Operating a restaurant requires deft leadership. There are people to manage, customers to keep happy, food and beverages to order, budgets to balance and health standards to uphold. These are not easy tasks, but they can be tackled with the right kind of education and experience.
Since the late 1940s, when the U.S. economy was marked by tremendous growth in the days after World War II, there has been a distinct need for qualified professionals in the hospitality industry, according to Robert H. Bosselman, Ph.D., in his article "Foundations of a Professional Organization: The Birth of International CHRIE" (International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education).
In his research, Bosselman found that as early as 1946, there was a call from business leaders in hospitality for an educated workforce. It may be 62 years later, but the same sentiment rings true.
Today, foodservice is a thriving industry that remains in need of an educated workforce. The National Restaurant Association has found that the U.S. restaurant industry employs more than 13 million people, or 9 percent of the U.S. workforce. According to the association, in 2008 the typical adult will eat out 5.8 times a week, amounting to $1.5 billion a day being spent at restaurants across the country.
"Foodservice is one of largest industries in the United States," remarked Dean Andy Feinstein, of The Collins College of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. "Restaurant operators want to hire people who understand operations management. In this fast-paced, competitive field, people should invest in themselves early by pursing an education in hospitality management."
Students earning degrees in hospitality management benefit greatly from an education rooted in real-world application, Feinstein said.
"Hands-on programs not only teach practical skills, but immerse students in the industry and provide relevance," he said.
Here are a few tips from Collins College Dean Andy Feinstein for students pursuing hospitality management degrees:
1. Keep an open mind to the possibilities in the hospitality field. You may start your education with preconceived ideas that you should work in the hotel industry. However, after taking some classes, you may find out that restaurant operations or club management interests you even more.
2. Take advantage of the experience and wisdom of your faculty. Hospitality educators have years of hospitality management experience. Spend time with them regularly to find out more about our industry. All faculty have office hours, and many will set up appointments with you if these times do not fit your schedule.
3. Get involved with your program. Volunteer for service-learning opportunities or join a student club. Networking begins in college. The relationships you make now may turn out to be lifelong friendships in the hospitality industry.
4. Once you graduate, remember to give back to your alma mater. Get involved in the alumni association or see if you can participate in advisory board activities. Find a part of the program that really changed your life and invest your resources to ensure its continued success. Your ability to strengthen the program you graduated from can only improve the prestige of your degree.
