A module named “Restaurant Management” from the Diploma in Hotel Management programme aims to develop students in entrepreneurship skills and how to run a business in both front and back of the house. It has been a challenging module but it proves to be helpful later in their internship.
14 of Semester 5 Diploma in Hotel Management students worked together on this module and produced a Halloween Theme Food project. The students have identified Botanica + Co Restaurant in Bamboo Hills as their project location, where it is known for their great interior design with an exceptional Italian Menu that includes a Malaysian Twist. Botanica + Co Restaurant is managed by Platform Hospitality Group, they are Malaysia based management company started in 2016 and owning 8 different concept restaurants till date.
Our students had the opportunity to conduct their food project through a Halloween Pitch with the General Manager of Platform Hospitality Group, Ms. Teh Su Fen. Ms. Teh is an Alumnus of Taylor’s University, graduated from Bachelor of International Hospitality Management in 2011. The project started with students visiting the site (Botanic + Co in Bamboo Hills) to understand the layout and usage of the space, followed by their draft pitch with Ms. Teh. She and her team from Platform Hospitality Group provided constructive feedback and guidance during the draft pitch session by sharing the real case scenarios and market demand on the student’s ideas in order to prepare the students for their final pitch.
The pitching required to include both food and beverage products that are Halloween themed along with accurate costing and pricing that meets the industry standards, such as the food or beverage cost should not be greater than 30% of the profit earned; and promotional strategies to ensure they are able to not only breakeven but can also earn a profit for their food promotions.
It was a great exposure for our students in learning how to run a business in the real world and manage a team at the same time focusing on the sales and profit earned. They have shown significant growth throughout their time and work.
