ligenceandmobiletechnologyaspandemic control tools: A review of trends and ethical implications.    International    Journal    of eHealth Technologies, 10(4), 213–228.
  2. Fatimah,N.,Yusuf,S.,&Putra,I.K.(2023). Digi-talinnovationinconstruction:BIMadop-tion  and  post-pandemic  project  manage-ment.  Engineering  Management  Review, 35(2), 122–134.
  3. Filipović,V.,Simić,D.,&Tomašević,Z.(2018). Integratingbusinesscontinuityanddisas-ter  recovery  in  SMEs:  A  systematized  ap-proach.  Journal  of  Risk  and  Resilience, 6(3), 198–210.
  4. Flynn,B.(2007). Learningfromcrisis:Historicalinsightsforbusinessrecoveryplanning. Business Horizons, 50(6), 439–446.
  5. Hadjielias,E.,Christofi,M.,&Tarba,S.(2022).Contextualizingsmallbusinessresilienceduring   the   COVID-19   pandemic:   A   dy-namic  capabilities  perspective.  Entrepre-neurship  &  Regional  Development,  34(3–4), 210–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2021.1880976
  6. Iftekhar,  M.  S.,  &  Cui,  Y.  (2021). Blockchain  in the  food  supply  chain  during  COVID-19: Transparencyandtraceabilityforresili-ence.InternationalJournalofLogisticsManagement, 32(1), 169–186.
  7. Jafri,A.,Khan,A.,&Memon,R.(2021). Address-ingfoodinsecurityduringthepandemic: Government   responses   and   policy   gaps. Food Policy Journal, 46(2), 78–95.
  8. Juergersen,  J.,  Guimón,  J.,  &  Narula,  R.  (2020). European  SMEs  amid  COVID-19:  Vulnera-bilitiesandstrategicresponses.JournalofIndustrialandBusinessEconomics,47(3), 499–510.
  9. Jun,  M.,  Palacios,  S.,  &  Moon,  H.  (2021).  Effects of  service  quality  and  customer  satisfac-tion on loyaltyofbankcustomers.Interna-tionalJournalofQualityandServiceSci-ences,13(3),389–406. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQSS-03-2020-0034
  10. Kumajas,R.,Sondakh,J.,&Montolalu,R.(2022). BankandgovernmentcollaborationinSME recovery:  A  case  study  during  COVID-19. Journal  of  Financial  Institutions,  15(1), 101–112.
  11. Llanos-Soto, M., Herrera, C. A., & Tobar-Benítez, W. (2021). COVID-19 and food supply chain disruptioninLatinAmerica:Mappingthevulnerabilities.FoodSecurityReview,13(2),215–231.
  12. Lü,  Y.,  Zhu,  D.,  &  Wang,  X.  (2021). Technology-led  business  model  transformation  in  re-mote  workandeducation:Post-pandemicacceleration.TechnologicalForecastingandSocialChange, 168, 120794.
  13. Maha,L.,&Stoian,M.(2022).BIMinpost-pan-demicconstruction:Reimaginingsafetyand  compliance.  Journal  of  Construction Technology, 27(1), 43–57.
  14. Marshall,  M.  I.,  &  Schrank,  H.  L.  (2020). The  fi-nancial  resilience  of  small  businesses  dur-ing conomicdisruption:Accesstocreditandbeyond.JournalofSmallBusinessStrategy,30(1),56–70.
  15. Nguyen,N.T.,Nguyen,T.P.,&Vu,T.T.(2021). AI-driven toolsin pandemicresponse:Con-tact  tracing  and  misinformation  control. Healthcare    Informatics    Review,    9(3), 134–146.Ojo,A.,
  16. Fawehinmi,O.,&Yusliza,M.(2021).Ex-aminingthe  predictorsofresilienceandwork   engagement   during   the   covid-19 pandemic. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052902
  17. Özdemir,A.,Şahin,E.,&Hacıoğlu,N.(2021). Im-pactofCOVID-19ontourismandhospital-ity: Evidence from Turkey. Journal of Tour-ism Research, 28(4), 94–108.
  18. Putra,   R.   D.,   Wibowo,   A.,   &   Handayani,   D. (2022). Digital  transformation  of  MSMEs in  Indonesiaduringthepandemic.JournalofE-CommerceandDevelopment,19(2),76–89.
  19. Radulovic,  D.,  Vujovic,  S.,  &  Kostic,  B.  (2022). Strengthening    food    safety    governance post-COVID-19:Regulatorygapsandstra-tegicpriorities.InternationalFoodPolicyJournal,34(3), 117–130.
  20. Sangeetha, M., Thandava, S., Soshte, R. A., & Ag-garwal, P. A. (2022). The emerging role of businessmanagementforsustainablede-velopmentindevelopingeconomies.WorldJournalof  Management  and  Eco-nomics, 15(2), 84–93
  21. Sahebjamnia,  N.,  Hajiagha,  S.  H.  R.,  &  Seifi,  A. (2018). Integrated business continuity and disasterrecoveryplanning:Agame-theo-reticframework.InternationalJournalofProduction Research, 56(9), 3209–3223.
  22. Simões1,Ferreira2,Castro3etal.20212021IEEE19thInternationalConferenceonIn-dustrial Informatics (INDIN)
  23. Shi,Y.,Su,B.,&Yang,R.(2022). Thepandemic’stollon globalaviation:Logistics challenges and Boeing’s strategic responses. Journal of Transportation  Economics,  40(2),  203–220.
  24. Sulhaini,  N.,Prabowo,  H.,  &Lestari,  I.  (2023). StakeholdercollaborationforSME resilience: Lessonsfromdisasterriskreduc-tion.JournalofStrategicDisasterManage-ment,12(1),45–63.
  25. Švábová,L.,&Kramárová,K.(2022). BusinessmodelinnovationinresponsetoCOVID-19: Insights  from  the  education  sector.  Man-agement  &  Marketing  Challenges,  17(1), 34–50.
  26. Warsono,T.,Jannah,M.,&Risanto,A.(2023). GovernmentinterventionsandSMErecov-ery: Comparative analysis across Southeast Asia.   Policy   and   Economics   Quarterly, 26(1), 65–81.
  27. Yang,L.,Zhang,Q.,&Li,J.(2021). COVID-19anditsimpactonhospitalitybusinessesin China:  A  quantitative  assessment.  Hospi-tality Management Studies, 38(2), 58–73.
  28. Zhong,H.(2023).COVID-19stimuluseffective-nessinAsianeconomies:Acasestudyap-proach.    Regional    Economic    Recovery Journal, 21(1), 88–104