Student: | Lucy Yarwood | Student Number: | | Unit: | Develop and Implement Operational Plans | Assessment: | Portfolio of Operational Plans in a business | Due Date: | November 8, 2011 | Grade: | 100% |

Assessment One- Production Processes

Description of Product/Service:
A product can be defined as anything that can be offered to a market that might satisfy a want or need. The product that I am choosing to sell in my restaurant is pasta all’amatriciana. This is a traditional Italian pasta dish, based on guanciale (dried pork cheek), pecorino cheese and tomato. Pasta alla matriciana is a relatively simple dish that has basic ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, bacon and of course pasta. It is traditional to use guanciale in the sauce, however at my restaurant we will be using pancetta, as it is the closest thing to guanciale. Bacon can also be used as a substitute, however it is not recommended as it is smoked and also contains sugar, which is not present in pancetta or guanciale.
Workflow in creating this product:
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
170g pancetta, or bacon sliced
½-1 teaspoon chilli flakes, to taste
400g tin diced tomatoes
½ cup water
Salt and pepper
350g-bucatini or rigatoni pasta
¼ cup grated Parmesan
Parmesan, extra
METHOD

Gently heat oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook over a very low heat for 45 minutes or until onion is jam-like in consistency, but not coloured (NB this step is optional. If in a hurry, just brown onions and then add garlic and cook for a further minute).

Turn up the heat and add bacon or pancetta. Add chilli flakes and cook until bacon or pancetta is browned. Add tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until mixture is thick and the oil has risen to the surface. Season.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook according to packet instructions. Drain and return to the pan along with the sauce and Parmesan cheese. Toss to combine and serve immediately with extra Parmesan if desired. How long it takes to produce
Cooking time for spaghetti all’amatriciana is roughly 40 minutes, with 15-minute preparation time, and 25 minute cooking time. Where will produce be sourced from
The ingredients will be sourced from a variety of different locations from around Victoria, trying to be sustainable at the same time by limiting kilometres travelled. Most of the product including the pancetta will be sourced from local markets, namely Prahran market and Victoria markets.

Assessment 2- Physical Resources

List all equipment that will be needed for the opening of the new enterprise: * Coffee machine * Dishwasher * Refrigerator * Walk in freezer * Blast chiller * Ice machine * Food processers * Meat slicers * Mixers * Dough presses * Grinders * Cutting boards * Range tops * Griddle * Broiler * Microwave * Steam kettle * Skillet * Stock pot * Salamander * Steam table * Countertop warmers * Holding cabinets * Glass washer * Pot and pan washer * Three compartment sink * Bins * Storage areas racks, shelving carts * Ovens * Stove top * Pots and pans * Utensils knives, ladels, rolling pin, whisks, bowls for mixing, cutlery, spatulas, scales, graters and peelers. * Mixers * Warming station * Slicer What financially sound resource strategies would be put in place?
Finding financing for equipment is tough until you’re an established smelling person high volume restaurant.
Leasing this has certain advantages, you pay for equipment only for the time you use it. Then when the lease is up, you get a brand new piece of equipment by signing a new lease. If the piece of equipment breaks it is not your responsibility to fix it.

Items that I will be leasing for my restaurant will be: * Ice machines and coolers: both of them have relatively short lives. They’re expensive upfront, and there is no market for used ones. * Dish machines: Very expensive upfront and usually can be leased through your chemical supplier. * Coffeemakers: coffee companies often give you the machine if you buy coffee from them. You might pay more for the product, but this gives you flexibility to upgrade quickly.
Items that I will be more inclined to buy outright for my business will be: * Gas ranges * Ovens * Fryers * Grills * Smallwares

Assessment 3- Human Resources

What type of people will be needed?
For my small restaurant, I will need the following people to work for me: * General Manager F/T will need to have qualification in management. * One F/T Chef Will need to have done a 4-year apprenticeship. * One P/T Chef Can be doing apprenticeship at my restaurant, and then part time studying. * Two Casual Chefs Semi skilled, have experience. * One Kitchen Hand F/T Doesn’t need experience. * One Kitchen Hand P/T Doesn’t need experience. * Two Kitchen Hand Casual Doesn’t need experience. * Two P/T baristas Trained in coffee, done course, and trade off with each other during the week. * One Casual barista Mainly work the weekend. Trained. Can also be wait staff. * Two Wait Staff F/T Experience necessary. * One Wait Staff P/TSemi- skilled, experience preferable. * Five Wait Staff CasualExperience preferable.
How many will be needed?
All up, there will be roughly 20 people working for my business. This is ideal, however when we start out the business, it might be less, and will have to build from there as the business grows.
When will you need them? * All our Full Time staff will need to be at the restaurant 5 days a week on a 3-week rotating roster. Every three weeks each Full Timer will do a weekend. * All Part Time staff will need to be at the restaurant 3- 4 days a week, on a 3-week rotating roster. Each Part Timer will need to do a Saturday, and a Sunday at some point in the 3- week period. * All casual staff will need to do a minimum of 8 hours a week. Their rosters will be always changing, and we will need to fit their hours around our Part Time and Full Time staff.
The number one priority is making sure that all areas are always fully covered. Some days we will need more staff than others. Eg. The weekend is going to need more staff than a weekday.
Where will you source people?
My restaurant will source people from SEEK mainly. We will put up advertisements on there, with job titles and descriptions. This is the most efficient and effective way to find what you are looking for. We will need to make sure though, that we are very specific about what and who we want by putting in what qualifications are necessary for the jobs, so that we can easily filter the applications.
What sort of procedures will need to be documented?
There will be things that need to be documented in my café/restaurant, particularly in regards to employees. These include tax declarations, superannuation, insurance forma, confidentiality agreements and work cover.
Who will complete documentation?
My restaurant will have an administrative assistant that will take care of all this documentation. They will come in once a week to sort it all out. They will take care of all book-keeping, and anything in regards to employee documentation. We will also have an accountant that can overlook all of it.
Will you engage contractors as opposed to employees?
In addition to all employees working for my café/restaurant, we will also have contractors. These include cleaners, laundry assistants, admin workers, and accountants.
How much will you budget for hiring and training?
A lot of my staff will already have the qualifications and training required when they start the job. E.g. F/T chefs and baristas. However, there will be some training required for the casual workers being taken on e.g. Baristas and wait staff. 2% of turnover from the restaurant will go towards training. Chef’s that are doing an apprenticeship at the restaurant that might be studying as well will most likely pay that on their own.

Assessment 4- Suppliers

What type of Suppliers will be needed? * Butchers * Beverage suppliers * Pastry suppliers * General food suppliers * Cleaning suppliers * Equipment hire * Cutlery suppliers * Glassware suppliers * Coffee suppliers * Bakery suppliers
How will you source suppliers?
I will source my suppliers from a number of places, such as markets and then also finding out from word of mouth. The best way to find good suppliers is finding out who is the best, by talking to other people in the industry, seeing who they use as their suppliers, and who has a good reputation.
What trading terms could be negotiated?
Things that can be negotiated with your suppliers, are; * Prices If you are buying in bulk. * Discounts If you pay within a certain time frame, 7 days, you supplier might take a discount off the amount. * Delivery times and place Deciding on times and place of drop off.
List of businesses that could be suppliers.
Butcher- Malvern Continental Butchers and Delicatessen Very close to my café.
Coffee- Gravity Espresso Coffee
Equipment hire- CFM
Cleaning Suppliers- Melbourne Cleaning Supplies Pty Ltd.
These are just a few examples of the suppliers that will be used in my restaurant. They are all relatively close in proximity to my restaurant, which is always an advantage, for travel costs and the environment. They will be the primary suppliers, that I will be using 80 % of the time.
Will you have more than one supplier for critical items (as a back up)?
In a restaurant you always need to have back-up suppliers, especially for the critical items, such as food and coffee for example. These suppliers will be those that the restaurant will use 20% of the time, as a back-up, so if something goes wrong with the primary supplier, we will be able to fall back on these.
Butcher- Len’s Quality Meats
Cleaning- G & J Cleaning Co.
Coffee- Procaffe
What will you do if you have shortages or short-term delivery problems?
If I am unable to get the things that are needed for dinner service for example, I may need to look at changing things around. For example, if certain products that are needed for a dish, I might have to take that dish off the menu, otherwise I could substitute the item with something else.
What if your supply costs keep fluctuating, how will you deal with changing costs?
As I will more than one option of suppliers for certain things, I will be able to negotiate with each supplier to match prices if one is putting the price up, the other can make a better deal, for example. If both suppliers are constantly putting their prices up then I may need to reconsider the supplier, or try to shift around finances in other areas if this is not possible.

Assessment 5- Inventory

What kind of stock will be kept?
As it is a fully functioning café, we will be keeping raw materials as well as dry materials. There will be a limited amount of raw product on site, as this is the fastest to perish. We will only have the bare minimum that is necessary for day-to-day operation. We will have the most amount of dry stock, especially those that do not have a use by date, these can be fully stocked at all times.
What will be your stock value?
We will ensure that we have a good relationship with our suppliers so that they will go above and beyond to help us. Including delivering our stock to us the day after ordering to ensure that we constantly have stock and always have a minimum on hand.
How will you control stock turnover?
We will control the stock by using the ABC Analysis. A- Fastest 20%, B- Middle 30%, C- Slowest 50%. We will have product available at different times, for example, different days of the week we will have certain items available on specific days. We can therefore control the stock used, and how much is going to be needed during the week. To control your stock turnover we will need to optimize our supply chain, make our production processes lean, and optimize our relationship with our customers.
Will you use a computerised or manual system to keep track of stock?
As we are a medium sized business, my café will most likely need a computerised system to keep track of the stock. It will be recorded against every day to keep up with stock control and turnover. There will be back- up disks that everything will be on from the previous 12 months at all times, this is so that we can use these as a reference if we need it.
Who will be responsible for stock control?
I as the owner will be responsible for stock control, as well as the head chef, and head barista for their areas. I, as the owner will be overlooking the stock of the entire restaurant, however all staff will be expected to keep an eye on stock and report anything that they think has been overlooked.

Assessment 6- Structure

Organisational Structure of enterprise in an organisational chart:

Who will be responsible for the following functions? Human Resources: Human Resources will be the responsibility of the owner, who will consult with an HR agency on anything that needs a second opinion, or that the owner does not comprehend. There will be an HR manual and employee handbook that can be accessed by all staff. Marketing: The bulk of the marketing will get done by a small marketing agency, with the owner obviously signing off on all decisions. The owner and workers will also have many opportunities to come up with ideas and plans to make suggestions that will help along the way. Administration: Administration duties will be done by an administrative assistant who will be in at the start of every weekday to do this. The owner will also be involved in helping with these duties, as will the Head Chef, in overlooking the kitchen side of admin. The FOH manager will also cover some administration duties in regards to FOH operations. Sales: Sales will be the responsibility of the owner and FOH staff. As an employee at Lucy’s Café they will be required to reach daily, weekly and monthly sales targets and budgets that will have been set in place. It is in their best interests to reach these targets, as there will be opportunities to get bonuses. Operations: Operations is generally the responsibility of the Owner, FOH manager, and Head Chef. They are the ones that need to know all about the operations and goings on of the Café. However, staff will be informed of the operations of the business in when they start working at the café. Finance: The main finances will be executed by and accountant. They will be hired to overlook payroll and all budgets. The owner will have to sign off on all decisions. They administrative assistant will overlook the minor side of finances, such as banking, purchases and invoices.

Assessment 7- Operational Goal

Major Goal for Lucy’s Café:
Specific and Concise- Lucy’s Café would like to make 1% over budget in the first two years of operating. To have this we will be able to cover the costs of investment, which is imperative in any new business. The business will need to be making a substantial amount of return that will require a lot of work put in by workers and myself. Some constraints would be the fact that we are a new business, and a lot of new businesses struggle starting out, and actually run at a loss. However, Lucy’s Café is determined to be innovative and different from the run of the mill that is currently on the strip.
Measurable- We will set budgets every day, all staff members will know what the budget is, and we will strive to get to these set targets. Some days we won’t make budget, we are realistic, and other days that are busier than what was expected will make up for it.
Achievable- I think that it is definitely a realistic goal that can be achieved. With fantastically trained staff, good food, great coffee and even better ambience, we believe that this goal should be attained. We will work extremely hard in the first two years; the main thing is employing people who have a passion for the industry. Employees who want to achieve these goals as well.
Relevant- This goal is extremely relevant. If we can achieve this it is immediately showing that Lucy’s Café is a success. If the café does run at a loss in the first two years it is indicative that we are doing something wrong, and possibly the café might fail. The whole company depends on this goal, so it is relevant.
Time frame- 2 years. Overall we want to be 1% up on budget. There will be a 2-year time frame. It is a large time frame, and we will be able to check on it every day.

Assessment 8- Premises

Describe the ideal premises:
The ideal premises for my café is in the very popular strip of shops on Glenferrie Rd, Malvern, in between High St, and Wattletree Rd. It is in the heart of the Eastern Suburbs. It will reside across from a Coles Supermarket, with schools, parks and shops surrounding it as well as the very famous Malvern Town Hall being on the corner of High St and Glenferrie Rd. The area is definitely not short of it’s fair share of cafés and restaurants. There is definitely competition, however that is half the fun of it.
The reason for this location:
Lucy’s Café plan on targeting three key groups for our client base, these are: * The Mum’s: after dropping their kids at school, after going for a walk in the park, after taking their toddlers to day-care, this will be our main customer focus during morning-lunch. * The School Kids: this will be the afternoon rush, after school, the older high school kids will come down for a coffee with their friends and a bite to eat. * Weekend/ Weekday Shoppers: this will be throughout the day, and could easily fit in with the above two groups.
Looking at these three groups, you can see that the location I have chosen is perfect. We are around the corner from at least three schools; it is a very popular strip of shops, that also goes onto High St for the up market boutique style shopping. The location is ideal for Lucy’s Café in what sort of client base we are focussing on.

Assessment 9- The Opening

The plan is for the Grand Opening of Lucy’s Café to be on the 01/05/12. This means that we will have months to prepare, in the way of advertising and promoting the big day. We will have a trial run the week prior to the opening, which will involve getting all the local businesses, food critics and writers to come and get a chance to see and trial the new café. This will be done on a free of charge basis. This will give us the opportunity to show off our new baby, and hopefully get a foot in the door of the hospitality sector in the area. Our ultimate aim is to get a restaurant critic to write a positive review on us. Having this before even opening will provide us with a great advantage.
We have lots of ideas in ways to advertise, these include; advertisements in local papers, highlighting the change of ownership and offering special deals for local customers. We will do letterbox drops with flyers with our branding on it. We also had the idea that as we are a café that will be targeting mums, in the first couple of months we could put signs on the footpaths throughout the parks surrounding, in chalk, saying Lucy’s Café and the location.
We also had a few promotional ideas for the opening, including pamphlets and flyers to be distributed by hand on the streets and also to letterboxes within a 30km radius of the café, in these there will be a discount offer of 10% off all lunches for the first month of being open. We will also advertise in local papers with a promotion of $2.50 coffees for the first month of being open.
Before the opening, all our staff will be fully trained in everything there is to know. We will have done the trial run, and there will be a lot of training going on with each and every staff member. We will also have already worked out all our suppliers, and they will have the opportunity to come to the opening to check out the café and try the food!
For the Grand Opening of the café we will have and afternoon tea style event. With snacks and drinks on offer for all local residents and businesses in the area. It will be a gold coin donation on entry, in which all the proceeds will go to the Royal Children’s Hospital. We hope to have around 200 people in attendance.