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Hamden students relish restaurant business with mock venture

March 18th, 2012

By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor

HAMDEN — You’re never too old — or too young — to learn about money and how to start a business.
Members of the Junior Academy at Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School got a jump-start on those skills recently when they learned what they needed to do to start their own restaurant. They worked on the project under the tutelage of enrichment teacher Ingrid Ellinger-Doviak.

“Each and every one of them used their creativity to design the building, market and finance the restaurant, design the waiter’s clothes and to simply attract customers,” said Ellinger-Doviak. They realized how complicated it would be to open the restaurant, she said.

The restaurant’s slogan was “Where every day is a global adventure,” playing off celebrating diversity and experiencing various cultures and cuisines.

The students called the restaurant “We Are the World,” and worked on all aspects of the business plan, from raising money to advertising to employment to menu planning. Marissa Naclerio, 12, a sixth-grader from New Haven, said that the sixth-,

seventh- and eighth-graders who worked on menu planning researched online and found appetizers, main courses and desserts.

“It would be cool to run your own restaurant,” said Justin Boissonneault, 11, a sixth-grader from Meriden.

Added Nikhil Etikela, 11, from Hamden: “If we had money, we would totally do it. It would be a fun experience for me to try.”

The restaurant would feature foods and entertainment from around the world.

Under entertainment, students decided that a trained zoologist would share facts about Australian animals and bring in a venom-free and safe snake for diners touch, feel and learn about.

A classical pianist would play songs by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.

In the Japanese realm, music would be played on the biwa, a guitar-like instrument with four strings.

The U.S. entertainment would include vocalists performing a flag parade and singing the national anthem. At the end of each performance, the children will receive miniature American flags.

The building would be a pentagon, with a huge globe in the middle. The gift shop would sell globes, and each section would have different foods with tables in the shape of the country, according to the business plan.

During a field trip, students presented their plan to Kevin Keenan, manager of West Farms Mall. They ended their trip at the Rainforest Cafe.

“It was fun to make the presentation to West Farms,” said Douglas Wardlaw, 12, a seventh-grader from New Haven. He said the West Farms representative gave them tips on how to make their business excel.

Students figured they needed $3 million to start the company and that they would want cuisine from around the world.

The exercise included bringing in Kevin Paul, a financial adviser with Edward Jones Investments in Cheshire, to talk about investment needs.

Getting money is difficult and varies from bank to bank, he said. “You have to have a solid business plan that investors want to see. They want their money back, or an interest,” he said.

“Having a business plan is what you want to do,” he advised. “You break it down by what your needs are.”

 A student asked how much they would have to spend on advertising. Paul, who had worked in advertising at TV Week, said that if their budget is $100,000, $20,000 would have to be spent on television. “You work with a media planner on targeted demographics and print and social media. It all comes down to how much money you have.”

Kevin J. Paul, a financial adviser with Edward Jones in Cheshire, talks to students at Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School in Hamden about funding options for a theme restaurant they are working on called "We Are the World." Peter Casolino/New Haven Register

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