Hospitality industry veterans lend new meaning to term BYOB.Drinks and dollars are combining with bits and bytes Bits and Bytes was the name for two Canadian television series, starring Billy Van, who teaches people the basics of how to use a computer. The first series debuted in 1983 and the second series, called Bits and Bytes 2, in 1991. in Chris Painter and Drew Bennett's world. The two 30-something hospitality industry veterans know firsthand the pitfalls of starting up a business, and they are giving those starting out a chance to try their luck in a virtual world where the only thing at stake is their final grade and not their life savings. Out of this desire to teach people just starting out, they have developed BYOB BYOB abbr. 1. bring your own booze 2. bring your own bottle : Build Your Own Bar, an online simulation for those who want to learn what it actually takes to open their own hospitality business. "It's more than just how to open your own bar," says Painter. "There are seven simulations for starting up a night club, a resort, hotel, a themed restaurant and fine dining. Everyone we've ever known, half have told us they always wanted to open their own restaurant or bar ... it's a common thing that many people who can cook a good Christmas dinner Christmas dinner is the primary meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Day. It is often seen as the main event of the day for which the family all gathers and eats together. think they can open a restaurant. "What we thought, if we could teach an individual how to open properly, how to manage properly, let them see the inside of the business; there are those things you can't teach in school but we deal with every day and we've installed into the program," he says. "It's the daily decision-making process that dictates the success of a business." Sitting in Bennet's own restaurant, Painter describes how he and Bennett each started at the same time, opening hospitality businesses in Parry Sound Parry Sound, town (1991 pop. 6,125), S Ont., Canada, on Parry Sound, an inlet of Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. It is an active port and the center of a popular vacation area. in 1995. Bennett's restaurant, Drew's Place, is a bistro-style restaurant while Painter's business, one he opened with his family, Brunswick Travelodge Inn, is a hotel and sports bar-style establishment. Each business might have a different emphasis, however each have noted similar challenges. "A few years into it, after we got a little time under our belts, we realized there were certain common issues between all ends of the marketplace whether it be staff turnover, management issues, financial issues, what have you," says Painter. "We thought, with the advent of the Internet, maybe we could create something that would educate the individual on operating a hospitality business." The pair started in 1998 with a job-search/job-post Web site called winewingswaitstaff.com specifically designed for the hospitality industry. From there, they pitched the Web site to college and university students, but they rapidly received feedback that the Web site also needed to have an educational component as well. Teaching themselves the intricacies of programming and graphic design, starting in 2000, the pair worked to develop BYOB. Four months ago, they set up the program with Parry Sound IT company Mylo.com and Dan Cannaughan to host the simulation and revamp the program. The eight-week virtual simulation has been added to the curriculum of several colleges starting with the University of Guelph The University of Guelph is a medium-sized university located in Guelph, Ontario, established in 1964. While the U of G offers degrees in many different disciplines, the university is best known for its focus on life sciences, based in part on a long-standing history of in January 2003. The United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates, federation of sheikhdoms (2005 est. pop. 2,563,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. , and Suny Delhi in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Johnson and Wales Wales, Welsh Cymru, western peninsula and political division (principality) of Great Britain (1991 pop. 2,798,200), 8,016 sq mi (20,761 sq km), west of England; politically united with England since 1536. The capital is Cardiff. University in Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. have since picked them up and, by January, approximately 400 students were expected to use the simulation. Encompassing the entire process of starting a business in one of the seven cities Seven Cities may refer to:
Any member of a group of Slavic tribes that by the 5th century AD had settled in the area between the Oder and Elbe rivers in what is now eastern Germany. They occupied the eastern borders of the domain of the Franks and other Germanic peoples. their way through from market analysis, arranging financing to setting up a menu, balancing the books, advertising and hiring staff. It also tracks the sales of the new establishment and keeps track of the use of the program and the progress of each of the students up to a final wrap-up at the course's end. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Because the student gets to create their own menu, pick their own colours and that sort of thing, there is a lot of student buy-in," says Painter. "It is also created in Macromedia Flash so it has a lot of graphics and is very aesthetically pleasing." How much the students get out of the program is directly related to how much effort they put into it and many of the students have put in more than a hundred hours, says Painter. It could also be applied in the future to other businesses. "The real beauty of it, we have students literally around the world. They're talking and interesting things are happening," he says. "They're talking and the networking we're creating through this is quite interesting. Watching the students interact is quite a reward." www.winewingswaitstaff.com www.buildyourownbar.ca www.drewsrestaurant.com www.brunswickinn.ca By ANDREW WAREING Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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