1. You are the vice president of purchasing for Darden Restaurant group in Orlando, which owns several restaurant chain brands. You have just hired a new purchasing director for food service equipment. You are preparing to spend some time with him and review some key features of various types of kitchen equipment that will assist him in determining the needs of the corporation. Prepare an outline of what you will review with your new employees. Arrange and assemble a training guide on key features for the following pieces of food service equipment: stoves and ovens, deep-fat fryers, low-temperature ovens, forced-air convection oven, microwave oven, infrared oven, hot-food holding tables, refrigerators and freezers, and ice machines. You will also compare and contrast the benefits and disadvantages of these types of equipment so that a better purchasing job will be done.
2. You are planning to open a restaurant with expected sales volume of $1,500,000 per annum. You have located an ideal location for your new restaurant venture. You are meeting with the property managers and developers to negotiate a lease. Develop and formulate a strategy on what you would like to have included in the lease. Defend why you selected this strategy.
3. The registration staff functions are critical to the overall satisfaction of the guest. If you were an assistant manager responsible for the room's division of a full-service hotel, how would you organize the registration and guest services staff? What are the best practices you would establish for handling guest services, the registration process, arrivals, departures, and group arrivals? How will your staff interact with the guest as they arrive and check out of the hotel?
4. The cost of labor in the housekeeping department can be highest at a full-service hotel. How would you control labor costs in a full-service hotel? Explain in detail how you would calculate a labor schedule for the hotel. Using best practices, how would you calculate and what methods would you use to reduce turnover?
5. Analyze and appraise the various kinds and characteristics of restaurant organizations and their owners. Compare and contrast corporate owned and independent restaurants. Examine three restaurateurs who have been successful. Give examples and analysis of the organization of three multi-unit chains. In your judgment, were they successful or unsuccessful?
6. You have decided to open a new restaurant. You have located a restaurant location that meets all the site requirements and demographics for all the site requirements and demographics for a fast food operation. Would you consider leasing of the property? Why or why not? What might be included in the lease agreement if you decided to lease from the current owner? Give some specifics on typical restaurant leases.
7. You are the general manager of a full-service hotel. You need to set up best practices to organize and staff your sales and marketing department. Discuss how you would set up your sales staff. What are the responsibilities of the various members of the sales department? Give an overview of characteristics you would like to promote and establish in your sales department and the characteristics of your sales people.