Fundamentals Of Management
This class is taught by Chef Josh Gibbs. It's a six week class focussing on how to make and keep a profitable business.
Concept Paper
Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café
Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café will occupy 2 Park Street in Middlebury Vermont, the present location of Middlebury Mountaineer. At the center of the bustling but friendly town of Middlebury, Belle’s Bites will provide the community with freshly baked pastries, breads, a variety of lunch items, and a full coffee bar. Local ingredients from nearby farms will be used as often as possible, and Belle’s Bite’s own chickens will produce the café’s eggs, both for cooking and for selling. The chickens will be viewable from inside the bakery, and may be fed grain by customers. Knowing that the ingredients used are truly fresh will draw customers back again and again.
Belle’s Bites lies directly above a large 24-hour parking lot. Two other lots are within a short walking distance, as well as street parking. All parking in Middlebury is free. Park Street is just off of Main Street. Foot traffic is ample and car traffic is minimal as it is a short one-way road. To get to the bakery by vehicle, turn onto Frog Hollow Alley, and turn left onto Park Street. It is the third building and street parking is located directly in front of Belle’s Bites. Addison County Transit Resources have a bus system to bring people around Addison County, as well as to and from Rutland, Montpelier, and Burlington.
Middlebury’s population is mostly made up of young families and Middlebury College students. Fast service and reasonable prices are very important in the town of Middlebury, and Belle’s Bites will be a counter service bakery and café so that folks may be served quickly and for a reasonable price. Comfortable seating will be available for those who have time to sip their beverage, munch on a scone, and use the customer-only Wi-Fi.
Both breakfast and lunch can be bought as a combo for a lower price. At breakfast, a pastry, a beverage, and either a piece of fruit or yogurt from a local farm in Shoreham, will cost around $6.00. A lunch of a panini served with either a salad or soup, a drink, and a small pastry such as a cookie or mini éclair will cost $12.00. Kid-friendly food is also available, such as mac ‘n’ cheese, grilled cheese on house made bread, and ciabatta crusted chicken fingers. Also able to purchase are boxes of a variety of pastries, perfect to bring to a meeting or a brunch.
The beautiful town of Middlebury surrounds Belle’s. The old time movie theatre, numerous locally owned shops, and art museums are all within a moment’s walk. Sit on the outdoor deck and have a breathtaking view of the Otter Creek Waterfall. Belle’s Bites will be a wonderful place to visit before work for an assortment of pastries and coffees, for a cup of hot cider on a chilly fall morning, for a special treat after finishing an exam, or a nice lunch with a friend.
The exterior of the bakery is a beautiful old brick building next to the Henry Sheldon Museum. Tables and chairs are set up outside seasonally. The interior of Belle’s Bites will be very warm and cozy. Yellow walls, warm lighting, and colorful artwork by local artist Tal Birdsey will fill the eyes with comfort and cheer. A seating area with tables and comfortable chairs will be adorned with colorful oriental rugs, local artist’s pieces, and the warm rays of Vermont sun streaming in through the large picture windows overlooking Otter Creek. Oldies will softly play in the background, apt to cause an employee or two to hum whilst they make your drink. All dishes will be made by Belle’s Bite’s staff at Frog Hollow Art Gallery just a stone’s throw from the Café. White plates allow for the food to pop to the eye. Colorful mugs will make hot chocolate taste even better. The smell of bread will linger throughout the day as it is baked fresh each morning. There will be workstations viewable from the customer’s standpoint so that it’s clear everything is handmade and fresh.
Open for breakfast and lunch, Belle’s offers a unique combination of delicate breakfast pastries, such as croissants, scones and muffins, lunch items such as paninis, soups, strata, and baked panzonella, and a variety of beverages from cappuccino, fresh fruit smoothies, fabulous coffee from Port City Roasters in Portsmouth New Hampshire, and apple cider from local Happy Valley Orchards. Being the only location in Middlebury with sweets, savory delights, and a barista, the locals will flock to Belle’s Bites regularly.
The savory menu and the fruit-centered sweets will change seasonally based on what ingredients are abundant and in season. Some items will be staples in Belle’s Bites including croissants, fresh breads, paninis, and a variety of salads. Local farms will provide much of the ingredients Belle’s will use. Foote Street Farm Stand, Monument Farms, Dancing Cow Farms, Allen Farms, Dwayne Fluerry, and Mike Bowen are just a few local farmers who will provide produce, dairy, and meat to Belle’s.
The staff at Belle’s Bites will be fairly small; only seven people will work on a rotating schedule. Each employee will be trained both to be a front of the house employee as well as trained to do food preparation in the kitchen. The head pastry Chef will be Annabelle Nicholson, the savory chef will be Twyla Pomponio, and the pastry sous chef will be Amber Nicholson, Annabelle’s younger sister and protégée. Annabelle and Twyla are graduates of New England Culinary Institute, and both studied under master chefs. Jordan Loza, another graduate of NECI will be general manager. His bubbly outgoing personality will thrive in an environment meant to make customers happy. The remainder of the staff will be trained by Annabelle, Twyla, and Amber to make sweet and savory products, run the cash register, and serve costumers. Chloe Dickenson, Kelsey McGlashan, and Miles Zwicky will be these employees. Chloe was a coworker of Annabelle’s during her second baking internship and shows great promise in culinary and baking arts. She has a remarkably friendly air that customers find familiar and soothing. Miles and Kelsey are childhood friends of Annabelle. They both worked in the food service industry through high school and college, and are constantly striving to learn more. Kelsey McGlashan will also do bookkeeping. He will be in charge of inventory, taxes, costs, and all things numbers. All employees, including the chefs, will all pitch in to do dishes. Part of working in a kitchen is cleaning it. The staff of 7 will bake, cook, and serve costumers interchangeably.
Dress code will be conservative but casual. Women must wear a headband to restrain their hair, as well as close toed shoes. However pants, shorts, dresses, or skirts will all be acceptable. Men must wear a hat and close toed shoes. Clothing must be appropriate and of clean appearance.
Belle’s Bites won’t require experience for inquiring applicants, however they will require a positive attitude, a want to learn, and the need to improve their personal bests each day.
Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café will occupy 2 Park Street in Middlebury Vermont, the present location of Middlebury Mountaineer. At the center of the bustling but friendly town of Middlebury, Belle’s Bites will provide the community with freshly baked pastries, breads, a variety of lunch items, and a full coffee bar. Local ingredients from nearby farms will be used as often as possible, and Belle’s Bite’s own chickens will produce the café’s eggs, both for cooking and for selling. The chickens will be viewable from inside the bakery, and may be fed grain by customers. Knowing that the ingredients used are truly fresh will draw customers back again and again.
Belle’s Bites lies directly above a large 24-hour parking lot. Two other lots are within a short walking distance, as well as street parking. All parking in Middlebury is free. Park Street is just off of Main Street. Foot traffic is ample and car traffic is minimal as it is a short one-way road. To get to the bakery by vehicle, turn onto Frog Hollow Alley, and turn left onto Park Street. It is the third building and street parking is located directly in front of Belle’s Bites. Addison County Transit Resources have a bus system to bring people around Addison County, as well as to and from Rutland, Montpelier, and Burlington.
Middlebury’s population is mostly made up of young families and Middlebury College students. Fast service and reasonable prices are very important in the town of Middlebury, and Belle’s Bites will be a counter service bakery and café so that folks may be served quickly and for a reasonable price. Comfortable seating will be available for those who have time to sip their beverage, munch on a scone, and use the customer-only Wi-Fi.
Both breakfast and lunch can be bought as a combo for a lower price. At breakfast, a pastry, a beverage, and either a piece of fruit or yogurt from a local farm in Shoreham, will cost around $6.00. A lunch of a panini served with either a salad or soup, a drink, and a small pastry such as a cookie or mini éclair will cost $12.00. Kid-friendly food is also available, such as mac ‘n’ cheese, grilled cheese on house made bread, and ciabatta crusted chicken fingers. Also able to purchase are boxes of a variety of pastries, perfect to bring to a meeting or a brunch.
The beautiful town of Middlebury surrounds Belle’s. The old time movie theatre, numerous locally owned shops, and art museums are all within a moment’s walk. Sit on the outdoor deck and have a breathtaking view of the Otter Creek Waterfall. Belle’s Bites will be a wonderful place to visit before work for an assortment of pastries and coffees, for a cup of hot cider on a chilly fall morning, for a special treat after finishing an exam, or a nice lunch with a friend.
The exterior of the bakery is a beautiful old brick building next to the Henry Sheldon Museum. Tables and chairs are set up outside seasonally. The interior of Belle’s Bites will be very warm and cozy. Yellow walls, warm lighting, and colorful artwork by local artist Tal Birdsey will fill the eyes with comfort and cheer. A seating area with tables and comfortable chairs will be adorned with colorful oriental rugs, local artist’s pieces, and the warm rays of Vermont sun streaming in through the large picture windows overlooking Otter Creek. Oldies will softly play in the background, apt to cause an employee or two to hum whilst they make your drink. All dishes will be made by Belle’s Bite’s staff at Frog Hollow Art Gallery just a stone’s throw from the Café. White plates allow for the food to pop to the eye. Colorful mugs will make hot chocolate taste even better. The smell of bread will linger throughout the day as it is baked fresh each morning. There will be workstations viewable from the customer’s standpoint so that it’s clear everything is handmade and fresh.
Open for breakfast and lunch, Belle’s offers a unique combination of delicate breakfast pastries, such as croissants, scones and muffins, lunch items such as paninis, soups, strata, and baked panzonella, and a variety of beverages from cappuccino, fresh fruit smoothies, fabulous coffee from Port City Roasters in Portsmouth New Hampshire, and apple cider from local Happy Valley Orchards. Being the only location in Middlebury with sweets, savory delights, and a barista, the locals will flock to Belle’s Bites regularly.
The savory menu and the fruit-centered sweets will change seasonally based on what ingredients are abundant and in season. Some items will be staples in Belle’s Bites including croissants, fresh breads, paninis, and a variety of salads. Local farms will provide much of the ingredients Belle’s will use. Foote Street Farm Stand, Monument Farms, Dancing Cow Farms, Allen Farms, Dwayne Fluerry, and Mike Bowen are just a few local farmers who will provide produce, dairy, and meat to Belle’s.
The staff at Belle’s Bites will be fairly small; only seven people will work on a rotating schedule. Each employee will be trained both to be a front of the house employee as well as trained to do food preparation in the kitchen. The head pastry Chef will be Annabelle Nicholson, the savory chef will be Twyla Pomponio, and the pastry sous chef will be Amber Nicholson, Annabelle’s younger sister and protégée. Annabelle and Twyla are graduates of New England Culinary Institute, and both studied under master chefs. Jordan Loza, another graduate of NECI will be general manager. His bubbly outgoing personality will thrive in an environment meant to make customers happy. The remainder of the staff will be trained by Annabelle, Twyla, and Amber to make sweet and savory products, run the cash register, and serve costumers. Chloe Dickenson, Kelsey McGlashan, and Miles Zwicky will be these employees. Chloe was a coworker of Annabelle’s during her second baking internship and shows great promise in culinary and baking arts. She has a remarkably friendly air that customers find familiar and soothing. Miles and Kelsey are childhood friends of Annabelle. They both worked in the food service industry through high school and college, and are constantly striving to learn more. Kelsey McGlashan will also do bookkeeping. He will be in charge of inventory, taxes, costs, and all things numbers. All employees, including the chefs, will all pitch in to do dishes. Part of working in a kitchen is cleaning it. The staff of 7 will bake, cook, and serve costumers interchangeably.
Dress code will be conservative but casual. Women must wear a headband to restrain their hair, as well as close toed shoes. However pants, shorts, dresses, or skirts will all be acceptable. Men must wear a hat and close toed shoes. Clothing must be appropriate and of clean appearance.
Belle’s Bites won’t require experience for inquiring applicants, however they will require a positive attitude, a want to learn, and the need to improve their personal bests each day.
Marketing Paper
Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café Marketing Program
Located on the skirts of the Green Mountain National Forrest, Middlebury, Vermont, a quaint historical college town of 6600 lies in need of Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café. Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café will provide the town with artisan pastries and breads, savory delights using local ingredients, and a full coffee bar. Being the only location in Middlebury to offer all three, Middlebury College students, locals, and tourists will flock to Belle’s Bites to enjoy the scrumptious foods, gorgeous views of the Otter Creek Waterfall, the ability to feed Belle’s Bite’s own chickens, and the warm friendly hospitality of Vermonters.
As the United States economy has been fluctuating over the last decade, several job industries have suffered, the restaurant industry included. However, a segment of the restaurant industry has been thriving: the Bakery Café. The most notable of the rising Bakery Café business is Panera Bread, earning $2.6 billion in 2008 (Van Til). Americans have been drawn towards the casual atmosphere, low prices, convenience, and speed of the Bakery Café. Having smaller menus than full service restaurants result in a smaller amount of menu items being made to perfection.
There are no Bakery Cafés in Middlebury, or in any of the surrounding towns. While there are other businesses that would serve as competition, none offer sweets, savory foods, espresso, customer-only Wi-Fi, and the beautiful view of Otter Creek. Middlebury Bagel Café, Carol’s Hungry Mind Café, and Otter Creek Bakery are all within walking distance, and while they do have a devoted customer base of locals, Belle’s Bite’s will be targeting towards Middlebury College Students. The median age of Middlebury residents is 22.9 year old, mainly, the students of Middlebury College, one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country. Students are on campus year round as Middlebury is a 4-season school. While regular classes span from September to June, Middlebury holds both the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, and the Middlebury Language School every summer. They draw in thousands of students and their families to the area for the summer months. Belle’s Bites will use locally grown products whenever possible to ensure fresh and flavorful products. By constantly searching for the best products at the lowest price, Belle’s Bites will be able to offer fabulous products at low costs. Wi-Fi is a very key attraction that has become essential for most college students to function. Whether it is to have a meeting with a professor, gather with some friends, or hunker down for a day of studying, the casual yet rustic atmosphere of Belle’s Bites will serve the community with a warm, welcoming, and constantly evolving meeting place.
The fact that Middlebury is a relatively small town, new businesses are exciting and long awaited by residents. Most businesses have been open for many years and while they do receive repeat business, the town needs the addition of Belle’s Bites. In order to get the word out about Belle’s Bites entrance to Middlebury, we will first make announcements on free social media sites. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Reddit are extremely popular venues of communication these days, especially for the college age students in Middlebury. We will also create a website using Weebly, a free website generator, and send the link via the above social media sites and email. Fliers will be printed and hung at frequently visited venues in Middlebury; Ilsley Public Library, The Middlebury Food Co-op, various retail stores, the Vermont Book Shop, and Otter Creek Brewery. Fliers will also be hung throughout the buildings of Middlebury College Campus. In terms of paid advertisement, the Middlebury College Radio Station runs advertisements for local events and businesses. We would also purchase advertisement time on 97.1 KISS FM, the most popular radio station for ages ranging 14-27. Belle’s Bites Bakery and Café will donate food to fundraisers in the community such as events at the Addison County Humane Society, The North Branch School, and HOPE.
Customers will be able to get a paper punch card as an incentive to return time and again. After nine punches from nine different purchases, they will receive a free coffee or tea of choice. There will be discounts on pastries and sweets when bought in large amounts. Vermont has a tax law that states when more than three of one pastry or cookie is purchased it shall be tax-free. We will give a discount when more than six of a pastry is purchased, that they will receive a cookie or confection free of charge. One of the most convenient promotions we will provide will be a bundle of a drink, a pastry or sandwich, and a piece of fruit or a cookie. They will be cheaper purchased together than they would be separately.
In terms of business relations, most communication outside of work will be done through email. Employers and employees will be able to contact each other by email or phone if necessary. All stakeholders will be regularly contacted by phone or in person to converse about the successes in the business.
Inside Belle’s Bites will attract customers to return, as events will be posted inside of workshops and classes. Also we will make baking camps for children during the summer. Events and promotions will constantly draw customers back.
Located on the skirts of the Green Mountain National Forrest, Middlebury, Vermont, a quaint historical college town of 6600 lies in need of Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café. Belle’s Bites Bakery & Café will provide the town with artisan pastries and breads, savory delights using local ingredients, and a full coffee bar. Being the only location in Middlebury to offer all three, Middlebury College students, locals, and tourists will flock to Belle’s Bites to enjoy the scrumptious foods, gorgeous views of the Otter Creek Waterfall, the ability to feed Belle’s Bite’s own chickens, and the warm friendly hospitality of Vermonters.
As the United States economy has been fluctuating over the last decade, several job industries have suffered, the restaurant industry included. However, a segment of the restaurant industry has been thriving: the Bakery Café. The most notable of the rising Bakery Café business is Panera Bread, earning $2.6 billion in 2008 (Van Til). Americans have been drawn towards the casual atmosphere, low prices, convenience, and speed of the Bakery Café. Having smaller menus than full service restaurants result in a smaller amount of menu items being made to perfection.
There are no Bakery Cafés in Middlebury, or in any of the surrounding towns. While there are other businesses that would serve as competition, none offer sweets, savory foods, espresso, customer-only Wi-Fi, and the beautiful view of Otter Creek. Middlebury Bagel Café, Carol’s Hungry Mind Café, and Otter Creek Bakery are all within walking distance, and while they do have a devoted customer base of locals, Belle’s Bite’s will be targeting towards Middlebury College Students. The median age of Middlebury residents is 22.9 year old, mainly, the students of Middlebury College, one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country. Students are on campus year round as Middlebury is a 4-season school. While regular classes span from September to June, Middlebury holds both the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, and the Middlebury Language School every summer. They draw in thousands of students and their families to the area for the summer months. Belle’s Bites will use locally grown products whenever possible to ensure fresh and flavorful products. By constantly searching for the best products at the lowest price, Belle’s Bites will be able to offer fabulous products at low costs. Wi-Fi is a very key attraction that has become essential for most college students to function. Whether it is to have a meeting with a professor, gather with some friends, or hunker down for a day of studying, the casual yet rustic atmosphere of Belle’s Bites will serve the community with a warm, welcoming, and constantly evolving meeting place.
The fact that Middlebury is a relatively small town, new businesses are exciting and long awaited by residents. Most businesses have been open for many years and while they do receive repeat business, the town needs the addition of Belle’s Bites. In order to get the word out about Belle’s Bites entrance to Middlebury, we will first make announcements on free social media sites. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Reddit are extremely popular venues of communication these days, especially for the college age students in Middlebury. We will also create a website using Weebly, a free website generator, and send the link via the above social media sites and email. Fliers will be printed and hung at frequently visited venues in Middlebury; Ilsley Public Library, The Middlebury Food Co-op, various retail stores, the Vermont Book Shop, and Otter Creek Brewery. Fliers will also be hung throughout the buildings of Middlebury College Campus. In terms of paid advertisement, the Middlebury College Radio Station runs advertisements for local events and businesses. We would also purchase advertisement time on 97.1 KISS FM, the most popular radio station for ages ranging 14-27. Belle’s Bites Bakery and Café will donate food to fundraisers in the community such as events at the Addison County Humane Society, The North Branch School, and HOPE.
Customers will be able to get a paper punch card as an incentive to return time and again. After nine punches from nine different purchases, they will receive a free coffee or tea of choice. There will be discounts on pastries and sweets when bought in large amounts. Vermont has a tax law that states when more than three of one pastry or cookie is purchased it shall be tax-free. We will give a discount when more than six of a pastry is purchased, that they will receive a cookie or confection free of charge. One of the most convenient promotions we will provide will be a bundle of a drink, a pastry or sandwich, and a piece of fruit or a cookie. They will be cheaper purchased together than they would be separately.
In terms of business relations, most communication outside of work will be done through email. Employers and employees will be able to contact each other by email or phone if necessary. All stakeholders will be regularly contacted by phone or in person to converse about the successes in the business.
Inside Belle’s Bites will attract customers to return, as events will be posted inside of workshops and classes. Also we will make baking camps for children during the summer. Events and promotions will constantly draw customers back.