Help for a culinary student

[FrasierKrane]

I need a bit of help. My girlfriend is a student at California Culinary Academy in SF, CA and is in her cost control class right now with a project to write a business plan for a real business. She has to cost out everything, pick a location, and get demographic studies for a wide variety of areas. With the forum moderator's permission, I'd like to ask for your participation in this study.

Click the following link to take the survey, and once again, we appreciate your feedback

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?L222TYPGHWZYGG9AHHJQJMD1

Thank you,

FraiserKrane

["T"]

Done.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I did it as well -- but got to say that some of the questions (#16, for example), are pretty lame.

Choosing between Opera and Sports with no option for a movie????

(Although I am an Opera buff... it just seemed odd that there was not a wider range of options for what one does on a Saturday night...)

[cbarre02]

Like going out for dinner???????????

[Pan]

I'll offer some constructive criticisms, too.

One problem with the questionnaire is that my responses will be different if I have a dining partner than if I'm eating out by myself. Would I consider a half bottle of dessert wine? Sure, if I had a dining partner. No, if I were by myself. Same thing with the question about the cost of bottles of wine. If I'm by myself, I don't buy a bottle of wine, period, and the most I'm likely to have is a glass with the meal (usually not even that). If I have one dining partner, I might buy a bottle of wine, but I'd be much more likely to consider a $40 bottle of wine if I were one of a party of 4 than if I were eating the whole cost myself.

What if I spend under $20 at restaurants a lot of the time and between $21 and $30 a lot of the time? And does the spending per visit count the cost of treating someone, which I often do?

"Do you enjoy wine with your meal?"

Well yes, I enjoy it when I have it, but most often choose not to order any. So how about "Yes," "Sometimes," "No"?

"What is the least you will pay or a full bottle (750 ml) of wine at a restaurant?"

Believe me, I'd pay less than $15 if there were a decent bottle of wine priced that low anyplace I go to, but this is New York, and I can't remember the last time I saw any bottle priced that cheaply in a restaurant.

"Would you prefer a more intimate environment as opposed to live entertainment?"

Depends if I'm there for the entertainment or want to have a conversation. The places I go for live entertainment usually have highly forgettable food, but that doesn't have to be the case, I guess.

[nitpick mode on] Question 17: "Personal reccomendation" - correct the spelling of recommendation. [nitpick mode off ]

You have a lot of good ideas in your survey, so please take my remarks in the spirit in which I offer them. Best of luck in your studies.

[FrasierKrane]

Hello Folks,

First, thank you for taking the time to help out a culinary student. It's very much appreciated :)

I know the survey had problems, they've been addressed via your feedback and the few other boards I've posted the link to. Pan, you've given me a few other ideas for demographics questions to consider in the future, and when this hopefully becomes a rolling ball, as opposed to a a school lesson, we'll have a better grip on our market. Sadly, once the survey is launched, I can't go back in and change things, which makes sense. No biggie.

RE: the spelling thing, you'd think as a writer I'd have that part down lol! Thanks for pointing that out. I think you're the first out of 150 participants lol!

The only other problem I have with the survey is that I have to put the results into a spreadsheet manually because I'm not a huge corporation that can afford Zoomerang's prices. Oh well, Rome was built with hard work, and a busniess must take the same care, right?

Thanks again folks,

Sascha Illyvich