Master Menu Management and Much More in the Hospitality Management Program

Do you possess an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or have mature student status (19 years or older)? Have you completed your English Grade 12 C or U or equivalent, or skills assessment? Do you have an interest in the food industry? If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, you career path may benefit from attending the Hospitality Management program at Centennial College. And now is a great time to get training as The Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) anticipates that the food and beverage services sector will grow to employ 1.95-million people by 2015. The CTHRC has also reported that 68 per cent of employees within this sector are young Canadians.

At Centennial College, student spends two years in the Hospitality Management – Restaurant and Catering program (as it is officially known) and graduate with an Ontario College Diploma. “The instructors imparted all the necessary knowledge and shared their experiences that are needed to be successful in the hospitality industry,” says Bertrand Yeung a program graduate. These Hospitality Management Program instructors lead students through a combination of theory and practical training that includes business practices in accounting, purchasing, human resources, supervision and cost control. More specifically, the training covers courses such as Purchasing for the Commercial Kitchen (designed to demonstrate to the learner the procedures required to build an integrated purchasing system for food and non-food items. The learner will investigate the responsibilities of the purchaser and learn to apply quality standards and ethical conduct); Menu Management (participants in this practical, hands on course will examine the concept of the menu as a marketing tool, it’s design and layout and how to evaluate its effectiveness and profitability); Dining Room Management (students examine how the dining room manager is responsible for establishing the standards of service, motivating, monitoring, recognizing and training staff and for providing the environment, equipment and tools necessary for them to be able to exceed customer’s expectations); and more.

In addition, students have access to the facilities on Ashtonbee Campus that help them obtain hands-on experience. These hospitality management program facilities include a hospitality management centre and real restaurant called Horizons at which students serve and learn to deal with real customers.

Lastly, a 15-week field placement is required for students of the Hospitality Management program. This course provides two days per week of meaningful work experience in approved positions within the food and beverage industry, enabling students to better understand the dynamics of the industry, increase their knowledge of industry practices and obtain a competitive advantage of experience in the job market. The hospitality management program industry partners include: Cara, Darden Restaurants, Red Lobster, Prime Restaurants, Shoeless Joe’s, The Keg, SIR Corp., cruise lines and hotels.

Lastly, should qualified students wish to continue their education, they can do so with the hospitality management program’s articulated partners: Athabasca University, International Hotel Management Institute (Switzerland), Vancouver Island University, University of New Brunswick and Royal Roads University (B.C.).