City Launches Food Entrepreneurship Series

Photo: Louisville Forward

Mayor Greg Fischer announced that Louisville Forward’s Small Business Development team is launching a Food Entrepreneurship series designed to foster the development of new restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs. The interactive 9-class series will run from March 3rd to June 30th and will be taught by local industry-leading professionals. All classes will meet on Saturdays from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

“From the Hot Brown to Bourbon infusions, Louisville has been internationally recognized for its innovative and fresh culinary scene and we want to keep this momentum going,” said Fischer. “Through this interactive series, entrepreneurs will learn how to open a restaurant or food service business and strengthen operations.”

Registration is open, but space is limited. To participate, individuals must be over 18 years of age, attend 8 of the 9 classes and be a Louisville resident. There is no fee to participate in the series. Upon completion of the program, participants will receive continued assistance and connections to resources from Louisville Forward’s Small Business Development team.

Schedule, class descriptions and venue locations are listed below.
1. March 3, 2018
Health and Safety Regulations – This course will cover the basics of proper food handling, inspections and placarding, review of common reasons restaurants fail inspections and how to keep from failing. The course also will cover the top five ways a customer becomes ill and things to consider when changing the type of food service you offer.
Venue: Chef Space – 1812 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY 40203

2. March 17, 2018
Kitchen Set-Up and Menu Development – This course will cover the importance of proper and efficient kitchen set-up to help minimize ticket times and ensure quality and safe food preparation, as well as highlight the basic types of equipment available and its proper use. Participants will learn the basics of menu development, focusing on such things as ingredients and sourcing, food cost, authenticity of cuisine, cross utilization, and concepts of proper pricing.
Venue: Jefferson County Technical College, 109 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202

3. April 7, 2018
Purchasing and Managing Food Cost – Knowing food costs is integral to understanding a restaurant’s full budget. Participants will learn tips for managing food costs, through purchasing habits, tracking inventory, ands tools to help track and calculate.
Venue: Chef Space – 1812 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY 40203

4. April 21, 2018
Employee Orientation and Training – In this course, participants will come away with a better understanding of how to navigate employment laws and regulations related to running a restaurant. Additional Human Resources best practices and policies for on-boarding and managing employees also will be covered.
Venue: Chef Space – 1812 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY 40203

5. May 12, 2018
Customer Service – During this session participants will be instructed in ways the physical space and staff can go above and beyond the call of duty to create a welcoming, and pleasurable environment that customers want to come back to.
Venue: Chef Space – 1812 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY 40203

6. May 19, 2018
Accounting and Cash Handling – This course will cover steps a food entrepreneur should take to ensure their accounting system is properly set up, including budgeting, cash flow, expense management, tax payments/filings, options of bookkeeping software, and what you should know for tax preparation.
Venue: Chef Space – 1812 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY 40203

7. June 2, 2018
Management Training – From staff management and scheduling to creating a culture for your restaurant, this session will cover day-to-day restaurant management skills, including staff training to promote from within.
Venue: Chef Space – 1812 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY 40203

8. June 16, 2018
Marketing and Branding – Participants will learn how to market their concept and themselves as a brand, by reviewing the various mediums of marketing from websites, social media and traditional methods such as flyers and brochures.
Venue: Tim Faulkner Gallery, 1512 Portland Ave, Louisville, KY 40203

9. June 30, 2018
Safety: Inside and Outside – This course will review safety best practices to maintain a safe environment for customers and employees, including proper lighting, opening and closing procedures, signs of suspicious activity, how to handle disruptive incidents inside and outside of your establishment, and suggestions of how to strengthen the street block.
Venue: Chef Space – 1812 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY 40203