Putting its students’ skills to the test, the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at UH’s C.T. Bauer College of Business is teaching more than how to start a business.
Entrepreneur students are getting firsthand experience in running their own business by serving hamburgers to patrons on campus.
Burger Fest 2010 is a two-day, yearly competition that allows entrepreneurship students to start their own hamburger company, making use of classroom lessons.
During the event, students also get to enjoy a live DJ, dance classes, dunking booth and inflatable games.
“The entrepreneur program consists of five classes, which are revenue, cost and capital, decision making, business plan and implementation,” said Andrea De La Torre, CEO of The Sales and Marketing Team, a group competing in the festival. “We use what we have learned from each of the classes to come up with two business plans; one is individual, and one is a team.”
This year, five teams are participating in Burger Fest. Each team must endure everything that opening a business demands. They must also be creative and come up with an original concept.
“We had to write a business plan from the ground up, raise money, find sponsors and extensively plan how we’re going to make our idea into a business,” De La Torre said.
The teams are The Supreme Team, led by Alejandro Allala Jr., The Smokehouse Grill, led by J.R. Read, Vida Loca, led by Ashley Hurst, The Bottomless Pit, led by Katie Dale and, The Sales and Marketing Team, led by De La Torre.
The teams have gotten creative serving not just hamburgers but a variety of foods such as homemade potato salad, fajita nachos and even cheeseburger rolls.
Robert Heckeroth, a student leader, said that he looks forward to seeing the reaction from customers and remains hopeful that his team will see the results of their marketing efforts in a good turnout for Burger Fest. He is also looking forward to seeing what all the other teams are planning.
Held on the north patio beside the University Center, today is Burger Fest’s final day.
