Assistant Professor Dr. Fernando Lourenço of Macao Institute for Tourism Studies led students from the Culinary Arts Management programme to complete an industrial project via their entrepreneurship course to assist a local entrepreneur Kenneth Cheang who established and runs the Marina Private Kitchen, a catering business brand under CSI Catering Management Ltd.
The project was divided into three parts. The first part required students to conduct market research to understand consumer behaviour towards the private kitchen. In total, over 100 interviews were conducted to understand their attitude and intentions towards going to a private kitchen. The second part of the project required students to examine the business models of local, regional and international private kitchens. In total over 30 examples were analysed and studied. The final part of the project required students to propose innovative ideas such as food menus, marketing strategies and business models to support the development of The Marina Kitchen. The outcome provides a series of valuable insights for the company to reassess its business model and a new direction for potential development. This mode of education brings real-world experience to students and allows them to apply theory to practice whilst using the process to contribute to local entrepreneurs and small businesses.