Food Truck Series for Hospitality & Culinary Education
The Food Truck business is a four billion dollar industry in the US and is projected to surpass the six billion mark in the next five years (VMR, 2022). Many students and entrepreneurs worldwide are considering starting their food truck-related business. After working with instructors from over 30 universities, we proudly announce that we’ve created a new simulation specifically for this industry in our Startup Wars Fall 2023 releases.
This Food Truck Simulation revolves around a founder who wants to create a successful lunch truck in their local town to serve the local community with delicious, hand-made food. We’ve broken down the business model into a fun experience that will teach them the ins and outs of running a food truck business.
For our Startup Wars fall releases, we’ve included the following features in the simulation series:
- Purchasing and management of perishable ingredients
- Ability to decide between multiple types of food to provide, each with unique price options, production time, and material costs
- A decision point to either proceed as a solo founder or hire an additional employee
- Founder’s Note: This simulation has a max of two team members who can be on the payroll at any time. That limitation comes primarily from research showing that most lunch trucks only have one person working at any time.
- Ability to review breakdowns each week of which items were sold and how much revenue was gained from each item.
- Founder’s Note: This is an important reflection point for the students; after each bankruptcy, they’ll need to decide which items sold the best based on historical data. Additionally, certain product combinations may sell more frequently together (such as a Hamburger with a Soda)
- New actions to Manage Morale and Overtime
- Ability to choose between two different food trucks to weigh the key decision point of a higher cost (and more visually appealing) truck versus one that is lighter on the bank account but less visually appealing to potential customers passing by
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">Makers Market Series for Side-Hustle Business Education
According to Zhou (2023), 34%, or one in three Americans, have a side hustle, and 75% claim to love that job! Something for students to remember with side hustle ventures is that running a simple side gig can be just as complex as running a fully-fledged corporation. The effort and care that goes into each product and process is nothing short of extraordinary to make it unique.
The Makers Market Simulation Series resolves its story around a student who wants to make a business selling 3D-printed jewelry. In the simulation, the student must purchase a 3D printer, create a branded website, and navigate the complexities of deciding which products to sell, how to price them, and what materials they need.
Unlike the food truck, this simulation does not focus on perishable inventory (most materials do not expire). Instead, we focus on the time it takes to deliver products to each customer and deciding price points for a physical product that takes a couple of hours to make. Remember, with a 3D Printer, the founder will be limited to creating one product at a time. So, if they don’t price appropriately (and balance higher costs with lower conversion rates). They’ll quickly find that their venture takes too much time for too little return.
In this simulation, we cover the following topics:
- Purchasing and management of non-perishable materials
- Ability to decide between multiple types of 3D printed Jewelry to provide – each with unique price options, production time, and material costs
- A decision point to either proceed as a solo founder or hire an additional employee
- Founder’s Note: The 3D Printer itself can only print one product at a time, and realistically, once a product is published, it will need to be assembled to be the “final” product.
- Ability to review breakdowns each week of which items were sold and how much revenue was gained from each item
- Founder’s Note: This is a crucial reflection point for the students; after each bankruptcy, they’ll need to decide which items sold the best based on historical data. In this simulation, it’s less likely that a customer will purchase multiple items and more likely to purchase a single time for a higher price point.
- New actions to Manage Morale and Overtime
- Ability to choose between two different 3D Printers to weigh the key decision point of a higher cost (and more visually appealing) versus one that is easier on the wallet. But less visually appealing to potential customers passing by who look at it.
- Founder’s Note: This is especially important while the founder is at the Market.
<span data-buffer="">New Resources Available - Challenge Exercises<span data-metadata="">
More is always better. Well, maybe not always, but at Startup Wars it is!
We have created a series of supplementary activities we have dubbed Challenge Exercises. These were born from the need to test and help develop students’ critical, strategic, and visible thinking skills.
Students can work on these exercises to complement their entrepreneurship learning experience. Grading rubrics are included!
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">New Instructor Capabilities Released
In addition to the new simulations we have also introduced capabilities for instructors when it comes to publishing, paying for a course, and using the simulations in class.
Now, Instructors can choose how to include Startup Wars for their course directly from their instructor portal. Whether you want to include it as a textbook fee in your course, or add it to your discretionary spending budget – it’s up to you!
No more having to schedule a call or wait for an email. Don’t take it the wrong way though; we are always happy to hear from you, so feel free to contact us!
So, how about it? Ready for a new generation of innovation? We sure are!
If you’d like more information about our Startup Wars Fall 2023 releases or a Demo of our Simulations, Click here!
Best Regards,
Jedidiah, Moe, Mariana, & the Startup Wars Team
