Better Business Survey Will Help Chefs Improve Their Business Skills

2 mins read
  • The Better Business survey was created to research and respond to chefs’ needs in terms of education, training and career development.
  • The project launched on August 9 and will continue through the end of 2021.

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Americaā€™s key restaurant industry players have joined forces to help chefs stay at the top of their game. Better Business is a collaboration betweenĀ The Culinary Institute of America, James Beard Foundation, Black Food Folks, S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy and Fine Dining Lovers. This collaborative survey was created as a way to research and respond to chefsā€™ needs in terms of education, training and further career and business development.

Click here to take the Better Business Survey.

According to a press release, this is one of the first cross-collaborative projects of its kind undertaken in the restaurant industry, with the above organizations coming together to understand what resources chefs need to improve their business skills and create stronger, more sustainable models of operation for the future. The project will focus solely on the U.S. and is presented in both English and Spanish.

The Better Business survey was curated, edited and administered by Vaughn Tan, a London-based strategy consultant, author and professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at University College London’s School of Management. Tan previously worked for Google in California. “This survey is designed to help identify the resources chefs and other restaurant operators want that will help them run their businesses more effectively, enjoyably and sustainably,ā€ Tan said.

The project launched on August 9, initiating three stages of activity to run until the end of 2021. These stages are:Ā AnalysisĀ (launching in August via a nationwide survey); ObservationĀ (launching in October via publishing of data); and SolutionĀ (launching in November with a range of video masterclasses focusing on the key areas of interest identified by the survey).

The Better Business survey launched with a call to action to all chefs across America to use the survey to make their voices heard, to ask for the guidance they need, and to help shape the future of the industry. The survey was designed by some of the industryā€™s most prominent names who featured in an initial focus group. And each partner has also provided their own questions in key areas of their expertise. The results will help understand which areas chefs really need help in to improve their businesses.

The survey is open to chefs from all kitchens across the spectrum of the industry: hotels, bistros, independents, fine dining, casual, and all sectors in between. The survey can be accessed from August 9 through September 3 via Survey Monkey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BBSurvey1). The results will provide invaluable data and lead to the creation of tailored video resources to help enhance chefs’ skill sets.

ā€œCreativity is not just about what goes on the plate,ā€ said Ryan King, editor in chief of Fine Dining Lovers. ā€œThe chefs of today and tomorrow need to understand how to run successful businesses above all. Our goal with this survey is to understand directly what chefs need to improve their skill set. A collaborative survey of this nature allows us to pinpoint key areas where chefs lack resources so we can all provide useful, informative content that impacts the industry for the better.ā€