LESSON PLANS
RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT

CONTENTS

Total Instructional Time
Lesson: Market Research
Lesson: Location Selection
Lesson: Financial Statements
Lesson: Menu Design
Lesson: Pricing
Lesson: Purchasing
Lesson: Layout
Lesson: Staffing
Lesson: Marketing
Lesson: Social Media
Lesson: Turnaround - Unique City Per Class
Lesson: Restaurant Mogul - Unique City Per Class

Total Instructional Time

The instructional time for RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT ranges from 17 hours (simulation exercises only) to 27 hours (simulation exercises, reading assignments , reading quizzes, and math quizzes). You can configure your course to include or exclude reading assignments (3.3 hours), reading quizzes (1.7 hours) and math quizzes (5 hours). For instructions on how to configure your course, click here to access a series of videos to help you get your classroom up and running with Virtual Business.

Prior to beginning work with RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT, students should sign in to their account at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com and go through the Tutorial.

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Lesson: Market Research

DESCRIPTION

This lesson immerses the student in how to learn about a market in terms of customer preferences for the type and price of the product. The simulation provides the student with the means of constructing a survey instrument to obtain information about starting a restaurant. Students must choose questions they believe are helpful to making business decisions, and balance this need for information with the cost of a survey. The information gathered at this phase of the simulation can be useful in informing decisions over a number of lessons. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn about the importance of marketing research in starting a business.
  • Students will learn how to construct market surveys relevant to starting a business.
  • Students will learn how to analyze survey results to help inform business decision-making.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Location Selection

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, the student will learn how to find an ideal location for opening a new restaurant. Students will compare rent costs, the location of other restaurants in the neighborhood, and the demographic composition of the neighborhoods. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will understand what information is relevant when locating a business.
  • Students will analyze data to make an informed business location choice.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Financial Statements

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, the student will learn how to use management information to guide business decisions. The student will learn how to select and analyze financial reports to guide spending in marketing, inventory, staffing, etc.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn how to analyze financial reports to make informed business decisions.
  • Students will learn the difference between the information in balance sheets and income statements.
  • Students will learn how business decisions impact the information in financial reports.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, the student will develop a menu to serve the preferences of the customers in its market.  

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn how to craft a product mix based on their marketing research.
  • Students will learn about the relationship between product mix and purchasing supplies.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Pricing

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson the student will learn how to price menu items to maximize profit. This requires some trial and error as students learn about the price elasticity of demand for each of the products in their product mix.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn about the price elasticity of demand for each of the menu items.
  • Students will learn how to use customer comments to guide pricing decisions.
  • Students will learn how to use management reports to analyze the product mix of a specific menu.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 60 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Purchasing

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, students will learn how to purchase inventory to meet the customer demand and also how to minimize waste.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn to grapple with the variables that control inventory.
  • Students will learn how to use management information to improve purchasing and control over inventory.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 60 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Layout

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, the student learns how the physical layout of the operation: restaurant and kitchen, can impact both the revenue and the costs of the operation.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn how layout can impact both revenue and costs.
  • Students will learn how to use comments from customers and employees to adjust the layout of the dining room and kitchen, respectively.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Staffing

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, students learn about appropriate levels of staffing to provide both efficient and effective customer service. The student will learn how to manage staff levels given the varying levels of demand during the days and times over the weekly schedule of the restaurant.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn how to adjust staffing levels and wages to both meet demand and minimize staffing costs.
  • Students will learn how to use information and reports to understand the status of staffing problems in an organization.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Marketing

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, students will learn how to deploy advertising and promotion to increase the demand for certain products in the product mix. Students will use their marketing research and management reports to target the advertising and promotion.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will learn how to use marketing research data to select an appropriate segment and medium through which to advertise.
  • Students will learn how to choose items to promote.
  • Students will learn how to examine management reports to understand the impact of their advertising and promotion decisions.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Social Media

DESCRIPTION

In this lesson, students create social media ads for their restaurant.  They begin by creating an ad using an interface modeled after Facebook/Instagram. They give their ad a headline, text, and photo and distribute it broadly.  They assess their results and improve the ad by using a better photo. Next, they more carefully target their audience and see a huge improvement in the click-through rate for their ad. They also learn to monitor the effect of the ad on profits. Finally, students switch to a different restaurant and create well-targeted ads to meet a profit goal.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand why social media advertising is effective.
  • Know how to budget for and buy social media ads.
  • Have experience with realistic ad creation interfaces.
  • Be able to assess the results of a social media campaign.

TIME

Reading: 20 minutes (optional)
 Reading Quiz: 10 minutes (optional)
 Math Quiz: 30 minutes (optional)
 Simulation Exercise: 40 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students complete the reading assignment (optional).
 Students take the reading quiz (optional).
 Students take the math quiz (optional).
 Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Turnaround - Unique City Per Class

DESCRIPTION

In this project, students take over a struggling restaurant. The business has poor staffing, inappropriate menu options, and a terrible layout. Students are challenged to find and diagnose the problems. They then set about correcting them. Students learn that a single correction may not produce profits if other factors are not aligned. Eventually, students work through all the issues to achieve a profit goal.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Students will understand how to diagnose the causes of a struggling business.
  • Students will develop and implement plans to attempt to turnaround a struggling business.
  • Student will use financial statements and other reports to assess effectiveness of corrections.

TIME

Simulation Exercise: 240 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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Lesson: Restaurant Mogul - Unique City Per Class

DESCRIPTION

This all-encompassing project allows students to use what they have learned from the lessons to start a restaurant empire. To make the goal, students will need to run at least two successful restaurants. The initial goal is to obtain a weekly profit total of at least $27,000. This module engages all the knowledge from the previous lessons and challenges students to apply their learning to now orchestrate the full operation of a restaurant and to grow and acquire other restaurants.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Choose a suitable location for a restaurant
  • Design an effective floor plan
  • Understands how to staff a restaurant efficiently
  • Plan menu, pricing, and purchasing
  • Use common financial statements and reports to pursue a profit goal

TIME

Simulation Exercise: 360 minutes

PROCEDURE

Students sign in to RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com.
Students click Run SIM and follow the lesson instructions.
Student progress and grades may be tracked from the Instructor page.
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