The Common Man family of restaurants offers an amazing opportunity to the Organizational Behavior class here at Plymouth State University. They hold a contest where students taking the course design their own sample desert. Entitled “The Common Man Apprentice Project,” students were challenged to create a dessert recipe for the five Common Man “homes” throughout New Hampshire. The participants will have their dessert go from a concept to full-market fruition.
The Common Man was looking for a home-made and home-style traditional New England dessert, one that could easily be reproduced and made on site at the restaurants. It is intended to be something that is easy to make while still providing full value to the Common Man guests.
The details of the contest are that the dessert must have no more than two to three hours of cooking time and a serving execution time of two to four minutes. Financially, they wanted a portion that would cost between $1.25 and $2, but would be worth selling for $5.
So why does the Common Man sponsor a project for a college class? They were actually looking for a recipe to use. They had the students create the dessert and present it, and were keeping an eye open for something that they could use. The project, which ended November 14, came to a close with six different entries that will appear on the Common Man menu for the next three weeks. The dessert that sells the most in that period of time will find a permanent place on the Common Man menu.
To encourage support and show their appreciation, the Common Man gave all the groups $30 gift certificates to be used at the restaurant.
“It was an interesting experience to go from college student to baker to presenter,” said Dan Fornash, a PSU junior and student in the Organizational Behavior class. “All those who participated in the entire process enjoyed it. If your strength wasn’t baking, there were other opportunities to use your own skills and thrive.”