Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

 

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

Yes, I currently have a mentor and our interview is scheduled for this Saturday.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.   

My most specific areas of research would be the basic ambiance of the restaurant. By ambiance I mean lighting, vibe, waiter/waitress attitude, music, smells, colors and how these factors affect the customer. Another area would be the location of the restaurant, understanding if there's a heavy traffic flow, who is your competition, if there is enough parking and how all of these factors will contribute to the whole "make or break" factor of the restaurant. A third point of interest would be the business plan which at this point is the most important thing to have well planned out so as of now I have three areas I find most promising. 

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

I need to go back to the cal poly library because I have been researching some books online regarding the restaurant start up process and many of them seem very promising. 

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

"What is the most essential quality/process needed to ensure a successful restaurant?"

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?   

My mentorship and research has worked very well for me during this whole senior project process. My mentor really does help out when I need it and I feel like there is an abundance of research available for my whole "Restaurant Start up" topic. Especially because there's certain laws and restraints that a restaurant needs to follow before officially opening and I can write down and learn all about those. Ny mentor has also provided me with a significant amount of books that I can use for research checks which I am extremely grateful for.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

As of now there aren't many problems regarding my senior project unless you count the possibility of changing my topic. One of my cousins is an environmental engineer and I was telling him about this whole project and apparently he recently got a job at a company he use to intern at and he could possibly mentor me. The only issue is that I'm not quite sure what I should officially call the topic and since engineering is actually something I consider doing in the future I'm afraid I'll get tired of it throughout the year. Even so it's a possibility.