Author Archives: Shawn Williams

“Exploring New York City Tech’s Hospitality Management and a Career in Restaurant Ownership by Shawn Williams.”

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Shawn Williams

Professor Jason W. Ellis

English 1101

11 May 2015

1. Vision

My name is Shawn Williams, I am outgoing and very ambitious. I am a student at New York City College of Technology,who is pursuing a Bachelors in Hospitality Management. My career is in Hospitality Management. In this essay I will prove why Hospitality Management is the best major for me, because once I attain my degree, I want to open up my own restaurant. I have a lot of experience in the cooking field. I feel I have a niche for what people like to eat. What I need now is the knowledge on how to manage and maintain a successful restaurant,knowing how to pick a strategic location and making a great menu. I hope to learn all of this in Hospitality Management.

Some of the things that New York City College of Technology Catalog said I will learn if I apply myself in these courses is, “the principles of cost control,menu and recipe structure,plating techniques,and flavor profiles.(New York City College Of Technology College Catalog pg.171) I will also learn current and future direction of restaurant management, operations,marketing and personal management as they affect community, and marketplace trends. In addition I will,understand the role of menu planning and design in historic and contemporary terms, explore pricing strategies,design elements,seasonal and theme-based fare,kitchen expertise,market segmentation and customer perceptions.(New York City College Of Technology College Catalog pg.173) Many Alumni have become accomplished as executives chefs,directors of housekeeping,human resources directors,food and beverage directors,restaurant owners,district food service managers, directors of marketing and general managers”. Within my Major I like the fact that I have a lot of different job options. (New York City College Of Technology College Catalog pg.174)

Working in the cooking field was the only real job I ever held in my life. Sometimes I wonder am I jumping the gun too fast because I really have not experienced anything else. I am currently working as a office assistant. I like the work, it is easy and fun, and I enjoy being around people. But I do not see where there is a opportunity for me to advance quickly to becoming the head of an office, like it would be for me to work a year or two as an food service manager,and then venture out on my own to own my own restaurant. I feel I have an better chance to succeed in the cooking field. I have responsibilities and I am not as young as I used to be,so I have to choose quickly and wisely.

My dream is to own my own restaurant. But I know I will need experience on how to run a restaurant before I can make that dream come true. I may need to work as a food service manager before I can own my own restaurant. So I inquired about the pay and job availability. Becoming a Food Service Manager will give me the experience I need to run and operate a successful restaurant. According to The Occupational Outlook handbook in 2012 the median pay for a food service manager was forty-seven thousand nine hundred and sixty dollars per year and twenty-three dollars and six cents per hour. Also, there will be an two percent increase in the job field of food service managing.(Occupational Outlook Handbook,2014-15)

 

Kitchen Me
2. Action

I work in the office of my major and the Chairperson is very inspiring. We talk all the time and she shows so much interest in my schooling. I get to meet all the Professors outside of the classroom. I do not try to manipulate or take advantage of working in the office. Many Alumni come back with such great success stories. I am almost blown away with excitement and anticipation. I interviewed one of my future Professors in my major. His name is Professor Robert Walljasper,I asked him ‘does it feel like you have achieved the level of success you planned on achieving when you first started your career?’ His reply was “I feel like I have achieved that level many times,but once I am there,there is always something else for me to accomplish.”( Walljasper Robert. Personal Interview. 14 April 2015.) When I heard that I was truly inspired, because I could see the glimmer in his eyes of satisfaction,perseverance and happiness. I knew he was happy because he is doing something he loves everyday. And the satisfaction came from all the accomplishments along with the perseverance of no matter how hard the next goal may be he will succeed.

One of the things that motivates me to be a part of and take Hospitality Management as my major is that I want to make a comfortable amount of money and live nice. I watch a lot of cooking shows and I feel like I have the charisma,looks,but not the skills yet to be very successful in my career. I want to be able to drive any car I want. I want a big house. I want to leave wealth and a legacy for my children. I know with the marketing ideas I have,I can go very far. All I will say is that it is something that is not offered to a large group of people in the cooking field.

nice Plate

3. Execute

Work is not work if you enjoy doing it. That is my other reason for choosing Hospitality Management. I have worked in a couple of kitchens and I really enjoyed bringing happiness to people through food. I love the interaction. I am naturally a people’s person. I like to see people smile and be happy. The feeling of working in a restaurant and having a lot of customers waiting to eat the food I cooked is indescribable. One of the Professors in Hospitality Management is William Moore. I asked him “what does it take to succeed in this industry?” He said “Passion,it takes a lot of passion,because it is a tough field,but if you have passion for what you do you can succeed.” (Moore William. Personal Interview. 16 April 2015.) I think it takes passion and commitment to succeed in any field,but hearing it come from him was truly encouraging and very informative.

To be able to make someone happy just from giving them something to eat or providing a certain kind of food that they cannot get anywhere else,truly makes me happy. I have experienced that feeling myself,of not being able to find a certain type of food, but once I have,I felt gratitude and tremendous joy to that establishment. And when the food is good and the service is nice and friendly,they have my stomach and loyalty. My restaurant will be the place to eat of who’s who. But once every six months I will turn it into a soup kitchen to feed the homeless. And yes, they will eat the good food. I want the kind of establishment where, when you enter you feel like you are at home. That is what I want from people that will visit my restaurant.

If you are interested in Hospitality Management as your major, you should have both of these things and a lot of them,and they are passion and determination. You will need these two things to accomplish your goals and be successful. I am learning this valuable lesson everyday,from studying to getting up early so I can get to class on time. A quote ‘Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” 
― Theodore Roosevelt Nothing that is great will come easy.

Works Cited

New York College Of Technology. Hospitality Management Bachelor Degree. College Catalog Spring. 2015-2016 pg 171,173,174 Web 20 April 2015

United States. Bureau Of Labor. Food Service Managers. U.S. Department Of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2014-2015. Web 15 April 2015

Walljasper Robert. Personal Interview. 14 April 2015.

Moore William. Personal Interview. 16 April 2015.

Brain Matter On Paper By Shawn Williams

Introduction

The purpose of this project to me is that it reinforces your writing style and writing skills. I feel it was a good project to do,because it opened my eyes and introduced to me different ways of communication,that I know but never really recognized as communication.

Thinking In Writing

What my thoughts consisted of the most was my car and driving,then came my religion and last was my social life. Maybe the reason I thought so much about my car is because right now it’s not running right. My Wife drives it to and from work,so on the days I don’t have to go to school or work,I drive her to work and I run errands or just drive and enjoy myself. From the time I walked to the masjid at six in the morning and was coming back all I kept thinking about was getting my car fixed. Because I know I had to take public transportation,but I could be driving. Like one of my thoughts were “I hate having to take this bus.” Even when I was walking my step son to school all I was thinking about was getting the car fixed.
The second thing that occupied my thoughts the most was my Lord and doing the things that would please Him and getting Blessed for it. You see I was not always such a good guy. One time in my life I was the epitome of a bad guy. But not to degrees,the life I live now is based on my remembrance,love and fear for Alláh. That’s why when I took public transportation and I seen a homeless person it does something to my heart,because I know and believe that the only difference between me and him is Alláh’s Mercy.
The least thing that occupied my mind is my Wife and I feel I need to change that. But I feel subconsciously she’s always on my mind,but due to the situation of my car and the meeting I had today she just seemed the least.

Thinking Visual

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk8ArZtd

First Pic.My video games is one of the least things I think about because,at one point I was addicted to gaming. At work all I would do is just daydream about finishing a level and rush home to play. But not anymore.

Second Pic. I’ve always love to drive. I’m a “speed demon.” I taught myself how to drive just by watching my Uncle drive his car. At the age of twelve I rented a van from a drug user and drove all day. Ever since then I’ve been driving.

Third Pic. I have a big family,but it doesn’t feel like it. When I went away to prison I can count on one hand how many people I received a letter from and half of them were family. So I’ve come to accept,love and embrace that my family consist of the three  people you see in this picture with me.

Fourth Pic. I love cars for many different reasons. The convenience I would have to say stands out the most. There’s nothing like being able to go somewhere to eat or just enjoy myself,and once I’m finished I’m able to hop in my car and leave. That’s priceless for me.

Fifth Pic. The thing that is most on my mind is making my five prayers. What I’ve experienced throughout my life is that when my five is in order everything is easier and I’m happy. But when I don’t make them a lot of things go awry.

Sixth Pic. My Wife is one of the least things I think about because I feel she’s such a major component in my life. I guess I’ve started to take her for granted. When you feel something will always be there,you tend to subconsciously think and act like it.

 Thinking Reflectively 

My name is Shawn Elijah Williams. I am very ambitious. I like to cook, drive and eat. I have some advice for my present self-five years from now. I want you to constantly keep Allah, on your mind and tongue. I know you like to drive and you like fast cars, but you should focus more on your school. Do not just get by, but excel, and the easier it will be in the future to demand and acquire what you want. You need a good partner by your side. Someone who has your back, someone who can make you better as well as you making them better. If you do not start thinking about your wife more, and stop taking her for granted, you will eventually lose her. I am happy you understand the value of family, because down the line there will be a limited amount of people you can depend on.

Perseverance is a major thing in life. In the past I have given up when things got hard. I would revert back to the easy things I knew which were always negative. It is very important to persevere when things get tough. When I did stick things out, although they were very minuscule, I always achieved what I wanted. The things I want to achieve in life for the future are; cars, a nice house, a lot of money and a righteous life. Perseverance, determination, patience and hard work, with my education now and my businesses later, will be the aspects I need to succeed. These qualities will benefit me now and later. In one of my thought logs” I said I have come a long way and I changed a lot”. I made this statement because I was faced with a situation, where if I did not persevere in life to control my anger, and to change how I deal with circumstances I do not like, I would have handled it differently in a bad way.

Shawn you are going to need patience and a lot of it. Things are not going to always go the way you want them. You learned this during your childhood and more so in prison. The difference between prison and childhood is that in prison it was forced on you to be patient, and if you did not, you either acted out physically or verbally and you were punished for it. Whereas in childhood if you showed displeasure physically or verbally sometimes you were able to persuade enough to get your way or it was a mild admonishment.

You know in business there are many ups and downs, and this is where patience will help you achieve your goals. One of the pictures in the “Visual Communication” is of the masjid where I pray. It takes patience to pray five times a day, then to travel to a place to do it.  At certain times I am engrossed in an activity I like, and it is hard for me to stop that and go pray. That is Patience. Patience comes in different ways. Patience can be shown in studying for a test. Patience can be shown with being faithful in a relationship. When you are used to living a lifestyle of promiscuousness and you are constantly bombarded with the very thing that entices you to cheat. If you stay patient now, you will have success later.

The next thing you will need is determination. It is a quality that makes you continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult. Shawn you heard the stories of how hard it is to start and then to maintain a successful business. First you have to be determined to acquire the degree from college. Once you do that, you have to be determined to draw a business plan, execute it and no matter how many setbacks do not give up.

After reading from my future self. The ways I am going to accomplish these goals are praying more for, perseverance, patience, and determination. I am going to work harder in school right now, by studying more even when I do not want to. Spending more time on my school work instead of playing video games or just relaxing around the house on the weekend because I feel I deserve it. There are a couple of business ideas that I have. I am going to apply these to a real business plan. I appreciate the advice, now it is up to me to internalize and apply it.