Savvy student entrepreneurs operate own restaurants

By Colleen Isherwood
Senior contributing editor

NORTH BAY—For one night a week this term, Canadore College students, faculty and guests can dine at an Italian eatery called La Casa di Pasta, which serves fresh pasta dishes, while on another night the same space is turned into Milestone Gastropub featuring upscale pub food.

Both businesses are busy and on target to meet their goals. A team of third-year Hospitality Administration students runs each restaurant. Justine Williams head ups La Casa Di Pasta, and Mitch Hince is in charge of Milestone Gastropub.

“The entire focus of the third year of our Hospitality Administration Program is on senior management,” Rick Blum, professor at Canadore’s School of Hospitality told ORN in an interview.

“We bring together Hotel, Culinary and Food and Nutrition Students into a common third year. The curriculum focuses on analytical, problem-solving and thought process skills.”

Billed on the college’s website as “the most comprehensive hospitality management curriculum in Canada,” the third-year program features case study analysis, practical application and simulation, culminating in the start-up and operation of the students’ own hospitality business. Learning takes place in Canadore’s new $2.5-million Hospitality and Tourism Centre.

The entrepreneurship course with students starting their own businesses is one of the capstones of the program. In the fall semester the students have to come up with a concept, do market research and product development, and complete an operations manual for their business. 

Operations manuals include: 

• a 10-week marketing plan; 
• complete financial data including proposed budgets and income statements, cash flow analysis, balance sheets, break-even analysis;
• Cost control procedures including standardized recipes;
• Menu layout and copy;
• Standard operating procedures; 
• Room layout and flow analysis;
• Staffing and scheduling;
• How they are going to work as a high performance team.

Students are expected to put their own money on the line. Once they complete their operations manuals, they must approach the college to secure a loan for start-up capital. Each student has to sign a promissory note to pay back their portion of the loan should the business fail to do so.

In the winter semester the students open their business in the college dining room and must successfully operate it for one night a week for 10 weeks. They are charged rent for use of the dining room and kitchen facilities.

“We try to make it as realistic to industry as possible,” said Blum.

“After each night they must prepare complete financial analysis of their business. The real learning occurs while they sit around the boardroom and analyze their data (financial, customer feedback, marketing, service and production issues) from the past week and plan strategies for the up coming week.”

“The students really embrace this process,” Blum added.

“First and foremost it is their business. They created it, they nurtured it, and they see it to a successful completion. They are empowered to make their own decisions that affect their business. The students have a sense of pride and ownership that only comes from the hard work and dedication that goes along with operating a business.”