The name of the business will be “Mr. Sheeda.” It is a fictitious comic character that, and the name is of this character. This name has been used to form unique associations with the business name. The name has its origin from one of the workers working at a Desi Restaurant. Mr. Sheeda is a unique name and is not used by any other business corporation operating in New York State. It will be checked from the “Division of Corporations, State Records, and UCC.” This division is a subset of Department of States of the State New York. It will be checked before incorporation of the business. Moreover, it can also be checked from the “United States Patent and Trademark Office” for the availability of the name before registration. The Trademark Office provides a facility of checking the availability of the name online through the official website.
Trademark
A registered trademark can be obtained by filing an application with the “United States Patent and Trademark Office.” The trademark will give the business rights to use that name and protect it from misuse. Once a trademark is registered no other business will be able to use the name without the permission of the registered owner. In the case of violation, a lawsuit can be filed for the removal of the name and penalties are charged from the person using the registered trademark illegally (US Patent and Trademark Office, 2016).
The registration of the business organization will be made with “Department of States: Division of Registered Corporations, State Records, and UCC.” The business will be registered as a limited liability company (LLC) by filing the Articles of Association under the Section 203 of the law governing the registration of the LLC companies (State of New York, 2016). Moreover, the trademark will be registered with the “United States Patents and Trademarks Office.” It is better to use a trademark attorney for the registration of the trademark. Similar practice will be followed by the business by hiring an attorney. However, the registration of the trademark can be conducted online through the website of the authority. The registration process involves filling an online “TEAS Regular” form. This form has a legal fee of $325. The form has been attached in the appendix as well (US Patent and Trademark Office, 2016).
Product
The product of the business is the Asian Bread referred to as “Naan” locally in South Asia. The different flavors of the product will be offered. The serving will be made with the traditional sauces. The industry of the business will be fast food industry. Currently, the fast food industry is witnessing astonishing growth due to the changing lifestyle and eating habits of the people. However, the fast food restaurants offer burgers, steaks, fries, and fish, etc. There is no single restaurant in Manhattan that serves the Asian fast food. The population of the South Asians including Indians, Bengalis and Pakistanis is increasing in New York due to the increasing immigration. Therefore, it is becoming an attractive market for the business.
Licenses and Permits
It is important to obtain the necessary licenses and the permits before the operations of the restaurant in New York. For a restaurant like Mr. Sheeda, the required licenses are “Food Service Establishment Permit” and “Food Protection Certificate.” The “Food Service Establishment Permit” can be obtained by filling an application online with the “NYC Department of Consumer Affairs.” The application can be filed online through the official website of the New York City with an address www.nyc.gov. The application fee is $100, and it takes 22 days for the processing of this permit (State of New York, 2016).
“The Food Protection Certificate” can be obtained from “The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene” of NYC. The requirement for the food protection certificate is to attend an online session of 15 hours and pass the exam. It is mandatory for a business that the individual having passed the exam should be available at the food establishment all the times during its operations. This certificate can be obtained by filing an online application in 3 weeks (NYC Gov, 2016).
Moreover, the restaurant will make use of the Gas equipment and the hoods. Therefore, it is mandatory to obtain a license of “Gas Authorization” from the city of New York. This permit can be obtained by filing an online application with NYC (NYC Gov, 2016).
The business will be located on the 96th Street of Manhattan. It is a commercial district and has a proper inflow of the customers. The zoning regulations apply to our business, and the 96th Street complies with the zoning requirements. It is the requirement of Zoning and Land Development Authority that no restaurant can be opened in a house or the domestic residential building. This requirement is met as 96th Street is a commercial zone.
Management Team
I will be responsible managing the vital operations of the business and will act as CEO of the company. As a CEO, I will be responsible for devising the overall strategy of the business and will monitor the financial and marketing efforts of the company to ensure that the objectives of the firm are met. The business operations are in line with objectives that are set. The activities carried out are result oriented and lead to the profit maximization ensuring the service quality. These roles will be performed in the capacity of the CEO. Moreover, it is not possible to undertake all the activities of the restaurant single handedly. There will be other people as well helping in achieving the operational excellence. The management team will be comprised of two other people including finance manager and hotel manager. The financial matters will be dealt by the finance manager, and the hotel manager will be responsible for managing the operational activities of the restaurant. This individual will be accountable for maintaining service quality, ambiance and quality standards in the establishment. The marketing and the promotional aspects of the business will be dealt with me. As the business is a startup with limited resources, it is not possible to have dedicated personnel for all the business operations (Robins and Judge, 2013).
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The knowledge, skills and abilities required for the efficient working of a fast food restaurant are listed below (Robins and Judge, 2013):
Knowledge of the management and administrative principles for the efficient strategic planning, resource allocation and the operational excellence. The knowledge is necessary for running the restaurant as a successful business enterprise that has distinct objectives to achieve.
Customer and personal service knowledge for successfully running the restaurant by incorporating best practices in customer service with the taste and ambiance.
The knowledge about the food handling, storage and consumption techniques. This knowledge will help in the efficient handling of the food and will save the extra cost by reducing the wastages.
The knowledge of sales and marketing is vital to the success of the restaurant. It is important for selling the products to display and present them in a fashion that satisfies the needs of the customers.
The accounting and economics knowledge is important for handling the money matters and filing the taxation records.
The skills of actively listening and understanding the needs of the customers and the fellow workers for the production of excellence in service delivery
Ability to manage the unusual conditions and circumstances by finding clever solutions to the problems
Being enrolled at Regis is helping in gaining the necessary skills for managing the operational aspects of the business. The management and administrative skills are polished by the course content and the extensive educational training. However, not all skills are gained at Regis. The skills and knowledge related to the Hotel Management, Cutlery, and Culinary Skills are lacking, and we will rely on the employees for these skills.
Start Up Resources
The useful resources for the startups in New York are listed below along with the description of the program (Digital NYC, 2016):
New York State Small Business Development Center – It helps the startups in handling the documentation and provides insights for securing the funding and financing for the startup (Digital NYC, 2016).
NYCEDC – It provides the business customized business solutions for enhancing the customization in the products and services for the increased success in the market. The authority has a digital library that helps entrepreneurs and the startups with the valuable financial and economic insights regarding the business sector of the operations. The authority guides the business regarding the competitive profile and the information about the competitors operating in the same industry (Digital NYC, 2016).
NYC Business Express – It is an online portal that is one stop support platform for starting a business. It guides the startups regarding the operational formalities starting from design to the licensing (Digital NYC, 2016)
SBDC NY – This authority helps the startups in dealing the financial matters like controlling, financial planning, business plan development and securing the loan packages (Digital NYC, 2016).
The business startup competitions is another sourcing of securing the funding for the startup
Structure of the Organization
The organizational structure of the business will be limited liability company (LLC). The benefit of selecting this structure is that it ensures the perpetual succession of the business. If any partner enters or leaves the business, the operations of the company are not affected. Moreover, we plan to expand the business to other states of the US. The LLC structure will facilitate the expansion and will save the company from the hectic incorporations each time. The second suitable option is the registered partnership as it provides the benefits of tax rebates and savings. However, the perpetual succession factor is not offered by a registered partnership. Moreover, it fails to support the future expansion objectives (Robins and Judge, 2013).
Furthermore, the organizational hierarchy or the management hierarchy used in the business will be vertical. The restaurant staff, chefs, waiters and the other kitchen staff will be reporting directly to the restaurant manager. Similarly, the HR manager and the Finance Manager will be directly reporting to the CEO. The restaurant manager will also be reporting to the CEO. The vertical hierarchy is used due to the limited positions as the company is a startup. The second reason for this hierarchy system is the centralization of the decision making.
Job Positions
The job positions along with the number of opening for each position required for the operations of the restaurant are given below
Chefs – 3 Positions
Waiters – 10 Positions
Kitchen Hand – 5 Positions
Delivery Staff – 5 Positions
Restaurant Manager – 1 Position
The key skills and the abilities required for the successful operations of the restaurant are mentioned below
The skills of coordination and cohesion of the actions of the others
Social perceptiveness to understand how people behave and the probable reasons behind the actions
The skills of the serving the people in a better way or the service orientation skills
Ability to communicate the necessary information from the menu to the customers and from customers to the kitchen staff
Ability to understand the needs of the customers (increased perceptiveness) and suggest the menu items
Ability to perform under the tight schedules and stress conditions to cope up with the pressure of increasing customer inflow
The qualifications and the experience requirement for the job positions are mentioned below:
Hotel Manager – Bachelors in Hospitality and Hotel Management with an experience of five years working with a small or medium-sized food chain. The incumbent will be responsible for managing the day to day business operations and reporting to the CEO. The key responsibilities will include designing the menu, managing the staff of the restaurant and ensuring the quality standards in service delivery
Chefs – Advanced Diploma in Cutlery and Food Preparation with an experience of five years in the similar position at Asian Restaurant. The incumbent is expected to have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the traditional taste of people of South Asia. The ability to cook the traditional dishes combined with the local taste of NY will be an edge
Kitchen Hand – Training of six months or service in the similar capacity at the renowned restaurant is a must. These positions will be filled with the temporary staff hired at per hour wage.
Delivery Riders – The individuals with a strong navigational sense of the New York City, Broadway, and Manhattan are encouraged to apply for this position. The rider must own a car. Related experience will be an advantage.
Advertisement of the Job Positions
The individuals with the suitable KSAs and the matching the profiles will be encouraged to apply for the positions. The job positions will be published at the online job portals as well as in the local newspaper. The competitive advantage of valuing the employees and competitive wages will be communicated as well. The employees with the right profiles can drop their CVs and Resumes at the restaurant site as well (Robins and Judge, 2013).
Hiring Process
The hiring process will start by advertising the job positions in the local newspapers and at the online job portals. The job applications received will be screened against the criteria mentioned for each job positions in the above section. The candidates with appropriate profiles will be invited for the interviews. The selection tools used in the process will be interviews and the Personality Assessment. The personality assessment will be mandatory for the waiters and delivery riders as they will be the direct contact between the restaurant and the general public (Farr and Tippins, 2013). The behavior of these individuals will shape the image of the business. The advantages and the disadvantages of the selection tools are given below (Robins and Judge, 2013)
Advantages
Interviews are the most effective selection tool as the candidates are assessed in a face to face interaction
The claims made in the resume can be validated in an interview due to the possibility of the face to face interaction
The negotiations in the face to face interaction are quick, and the employer has more power to persuade the employee.
The personality assessment provides the valuable insights into the personality and the expected behavior of the individual
It is vital for the positions that require the interaction with the client like the waiters and the customer service staff (Farr and Tippins, 2013)
Disadvantages
Personality assessment is a time-consuming process
It adds to the hiring cost and is an expensive selection tool
The interviews present only selective information. Few people are very talented in their field but fail to perform well in an interview
The chances of the biases increase in an interview. The appearance, race, nationality may influence the decision of the interviewer (Farr and Tippins, 2013).
Employment Conditions
The employees will be hired on full-time as well as part-time basis. The full-time employees will be chefs and the waiters. The kitchen hand staff and the delivery drivers will be hired on the part-time basis and can be increased and decreased as required. The part-time employees will not be the permanent employees of the restaurant and can be hired and fired as needed. The benefits of the full-time and part-time employees are given below (Robins and Judge, 2013):
The full-time employees develop a sense of loyalty towards the business and put their directed efforts for completing the tasks that are expected.
The full-time employment is preferred by the employees as well as it provides increased job security
The full-time employees hold only one job, and the employer has more control over the time of the employees.
Part-Time employees bring increased flexibility for the business and provides more control over the cost related with hiring and retaining the employees
The disadvantages associated with the full-time and part-time employment are given below (Robins and Judge, 2013):
The full-time employees are expensive and require more organizational resources to hire and retain. Sometimes the benefits of the full-time employees outweigh the cost
The part-time employees often have more than one job. Their attention, focus, and time are distributed giving employer lesser control over them
The loyalty of the part-time employees towards the business is scarce (Farr and Tippins, 2013)
Employee Salary and Benefits
The employees will be offered hourly wage rate for the chefs, waiters, delivery riders and the kitchen hands. The hourly wage rate of all the positions is given below
Chef - $14/Hour
Waiter - $11/Hour
Kitchen Hand - $9/Hour
Delivery Rider - $10/Hour
The permanent staff of the restaurant will be offered benefits of Provident Fund, Sick Leaves, and Annual Holidays Encashment. These benefits and the wage rates are market competitive and devised after reviewing the average of the market salaries. The benefits of all the employees will be same initially. However, the yearly performance appraisals will define the raise in the salary.
Employee Training
The training is necessary for the employees to enhance their skills. It is beneficial for the employees as well as the employers. The employees feel that they are given chances of self-development. However, the employers get benefit from the enhanced skills of the workers. The training of the Chefs will be outsourced to the external agencies. However, the waiters and the Delivery Riders will have an on-job training provided by the senior staff members (Robins and Judge, 2013).
Insurance Coverage
The business will have an insurance coverage that offers bonding option as well. The insurance coverage will cover the materials, property and the workers in the events of causalities due to the fire and other calamities outside the control of the man. The third party insurance company will be liable to cover the losses to the property, workers and the materials in the event of any uncertainty. The bonding of the business and the employees is not required from the insurance coverage as it will only increase the cost. The customers will be notified to take care of their belongings and the management, and staff will not be responsible for any loss. However, the employees will have their salaries with the employer that will be paid at the end of each week. In the case of any theft or immoral activity by the employees, the company will deduct the dollar value from the salaries and the PF of the employees. It will be communicated in the employment contract as well.
References
Digital NYC,. (2016). Resources. Digital.NYC. Retrieved 26 April 2016, from http://www.digital.nyc/resources
Farr, J. L., & Tippins, N. T. (2013). Handbook of employee selection. Routledge.
NYC Gov,. (2016). License, Permit and Course Information. Nyc.gov. Retrieved 26 April 2016, from http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/licenses/permit.shtml
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2013). Organizational behavior(16th Ed.). Pearson.
US Patent and Trademark Office,. (2016). Filing Online | USPTO. Uspto.gov. Retrieved 26 April 2016, from http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/filing-online
Appendix
TEAS Form
