By Chassidy Sakamoto, MS in TIM candidate
Hospitality industry leaders recently visited the classroom as panelists and reviewers offering their industry knowledge and feedback to TIM School professor Jerry Agrusa’s Food Service Management (TIM 313) students’ final course project presentations. Leaders from multiple segments of the hospitality and tourism industry including hotels, restaurants, private clubs, marketing firms and the transportation industry were represented and offered valuable, practical knowledge and feedback.
Student teams were required to prepare a business plan for a food and beverage outlet in Honolulu using the knowledge and skills they obtained from the course over the semester. Student projects included the following components: name, location, style, clientele, atmosphere and décor, equipment, staffing, inventory, sanitation requirements, purchasing, receiving and storage standards, budget and forecasting, controls, safety and security, marketing mix and applicable regulations.
A special mahalo goes out to the following industry leaders who took time out of their busy schedules to provide their recommendations and suggestions to the student groups after their presentations:
- Andy Lachman, Food Services Manager, University of Hawai‘i
- Jeff Yedlin, Hotel Manager, Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
- Dirk Koeppenkastrop, Maestro Gelatiere/Owner , Il Gelato
- Felix Koeppenkastrop, General Manager , Il Gelato
- Ryan Tanaka, Chairman, Hawaii Restaurant Association
- Joslyn Bantilan, Sales Executive, Enterprise Holdings
- Nicholas Haigler, Owner, H.H. Consulting L.L.C.
- Jessica Togo, Group Truck Manager, Enterprise Holdings
- Frank Haas, Principal, Marketing Management, Inc.
- Dave Brown, Director of Food and Beverage, Waialae Country Club
- Kevin Nakata, Executive Chef, Waialae Country Club
