Number of positions available: 3-4 person ( Can work individually or in a team)

There are a number of concerns that people who work in or want to start a food business in St. John’s have. Many acknowledged that new and changing regulations are major pain points. The consensus was that there is an ever-rising regulatory burden, both in the industry specific (i.e. SQF, BRC) and government regulations. Labelling requirements are changing in both Canada and the U.S. to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. This creates significant additional burden on food & beverage producers. While national brands are on the decline, demand is growing for custom products. Retailers and food service customers want unique products. However, for the food & beverage processors, custom products mean smaller batches, higher product development costs, and increased inventory carrying costs for unique ingredients and packaging. Also, options for food related businesses are appearing in other formats — Uber Eats, commissaries, and daycare catering companies offering ready to heat meals at daycare centres for parents picking up their kids. These formats offer significantly reduced rent and staff costs, while providing quick and convenient options for the consumer. This leaves restaurant owners confused on whether or not it makes sense to take the risk of renting a place for a restaurant. The aforementioned factors as well as many others highlight the necessity of an efficient method which can help entrepreneurs tailor their business models with the requirements of the current social and economic climate.

We want the students to help us with the following:

Background research

Online and telephone surveys

Online interviews

Focus groups

To help us, we are looking at a sample size of:

30 completed surveys and 15 completed interviews.

Target respondents: Local entrepreneurs or business owners (St. John’s), Local service providers, Local random customers

We will work closely with the students.