W04 Case Study: Maria's First Months
For Maria, opening Maria’s Soup Shop in January 2025 was the culmination
of months of dreaming and planning. She envisioned a cozy neighborhood
restaurant where people could savor hearty soups, freshly baked bread, and
warm community vibes. What she hadn’t anticipated was how quickly her
dream would transform into a test of her resilience, resourcefulness, and
willingness to adapt.
This chapter explores the whirlwind of Maria’s first few months as a
restaurant owner, weaving through moments of joy, doubt, and discovery as
she learned to balance passion with practicality.
January: A Promising Start
January was a month of firsts for Maria. After weeks of late nights painting
walls, assembling furniture, and testing recipes in her newly equipped
kitchen, she opened her doors to the public. She ended not choosing any of
the initial locations she was considering – such a blessing. Heavenly Father
sure knows what He doing and just what we need!
Just as she was getting ready to make a location decision, Maria found out
that a 4th location had just become available. It was still in the downtown
area, but this location was near the train station where foot traffic was
higher and later into the evening. There were some other restaurants,
which was good and bad – more competition, but the opportunity for more
customers than any of the locations, including the Town Center location she
previously looked at. The costs were only $1,100 a bit less than Town
Center and with a bigger customer potential; a win-win!
Thanks to a well-timed marketing campaign, the grand opening was a
success. Maria had spent $1,450 on ads, signage, and a professional-looking
website, which paid off in the form of a steady stream of customers for the
grand opening (details are below).
Because of the marketing blitz, as well as a generous discount (25% off for
the first month), the numbers were promising. Her Chicken Soup was the
bestseller, with an average of 27.0 bowls served daily, while Italian Bread,
baked fresh every morning, became an irresistible favorite at 34.0 servings
a day. She had decided to use some “charm pricing” for the main items on
her menu. The restaurant buzzed with energy as locals and travelers
, stopped by to grab lunch, catch up with friends, or simply savor the cozy
ambiance Maria had worked so hard to create.
Behind the scenes, however, Maria was running on fumes. To make sure she
was successful, every day started at 5 a.m. as she helped the cook as he
prepped ingredients, kneaded dough, and made sure the ovens were
humming before the first customer walked in. On top of cooking and
cleaning, she juggled accounting, ordering supplies, and keeping track of
her staff’s schedules. What she didn’t track? Her own time. Maria hadn’t
budgeted for paying herself, a decision she brushed aside with a hopeful,
“Once the business takes off, I’ll figure that out.”
Please complete Maria’s financials statements for January with the
following information:
This is the information that should go in your Revenue tab:
Volumes:
Calculate the promotional prices to the nearest penny at 25% off
regular prices
Perform the needed calculations to make row 2 on your Revenue tab
show the right total revenue and then reference those cells in the
tab labeled Maria’s Financials. We will continue with the other costs
to complete Maria’s January income statement to see how she did.
For Maria, opening Maria’s Soup Shop in January 2025 was the culmination
of months of dreaming and planning. She envisioned a cozy neighborhood
restaurant where people could savor hearty soups, freshly baked bread, and
warm community vibes. What she hadn’t anticipated was how quickly her
dream would transform into a test of her resilience, resourcefulness, and
willingness to adapt.
This chapter explores the whirlwind of Maria’s first few months as a
restaurant owner, weaving through moments of joy, doubt, and discovery as
she learned to balance passion with practicality.
January: A Promising Start
January was a month of firsts for Maria. After weeks of late nights painting
walls, assembling furniture, and testing recipes in her newly equipped
kitchen, she opened her doors to the public. She ended not choosing any of
the initial locations she was considering – such a blessing. Heavenly Father
sure knows what He doing and just what we need!
Just as she was getting ready to make a location decision, Maria found out
that a 4th location had just become available. It was still in the downtown
area, but this location was near the train station where foot traffic was
higher and later into the evening. There were some other restaurants,
which was good and bad – more competition, but the opportunity for more
customers than any of the locations, including the Town Center location she
previously looked at. The costs were only $1,100 a bit less than Town
Center and with a bigger customer potential; a win-win!
Thanks to a well-timed marketing campaign, the grand opening was a
success. Maria had spent $1,450 on ads, signage, and a professional-looking
website, which paid off in the form of a steady stream of customers for the
grand opening (details are below).
Because of the marketing blitz, as well as a generous discount (25% off for
the first month), the numbers were promising. Her Chicken Soup was the
bestseller, with an average of 27.0 bowls served daily, while Italian Bread,
baked fresh every morning, became an irresistible favorite at 34.0 servings
a day. She had decided to use some “charm pricing” for the main items on
her menu. The restaurant buzzed with energy as locals and travelers
, stopped by to grab lunch, catch up with friends, or simply savor the cozy
ambiance Maria had worked so hard to create.
Behind the scenes, however, Maria was running on fumes. To make sure she
was successful, every day started at 5 a.m. as she helped the cook as he
prepped ingredients, kneaded dough, and made sure the ovens were
humming before the first customer walked in. On top of cooking and
cleaning, she juggled accounting, ordering supplies, and keeping track of
her staff’s schedules. What she didn’t track? Her own time. Maria hadn’t
budgeted for paying herself, a decision she brushed aside with a hopeful,
“Once the business takes off, I’ll figure that out.”
Please complete Maria’s financials statements for January with the
following information:
This is the information that should go in your Revenue tab:
Volumes:
Calculate the promotional prices to the nearest penny at 25% off
regular prices
Perform the needed calculations to make row 2 on your Revenue tab
show the right total revenue and then reference those cells in the
tab labeled Maria’s Financials. We will continue with the other costs
to complete Maria’s January income statement to see how she did.
