After his basketball career ended abruptly at age 30, Benedict Fernandez started a restaurant in Baguio with his late wife. Despite profound personal tragedies, including the loss of his wife and unborn child in 2015, he expanded Grumpy Joe, his American-Italian comfort food chain in northern provinces.
In February 2014, Benedict Fernandez and his then-wife April launched Grumpy Joe, an American-Italian restaurant on the second floor of a government-owned property along Leonard Wood Road in Baguio. It was 'a risk,' Benedict admitted, but it succeeded with help from his uncle, a former chef who developed the menu. The couple handled everything from early market runs to cashier, barista, waiter, and dishwasher duties.
In a span of three months in 2015, Benedict lost his wife and unborn child, leading to deep grief. 'Wala akong ginawa kung hindi mag-isip. Ang dami kong questions. In my past life as a basketball player, alam kong madami akong nagawang mali at pinagsisihan ko yun,' he said. 'Umabot ako sa point na tinatakwil ko na rin ang Diyos. Sinasabi ko sa kanya, ako na lang ang kunin, wag lang ang mag-ina ko.' (All I did was think. I had so many questions. In my past life as a basketball player, I know I made a lot of mistakes, and I regretted them. I turned away from God. I kept saying that it should have been me who had been taken instead.)
After drowning in alcohol and isolating himself, Benedict refocused on the business. He met his current fiancée Michelle from La Union, who helped manage and expand it despite initial disapproval. 'People judged her left and right. Pero hindi nila alam, malaki ang naitulong niya (But many didn’t know that she played a big part) to help grow Grumpy Joe today,' Benedict said.
They opened branches at Upper Session Road in Baguio, San Fernando, Pampanga in 2022 as a franchise, La Union, and Dagupan. The newest is a two-story spot in Angeles City, Pampanga, with 300 seating capacity and a commissary for a planned Cavite branch. The menu features pizzas, pastas, burgers, fries, combo and rice meals, cakes, and sorbetes flavors. 'I really wanted it to be a family-oriented restaurant,' Benedict noted. Today, he is content, providing a good life for his family, supporting staff, and bringing joy to customers.