LSU Students, Foodservice Professionals Gain Skills Through Simulation
November 05, 2024
Stephen Hightower provides guidance as a team of LSU students makes adjustments to ensure their restaurant's success.
BATON ROUGE – LSU students and area foodservice professionals examined the factors
that impact a restaurant's success while completing the Cornell Restaurant Administration
Strategic Exercise (CRASE).
Through a hands-on simulation, CRASE participants explored the complexities of restaurant
management. Teams launched virtual eateries by making managerial and operational decisions,
including dining category, menu, pricing, entertainment, amenities, marketing and
payroll. Balance sheets and other data reveal the consequences of their choices in
a competitive market including each team’s own restaurant. Throughout the simulation,
which runs for eight quarters, teams analyze data and adjust their strategy to boost
profitability while ensuring a positive guest experience, all the while adjusting
to competitors’ moves in the market. Professor Alex Susskind of the Cornell Nolan
School of Hotel Administration led the simulation.
LSU students participating in CRASE are part of the Restaurant Management Leadership Development (RMLD) Program, housed in the E. J. Ourso College of Business. They were joined by local professionals from LSU Dining/Chartwells Higher Education, City Group Hospitality, Making Raving Fans Hospitality Group and Ruffino's Restaurant.
"To thrive in the foodservice and restaurant industry, you must understand the strategic implications of your decisions. In the real world, it takes years to see those outcomes. Through this simulation, students see results after each session and get to interact with professioanls and a world class academic," said Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems Professor Gabe Piccoli, who serves as RMLD director. "This is an extraordinary learning and networking experience for our students and area professionals. The CRASE workshop perfectly complements the RMLD curriculum. I am grateful to Professor Susskind for sharing his expertise with us. "
Launched in August, RMLD offers a two-course sequence to accelerate careers in restaurant management. Students focus on restaurant operations and management fundamentals in the fall semester while completing a paid internship with CC's Coffee House in the LSU Business Education Complex. In the spring, students will work under the tutelage of highly qualified industry mentors as they complete semester-long internships in partner restaurants. The program is run by Piccoli and Executive-in-Residence Stephen Hightower, managing partner of City Group Hospitality.
LSU students work alongside foodservice professionals
"Being part of the RMLD Program has also allowed me to connect with industry professionals
and participate in internships that apply classroom concepts to real business challenges,"
said Emily Demps, a senior management major. "A critical takeaway is the importance
of adaptability and perseverance in this fast-paced, ever-changing industry. This
program fosters technical skills like inventory control and human resource management
and instills leadership, teamwork, and strategic thinking at every level."
The RMLD Program is open to any LSU student with a passion for restaurants and foodservice.
Students who are interested in the 2025-2026 cohort are asked to complete an interest survey by December 15. Interviews are expected by February 2025. To learn more about the
program, visit the RMLD program page.