Week 11: Ten Rules for Restaurant Success

One of the problems that Mzansi's is experiencing is that their business has been somewhat at a standstill.  They are making enough to pay the bills, but their business isn't really growing or expanding.  This article explains that there are many factors that contribute to owning and running a successful restaurant.  To create a remarkable restaurant that people will talk about and recommend to others, a restaurant should offer a simple, but delicious menu that consists of a dozen or less main courses.  It should also have enough seats to serve as many people as possible, a nice sign to attract customers, a no frills atmosphere, a memorable waitstaff, a good location, memorabilia to aid in profits and marketing, a social media presence, engage in opportunities that provide free press, and offer the little things customers need like napkins. While Mzansi's has achieved a lot of these things, there is still work to be done in some of the other areas like creating a social media presence and finding free press opportunities.  By helping them in these areas, I hope that we can help Mzansi's attract more customers while we are in South Africa and even after we leave, so that they can begin to see even more profits.

Article URL: http://blog.bradleygauthier.com/10-rules-for-restaurant-success/

Week 10 Poverty Tours: A Learning Experience or Simply Gawking?

Article URL: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/22/travel/india-poverty-tourism/

This article basically discusses the pros and cons of poverty tourism in the slums of India.  While many have good intentions for going on these tours, such as opening their eyes to the extreme poverty that many people around the world live in, some locals feel they are being treated as zoo animals who are there for tourists to look at.  Tour companies claim they want to show the positive side of the slums and eliminate the negative stereotypes about those who reside in the slums.  One company claims that 80% of their profits go back to local communities.  Others argue that it portrays poverty as entertainment and as something that can be momentarily experienced and then escaped.

This relates to my service learning project at Mzantsi Restaurant because it is a restaurant catering to the needs of tourists, but it is located in a township.  I have heard many great things about the restaurant from Austin about how it provides many jobs to people living in the township that otherwise wouldn't be available to them.  I am not necessarily opposed to poverty tourism because I think it does a good job of really raising awareness.  It's different to see something on television than to see something firsthand.  Seeing something with your own eyes is much more powerful.  Without exposing people to the extreme poverty and raising awareness around the issue, I don't think we will be able to inspire people to bring about changes and actually do something to help the situation.  I also think it is a good way to pump money into these local townships since many of the people living there don't have the traditional job skills their competition has, such as education, job experience, means of transportation, etc.  They are capitalizing off of what they know and what they are good at.

Week 9: Class Top 10 List

I think this is a wonderful top 10 list because it encompasses so many different issues.  The Apartheid Timeline and the Power and Privilege definitions do a great job at helping us understand the history of apartheid and oppression that occurred in South Africa.  "Cape Town: Gangs, Race and Poverty 20 years after Apartheid" also helps explain why many black South Africans are still struggling to get ahead even though Apartheid has officially ended.  They have been oppressed for many years, so it is going to take some time to come out of that oppression and be able to truly better themselves with the opportunities that have been only been granted to white South Africans for such a long time.  "Here's how South African students talk about race and gender" does a good job of explaining the current situation so that we are really prepared to understand what the race relations are when we arrive in South Africa.  Coloureds were also harmed by the system of Apartheid, so I think "Not White Enough, Not Black Enough" does a good job of depicting what their struggles and frustrations are, especially since they are often overlooked by history, their own government, and the international community.  It also explains that race is not as simple as black and white, as many people tend to think of it as.  "South Africa Progressive on LGBT Rights but Gays Still Battle for Social Reform" and "Realizing Women's Rights in South Africa" are very informational.  Since the racial situation in South Africa is so complex and so urgent, we sometimes have a tendency to look past these other oppressed groups, such as homosexuals and women.  However, they are also fighting hard for their rights and their stories are inspiring.  Lastly, the Bucket List to visiting South Africa and Culture in South Africa mostly just got me really excited to be going on this trip.  They showcase South Africa's beauty and positivity.  We spend so much time talking about upsetting topics, sometimes I lose sight of the progress South Africa has made and how much the country has to offer.