Restaurateur basic training begins in August

Monday, August 4, 2008

(August 4, 2008   STILLWATER, Okla.) – Interested in opening your own restaurant? If so, there is training just for you.

The Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center (FAPC), Oklahoma State University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration (HRAD), the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Tulsa City-County Health Department and the Oklahoma Restaurant Association have collaborated to hold a quarterly Restaurateur Basic Training. The first one will be held Aug. 26, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tulsa City-County Health Department.

There is a specific list of details and items that need to be perfect before a restaurant can open and serve its first meal, said Andrea Graves, FAPC business planning and marketing specialist.

“Opening a restaurant can be difficult for those even with years of restaurant experience, let alone for the first timer,” Graves said. “This workshop is a great resource to find out just what you are getting into and the many costs involved in just getting started.”

For many of those with little or no foodservice history, opening and operating a restaurant can be seen as a glamorized occupation, particularly through the popularity of the Food Network and the Internet, Graves said.

“The Restaurateur Basic Training was created to help an aspiring entrepreneur with guidance to these steps to help them be profitable and a sustainable part of Oklahoma’s economy,” Graves said.

Topics covered in the workshop include creating a business plan, marketing, branding, permit acquisitions and timelines, menu planning, layout and design, human resources and food safety.

This workshop provides critical information to the successful opening and set-up of a restaurant, said Rebecca Eastham, instructor and manager of the Atherton Hotel of OSU’s HRAD. The facilitators of this workshop are knowledgeable representatives of key agencies and leading experts affiliated with the restaurant and hospitality industry in Oklahoma.

“The restaurant business is an exciting and profitable endeavor when owners and operators are well versed in restaurant operations,” Eastham said. “Statistics say half of new restaurants close within the first year of operation. Participation in the Restaurateur Basic Training program can help new owners and operators avoid becoming part of that statistic.”

The registration fee is $199 per participant, which includes lunch, industry guest speakers and workshop materials. Additional workshops will be held Oct. 28, 2008; Jan. 27, 2009; April 28, 2009; Aug. 25, 2009; and Oct. 27, 2009; with alternating locations between Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

For more details or to register, visit www.fapc.biz/restaurant_basictraining.html.