Jack Sprat's Restaurant

Center for Entrepreneurial Studies,
Babson College © 1996

ISBN 0-324-00168-1

Case Teaching Package
A case teaching package, written by Bill Bygrave, is available for this case. It includes strategies for case presentation, key concepts, solutions to the assignment questions in the case, and suggestions for the most effective ways to work this case into your course.

Length
This case is 14 pages in length and its case teaching package is 4 pages.

Abstract

Jack Sprat's Restaurant is a case about Chris Harami's quest to start a high-potential restaurant chain. It should be positioned early in a new ventures course.

Chris is a would-be entrepreneur in the restaurant industry who believes he has found an untapped niche: fat-free food. He has ambitions to build a national chain with the potential to have an initial public offering. It allows us to explore what it takes to build a high-potential restaurant that can expand rapidly and go public.

This case presents an opportunity to ask students to do some library research. For example, research some restaurant chains that came into prominence and had initial public offerings in recent years such as Outback Steakhouse and Boston Chicken. What are the key components for their success? How does Jack Sprat's proforma income statement compare with other restaurants? (Students can find industry numbers from a variety of sources, such as Robert Morris Reports.) This type of library research will help students when they write their own business plans later in the semester.

• Location of the company: Massachusetts
• Years spanned by the case: 1994 through 1995
• Industry segment: Quick service restaurant with healthy food
• Stage of the company: Pre-launch
• Age of the entrepreneurs: Early 30s