MA Culinary Arts Management students are pub entrepreneurs

Groups of Culinary Arts Management postgraduate students put together successful business plans for new pub concepts to be judged by a panel of industry professionals. 

Three teams of students each came up with their own brand and their own unique selling points: Big & Ickle was a family-focused restaurant; Casa Brasileira was a Brazilian-themed establishment and Chicken & Co served a wide variety of poultry dishes. 

The judges were faced with the difficult task of choosing a winning group, and eventually decided on Casa Brasiliera, the restaurant that served Brasilian cuisine. 

Mark Kiely, a publican who was part of the judging panel, said: “After some long discussions, the judges decided Casa Brasileira to be the overall winners. They had a very well-rounded and professional business plan. 

“All the teams did well. There were elements from each concept that really stood out to us. Their presentations were very thorough and the quality of the food we were served was exceptionally high.” 

In a presentation at McIntyre House, Mark congratulated the winning group and awarded them with iPads for all their hard work. 

Alison Smith, one of the members of the winning team, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the result. All the teams worked really hard and competition was fierce, so to win overall is fantastic. 

“It was great to work with a real client from the pub industry and hopefully one day Casa Brasileira will be on the high street!”