Reflection Mind Mapping

Idea generation for a Restaurant Business

Challenge

We are planning to start a family business near a recently opened university campus. The  university, when fully functional will be housing around 2500 students, professors, teaching staff  and their families. From among a host of business opportunities surrounding the university, we  were looking for an idea which involved lower capital investment. After a few discussions with  family members and colleagues, we selected three business ideas to choose from; they are  Student Housing, Restaurant business and Coaching Institution. Considering the initial capital  investment involved; we have taken up the restaurant business for implementation.

From among many type of restaurant ideas like breakfast serving, QSR (quick service

restaurant), fast food, fine dine, family restaurant, barbeque etc. our challenge was to select the  one which would be feasible for implementation, iterate if required, scale up if the concept  becomes success or switch to a different restaurant model in case of failure.

Selection  For our challenge we selected the tool called Mind Mapping, which facilitates search for  patterns, themes and insights in a large quantity of data we collected during our exploration of  what is, the current reality. The goal is to establish criteria for the what-if idea generation phase.

For our type of restaurant idea generation we needed to find the food preferences of

customers, their paying capacity, preferred cuisine , and what they felt about the other eateries  located in and around the university campus etc. We believed that, like the MeYou Health case  study, different personas would emerge with differing requirements and we needed to cater  differently to each.

Application

Before we set out to conduct ethnographic interview of our potential customers we needed to  determine who we would study, where we would find them, and what questions we might ask  them. As our restaurant business would be centered on the university, our target was students,  professors, teaching staff and their families. We resorted to conversation type of interview  instead of prepared questionnaire. One of our goals was to bring out unarticulated needs of the  customers.

We interviewed around 30 students and 15 teaching staffs, visited the student’s canteen,

went to the other local eateries, and tasted the food ourselves. We felt that we needed to ask  different questions to the students and different questions to the teaching staff community. For  the students, our conversations were mainly around their social background. In India, the social  backgrounds are varied from state to state and highly influence an individual’s life. We asked the  students questions like, from the states they belong, family background, educational background,  reason for them to join the university, their future aspirations, their college class timings etc.

Then the other conversations were around their food preferences, what they felt about their  college canteen food etc. As for the teaching staff community we asked direct questions on their  expectations from our restaurant.

Insight  From the initial round of interviews conducted, we observed some distinctive differences  between the student’s and the teaching staff community’s expectations from our restaurant, as we  had learned from the MeYou Health case study, that different personas would emerge.  Some of  the insights gained are tabulated below:    Question  Student community

response

Professors, Staff and Family

response

Insight gained

Type of restaurant  preferred

Lunch providing restaurant  Barbeque

Lunch and dinner Providing  restaurant, fine dine restaurant  , Barbeque

Lunch providing restaurant  and Barbeque are in  demand

Cuisine  Bengali cuisine  Bengali cuisine  Bengali cuisine is preferred  by both

Restaurant timing  From 12 pm to 4 pm  From  11 am to 3 pm  11 am to 4 pm  timing will  suite both

Traveling from their  residence to  restaurant

During Exam periods, rain  and summer they don’t want  to commute

No such preference  Home delivery of ordered  food for students during   such periods

Price  Preference for Lower price   Willing to pay higher price too  Lower priced menu items

Payment Options  once in a month payment  No such preference  Flexible payment options  for student community

We observed that Lunch is preferable by both, Bengali cuisine is in demand. Especially the  student community craves for home food. We resorted to co creation for selection of the menu  items. One of the unarticulated need of the student’s which surfaced was that during the exams,  during summer under hot sun, and during rain they do not want to commute from their residence  to the restaurant. This gave us an idea on home delivery of food during such events.       Approach    With the insight gained from applying the mind mapping tool, we have selected the “lunch only”  restaurant model for implementation in the initial stage. For start, we will be focusing on the  Bengali cuisine which is in high demand in the locality and focus on low priced menu items. We  are planning to start with a small number of lunches served, catering to the preference of mainly  the student community. For ordering, payment and home delivery, we are planning to create an  exclusive mobile app.

With the “Lunch only” restaurant idea selected, we are ready to see what works. We will

use Learning launch tool to test our model in the real world scenario. The purpose is to learn,  improve and iterate. If our idea succeeds, we will scale it up, add more varieties in the menu, add  barbeque etc.  and expand to carter to the larger customer base.


Reflection Mind Mapping Idea generation for a Restaurant Business Challenge We are planning to start a family business near a recently opened university campus . The university , when fully functional will be housing around 2500 students , professors , teaching staff and their families . From among a host of business opportunities surrounding the university , we were looking for an idea which involved lower capital investment . After a few discussions with family members and colleagues , we selected three business ideas to choose from ; they are Student Housing , Restaurant business and Coaching Institution . Considering the initial capital investment involved ; we have taken up the restaurant business for implementation . From among many type of restaurant ideas like breakfast serving , QSR ( quick service restaurant ) , fast food , fine dine , family restaurant , barbeque etc . our challenge was to select the one which would be feasible for implementation , iterate if required , scale up if the concept becomes success or switch to a different restaurant model in case of failure . Selection For our challenge we selected the tool called Mind Mapping , which facilitates search for patterns , themes and insights in a large quantity of data we collected during our exploration of what is , the current reality . The goal is to establish criteria for the what - if idea generation phase . For our type of restaurant idea generation we needed to find the food preferences of customers , their paying capacity , preferred cuisine , and what they felt about the other eateries located in and around the university campus etc . We believed that , like the MeYou Health case study , different personas would emerge with differing requirements and we needed to cater differently to each . Application Before we set out to conduct ethnographic interview of our potential customers we needed to determine who we would study , where we would find them , and what questions we might ask them . As our restaurant business would be centered on the university , our target was students , professors , teaching staff and their families . We resorted to conversation type of interview instead of prepared questionnaire . One of our goals was to bring out unarticulated needs of the customers . We interviewed around 30 students and 15 teaching staffs , visited the student ’s canteen , went to the other local eateries , and tasted the food ourselves . We felt that we needed to ask different questions to the students and different questions to the teaching staff community . For the students , our conversations were mainly around their social background . In India , the social backgrounds are varied from state to state and highly influence an individual ’s life . We asked the students questions like , from the states they belong , family background , educational background , reason for them to join the university , their future aspirations , their college class timings etc . Then the other conversations were around their food preferences , what they felt about their college canteen food etc . As for the teaching staff community we asked direct questions on their expectations from our restaurant . Insight From the initial round of interviews conducted , we observed some distinctive differences between the student ’s and the teaching staff community ’s expectations from our restaurant , as we had learned from the MeYou Health case study , that different personas would emerge . Some of the insights gained are tabulated below : Question Student community response Professors , Staff and Family response Insight gained Type of restaurant preferred Lunch providing restaurant Barbeque Lunch and dinner Providing restaurant , fine dine restaurant , Barbeque Lunch providing restaurant and Barbeque are in demand Cuisine Bengali cuisine Bengali cuisine Bengali cuisine is preferred by both Restaurant timing From 12 pm to 4 pm From 11 am to 3 pm 11 am to 4 pm timing will suite both Traveling from their residence to restaurant During Exam periods , rain and summer they do n’t want to commute No such preference Home delivery of ordered food for students during such periods Price Preference for Lower price Willing to pay higher price too Lower priced menu items Payment Options once in a month payment No such preference Flexible payment options for student community We observed that Lunch is preferable by both , Bengali cuisine is in demand . Especially the student community craves for home food . We resorted to co creation for selection of the menu items . One of the unarticulated need of the student ’s which surfaced was that during the exams , during summer under hot sun , and during rain they do not want to commute from their residence to the restaurant . This gave us an idea on home delivery of food during such events . Approach With the insight gained from applying the mind mapping tool , we have selected the “ lunch only ” restaurant model for implementation in the initial stage . For start , we will be focusing on the Bengali cuisine which is in high demand in the locality and focus on low priced menu items . We are planning to start with a small number of lunches served , catering to the preference of mainly the student community . For ordering , payment and home delivery , we are planning to create an exclusive mobile app . With the “ Lunch only ” restaurant idea selected , we are ready to see what works . We will use Learning launch tool to test our model in the real world scenario . The purpose is to learn , improve and iterate . If our idea succeeds , we will scale it up , add more varieties in the menu , add barbeque etc . and expand to carter to the larger customer base .