2017 Midwest Foodservice Expo
Wisconsin Restaurant Association
Education Foundation
College Management Competition
Procedures and Rules
March 13, 2017
Midwest Foodservice Expo
Wisconsin Center
400 W Wisconsin Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53203
REGISTRATON DEADLINE IS 2/15/2017
Participating teams are responsible for understanding and following all of the procedures and rules contained in this document. Please read this document carefully to avoid receiving any penalties during the competition.
Questions regarding the rules should be sent to Alex Newman at prior to arrival in Milwaukee.
Eligibility
All college students currently enrolled in a program through their college’s hospitality management program or equivalent are eligible to participate.
Participating teams will consist of two (2) to four (4) team members.
General Disqualifications
1. Teams must arrive at the appointed time to compete or they will be disqualified. The only exception made will be for travel delays beyond the control of the team. Delays must be communicated to designated officials prior to arrival.
2. Teams must not receive coaching or any form of communication from anyone during the competition time or they will be disqualified. There will be no verbal or non-verbal communication allowed between any spectators, educators, mentors, coaches, or other competing teams. NO EXCEPTIONS.
3. Teams must participate in each event segment in the competition or they will be disqualified. Management teams must compete in Written Proposal, Verbal Presentation, Visual Display, and Critical Thinking. Failure to compete in any segment will result in disqualification.
Schedules
The competition schedule will be distributed prior to arrival in Milwaukee, once all teams have been identified. The schedule is subject to change.
Registration
$150 per team if registration is received by January 1, 2017
$200 per team if registration is received after January 1, 2017
Cash Prize & Medals to team members of the top three teams
$300 first place team,
$200 second place team
$100 third place team
Trophies to top three winning schools
Final Scoring
All judges have been carefully selected by event personnel. Judges have reviewed the rules in advance of the competition and participated in an orientation. All decisions and scoring by judges is final. Any questions about scoring should be referred to Alex Newman at
2017 Management Competition
Purpose
Participating teams will demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by developing a business proposal for potential investors in a new restaurant concept. The business proposal will consist of a defined restaurant concept, supporting menu, and supporting marketing plan. Teams will prepare a comprehensive written proposal, verbal presentation and visual display. Teams will also be tested on their critical thinking skills by reacting to potential management challenges related to their concept. Their performance during the event will be observed and rated by judges from the foodservice industry. Participating teams will demonstrate their ability to work together while developing their business proposal.
Uniform
Each team will be required to dress in formal professional office attire that is consistent with their restaurant concept.
Written Proposal
1. Each proposal must include a one page letter of intent.
2. Teams must describe the new restaurant concept. The restaurant concept description must include at least the below information:
a. Type of establishment
b. Meals served (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.)
c. Hours of operation
d. Sample menu with pricing
e. Location of restaurant (standalone, strip mall, office high rise, etc.)
f. Description of interior and exterior
g. Target market
h. Organizational chart
i. A Friday’s staffing plan for the concept from open to close
j. A SWOT analysis
k. Any other supporting information
3. Teams must describe how the restaurant’s interior and décor will complement the restaurant concept. Paper-based samples and photos may be included to support the description.
4. A basic diagram of the restaurant’s layout (front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house) must be provided. The diagram will be judged on how well it conveys the restaurant’s flow and the inclusion of features necessary to run a restaurant.
5. Teams must include financial projections. This will entail:
a. Forecasted income statements
b. Balance sheets
c. Cash flow statements
d. Capital expenditure budgets
6. Teams must include an organizational chart listing what positions will be necessary to staff the restaurant. Each position must include salary ranges.
7. Teams will develop marketing tactics to launch their restaurant concept. For each marketing tactic, teams must submit:
a. A description of the tactic
b. The goal of the tactic
c. A detailed budget that shows all associated costs.
Students are encouraged to use creativity to develop their tactics. For the budget for each tactic, teams must use local rates and list the rate source.
8. For the marketing tactics, teams must submit paper-based samples of the tactic. Examples of acceptable samples could include:
a. Newspaper ad – mockup of ad
b. Radio commercial – script
c. TV commercial – storyboard
d. Public relations campaign – sample press release
e. Promotional giveaway items – photo or mockup of item
f. Email campaign – email text and mockup of accompanying artwork
g. Social Media/applications – sample Facebook or Twitter page, etc.
h. “Deal-of-the-Day” Third Party – explanation and mockup of deal
i. Any other marketing ideas not listed.
9. All 10 copies of the marketing tactic will be given to event organizers to give to judges.
10. To allow the judges adequate time to review your proposal, an electronic draft of the team’s written proposal must be submitted to by March 1, 2017. The draft will not be judged and you may make changes to your proposal after that time.
11. One copy of the written proposal submitted will not be returned to the team at the conclusion of the competition. The remaining written proposals will be available for pick up after the team’s feedback session. Proposals which are not picked up will be destroyed.
Verbal Presentation
1. Using the materials developed for the written proposal, teams will prepare a minimum 10- minute, maximum 15-minute verbal presentation that will be presented on-site to judges.
2. Teams must develop a visual presentation to accompany the verbal component. The visual presentation may include any embedded video or special effects (sound, flash, etc.) and use of enhanced technology. Use of video and audio cannot make up most of the presentation. Please check with event organizers about technology needs. You may need to supply your own computer to hook up with the LCD projector. The wireless internet is not always reliable at the Wisconsin Center, so it is suggested you create a presentation that can be viewed offline.
3. The teams should approach the verbal presentation as though they are developers of the restaurant concept and the judges are potential investors. Teams should assume the “investors” have not reviewed the written proposal and pull out the relevant information to be presented in person.
4. Judges will then have 15 minutes to ask questions. This will be a mix of specific questions about the concept and critical thinking questions. The critical thinking questions may come from any of the following categories:
a. Safety and sanitation
b. Customer service
c. Social media
d. Human resources and staffing
e. Menu development and design
f. Marketing
g. Concept knowledge
Visual Display
1. Using the materials developed for the written proposal, teams will build a display to visually reflect their restaurant concept.
2. Electronic items such as tablets, netbooks, cell phones, smart phones, mp3 players, stringed lights, and digital picture frames are allowed. They must be battery powered. Event organizers are not responsible for any lost or stolen items.
3. Visual displays will be available for pick up at the end of the day. Visual displays which are not picked up will be destroyed.
Team Check-in
1. Teams will be assigned a designated time slot for check-in on Monday, March 13 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am at the Wisconsin Center.
2. At check-in, teams will submit 6 copies of their written proposal and their visual display.
3. Should travel delays arise, and as a result a team is unable to check-in their materials during the times allotted, the team must contact the WRA Education Foundation as soon as possible by calling Alex Newman at 740-274-1316.
Day of Competition
1. Ten minutes prior to their presentation start time, teams will check in at competition area.
2. There will be 1-point-per-minute penalty if teams exceed the maximum 15-minute presentation length. If the presentation runs more than 4 minutes over the maximum time, the team will be disqualified (See Penalties/Disqualifications).
3. After the presentation, judges will have an additional 15 minutes to ask the team questions about their presentation and overall restaurant concept. Team members are allowed to consult amongst themselves before answering each question.
4. The materials must be picked up by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the competition, or they will be disposed of by Event Organizers.
Penalties/Disqualifications
1. Verbal presentation exceeds maximum allowed time – 1 point per minute
2. Verbal presentation running more than 4 minutes over the maximum allowed time will be disqualified
Registration: http://www.wirestaurant.org/expo/registration.php
Event Personnel
1. Event Organizers (WRA EF staff members)
Alex Newman
ProStart Coordinator
Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation
2801 Fish Hatchery Rd
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608.270.9950
Cell: 740.274.1316
2. Judges from the foodservice industry
Attendees
Mentors, instructors, parents/relatives, employers, etc., are encouraged to attend the competition and must register for the Midwest Foodservice Expo.
Sample Management Competition Judging Sheets
Criteria / Max Points / ScoreLetter of Intent & Conclusion / 5
Restaurant Concept
Description of concept
· Type of establishment
· Meals served
· Hours of operation
· Type of cuisine served
· Location of restaurant
· Target market / 10
Interior and décor (does it match concept) / 3
Restaurant diagram/layout
· Flow of space
· Necessary features (bus stations, host stand, etc.) / 4
Organizational chart
· Does the staffing fit the concept
· All positions accounted for (FOH, BOH, janitorial, etc.)
· Proper organization chart
· Wages / 3
SWOT Analysis / 5
Budget
Forecasted income statements / 3
Balance sheets / 3
Cash flow statements / 3
Capital expenditure budgets / 3
Menu
Matches restaurant concept & appropriate menu mix / 3
Sample of how presented
· Easy to read
· Does type of menu fit concept / 3
Food Costing, menu pricing (sources listed) / 5
Marketing Plan
Matches restaurant concept / 5
Tactic goals
· Will it reach target market
· Tactic budgets
· Samples / 7
Creativity / 3
Verbal Presentation
Organization of presentation / 5
Presentation skills
· Ability to sell concept
· Easy to hear/understand
· Professionalism / 15
Visual Presentation
· Supports/illustrates/complements verbal presentation
· Neat and readable
· Creative
· Relevancy of material presented
· Reflect the written materials
· Material presented was appropriate for verbal presentation / 20
Visual Display
Overall appearance of display / 4
Matches restaurant concept / 4
Creativity / 3
Critical Thinking/Q & A
Teamwork / 5
Presentation skills
· Ability to sell solution
· Easy to hear/understand
· Professionalism
· Knowledge of industry / 40
Total / 164
Penalties/Disqualifications
• One point per minute over presentation
• Disqualified if over 4 minutes
6