Students in Catherine Viggato’s hospitality class are beginning a new lesson on different types of restaurants around the world, as well as how they are managed. 

“The way Viggato teaches is good,” Segura said. “She tends to go over slides and talk about information that could apply to the real world. “She sometimes gives us examples that we might actually experience and it is helpful later on when it comes to projects and other assignments.”

Along with basic lectures, students will be required to complete a group project.

“Since we just started, it’s hard to say how much of this information will apply to culinary, but you can see that we’re heading down that road,” Segura said. “I just mainly hope for now that I learn a brief overview of managing a restaurant and how I can connect that with previous information I learned from culinary.”

Students will be researching a specific aspect of restaurant management, such as technology, customer services, laws, etc. They will be provided in-class time to work throughout the week up until the due date on  Apr. 26.

“This lesson is a good introduction on management and the business end of restaurants,” Viggato said. “My goal is that students are exposed to ideas such as franchises, agreements, small business ownership, and chain restaurants. This is a new lesson this year, but so far the reaction towards the unit seems good.”

While students are presenting, Viggato will be looking for whether or not students use correct pronunciation of terms, are wearing professional attire, and if the group’s work shows effort and exceeds expectations.

“This lesson gives students the opportunity to expand on the restaurant industry in that now they are starting to understand the business end,” Viggato said. “Technical skills, like knife skills, are important to know so you can make your way through this career choice but knowing and getting students interested in business may help them one day own a successful restaurant. My dream is that one of my students will open a successful restaurant and remember the first lesson they had on restaurant business that I taught them.”

At the end of the unit, Viggato wants her students to be able to provide information about management, analyze various types of operations, and confidently discuss the difference between operations to others when presenting.

“I hope that with continued learning that eventually I’ll learn how to run one,” sophomore Xaiver Guzman Garcia said. “I really want to learn about how to start my own fast-food chain in order to be more prepared in the future and make money.”