Dinner with my Mentor at P.F. Chang's

Last week, my business mentor Darryl Glade took us out for dinner at P.F. Chang's restaurant in Metairie, LA.  When we were seated Darryl introduced us to his long time friend who is also the general manager.  We were treated to samples of all of the most popular items on the menu including my favorite appetizer, the lettuce wraps.

Our group had a chance to talk to the general manager openly and ask him questions about his experience in the restaurant business and the future of restaurants.  One piece of advice that he gave us was to keep in touch with people that you know in college or have done business with before, because everyone that you meet could potentially be a business partner.  Also, he told us that the key to being a good manager at a restaurant is to be able to understand that everyone has different personalities.  Some customers want to be entertained and others left alone.  This also applies to the staff.  What motivates one member of the staff may not motivate another.

The general manager sat down at the table with us to discuss the restaurant business and began by comparing a chain restaurant, such as P.F. Chang's, to a smaller family operated restaurant.  In a restaurant like P.F. Chang's there is a higher demand for more staff and food because of the constant flow of customers.  P.F. Chang's particularly is busy because of its location in Lakeside mall on Veterans Highway.  This makes Christmas time one of the busiest times of the year.  Each year the restaurant sets new records for their productivity.  There are 50+ members of the waitstaff and several managers.  The business makes its money from the high volume location and cost of a meal.

During this visit, I was surprised by the organization of the kitchen and the amount of people that prepare food.  There are different stations for each category of food with different people working at each station.  Everyone in the kitchen works together to make the meal for one order.  When we walked through the kitchen, it was apparent that management focuses highly on teamwork.  Also, I was impressed that everything in the kitchen is fresh and delivered daily.  Nothing comes to P.F. Chang's pre-cut or already made.  

Business Communication in New Orleans

Last week, my mentor took a small group of students to the Superdome for a private tour of with the head marketing director. This gave us a chance to talk to the director and ask him questions openly. We were given a brief history of the Superdome and learned how important the Superdome is to the city of New Orleans. The director knew every inch of the building and helped us notice how even the smallest details make a large difference in the efficiency of the building. Such as the ratio of men and women' s bathrooms, size of the escalators and numbers of banquet rooms. In any given week the Superdome can be transformed into a concert arena and the following week there could be truckloads of dirt filling the floors preparing for a monster truck rally.

The various events bring tourism to the city and the events that are broad casted allow advertisement for New Orleans in order to bring more tourism. For example, when the Saints NFL football team has a home game, it is inevitable that the announcers will talk about the soul food, jazz music, nightlife and all the factors that make New Orleans uniquely special. Larger scale events, such as the Superbowl, fill up some hotels months in advance. It is important to spread the word about New Orleans and give tourists the motivation to come visit New Orleans, especially because tourism is the city's largest income.

My mentor and the marketing director stressed the importance that for large events it is imperative to have excellent communication skills. There must be a way to delegate what needs to be done in order for the event to run efficiently. Because there are so many details that factor into the events, everything from pre event preparation to post event clean up is written down or charted on excel. When a schedule is made beforehand, there is less of a chance for error. However, if something does go wrong, being prepared offers more solutions to fix the problem.

I would like to work at a large business such as the Superdome because it is a job that is different every week. The different events and schedules allow for innovative ways to transform the Superdome into a new environment. Every time you visit the Superdome you experience something different. For the people that work at the Superdome, every event is a different job. I would like to work for a place that would allow me to keep me on my feet and make me think outside of the box. For every new problem that arises there is a new solution.

One aspect that is advertised around the country for New Orleans is Mardi Gras. As a Mardi Gras veteran, I realize that each carnival season is different. This is my first Mardi Gras in college and I would like to experience a way for my friends and my family to relieve stress in this time when the economy is in such a mess. This will give us all a chance to take a vacation in our own hometown. I hope that I see many tourists and for everyone to welcome each other and have a good time. Mardi Gras can be safe when you are surrounded by family and people you know and take consideration of your surroundings. I want to avoid the temptations of Mardi Gras and to stay out of trouble. The less people that participate in illegal things, the easier it is for the police to control our safety.

Mardi Gras is important to New Orelans because it is a tradition for the city. Other cities have their version of Mardi Gras, but only New Orelans has the original. For the people who live here, it is a time for family and friends to come together and have fun. Mardi Gras is also a great time for tourists to come and enjoy the great history, restaurants, bars, music and everything that

New Orleans has to offer.

Business Communications Networking Event

The Business department at Loyola University hosted a networking event that included the professors of the College of Business, the executive mentors, and all of the students enrolled in the class Business Communications.  This event gave the students an opportunity to learn how to network with business professionals from our community.  Beforehand we practiced introductions, handshakes, how to dress, and proper etiquette.  

During the event, I had the pleasure to meet five business professionals.  The first professional that I met was Mr. Jude Boudreaux, Director of Financial Planning for Bellingrath Wealth Management.  Mr. Boudreaux is an alumni of Loyola University, where he received his undergraduate degree and MBA.  He was impressed with our firm "business" handshakes and began to tell us how first impressions are extremely important.  The second professional I met was Mr. Eric Morgan of Morgan and Company.  Mr. Morgan owns his own marketing firm in New Orleans, LA.  We shared in common that we both grew up in the same neighborhood in New Orleans, however now he lives uptown in New Orleans.  The third professional I met with was Professor Thomas Hickman, the Assistant Professor of Marketing for Loyola University New Orleans.  Professor Hickman went to school in Iowa and just recently moved to New Orleans.  He encouraged us to keep an open mind about choosing our majors, because as Freshman, we have much to learn and life can lead us in many different directions.  The fourth professional I met was Mr. John Zollinger, Regional Manager and Senior Vice-President of Regions bank.  Earlier in the year, he had given us a helpful presentation on finance.  During this meeting he spoke of how important it is to be self-motivated.  The people who are self-motivated are the ones who are most likely to succeed in business.  He also pointed out that management is a psychology because you deal with many different types of people that are motivated in different ways.  As a manager, it is his job to satisfy his employees and accomplish work.  Mr. Zollinger strongly suggested taking a psychology class in order to understand many different people.  The final professional I met with that evening was Mr. Brian Gueniot, in the business of consulting.  Mr. Gueniot has a masters degree in mathematics and was previously a high school teacher in Houma, LA.  Now, Mr. Gueniot lives in Metairie, LA where he owns a consulting agency.  Mr. Gueniot meets with different people in business to teach them how to use their talents to achieve goals and maximize their potential in their industry.

During the networking event, one skill that I did well was having a positive attitude and confidence.  Although I was in the room with many professional men and women, I walked in the room with the mind set that I have the tools I need in order to succeed.  I learned in class and throughout life that if you have a positive attitude it is easier to accomplish more.  I was aware that these professionals want us to succeed and have much experience and valuable information to share.  With every professional I met I became more confident and comfortable.

However, in the future, one thing that I could work on is keeping a conversation going and asking more questions.  Each professional I met was unique, some were more open and willing to talk than others.  For the professionals that were not as open I need to work on keeping the conversation going and ask more questions in order for them to open up.

A business professional that I look up to is Steve Jobs (pictured above).  Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple, which he co-founded in 1976.  Apple has revolutionized computers, the music industry, and its latest achievement the iPhone, which is revolutionizing cell phones.  I look up to him because he organized a creative team that has many accomplishments that can be backed up by many awards.  Steve Jobs is also the co-founder of Pixar animations, which has also earned 20 Academy Awards and has grossed over $4 billion.  Steve Jobs helped to create two innovative companies that think outside of the box in order to get results. 

I came across a website that is helpful for networking tips and discusses ways to have a positive attitude and helpful tips for networking.