Discovering the Capstone Project

At Institut Lyfe, learning goes far beyond the classroom. We believe that the most impactful education brings students face-to-face with the real challenges of their future professions. This is precisely the objective of the Capstone Project, which concludes the three years of the Bachelor’s in International Culinary Arts Management.

Every year, third-year students conceive, design and open their own pop-up restaurant. From the initial idea to welcoming their first customers, they must bring a concept to life from A to Z: coming up with the identity and menu, sourcing suppliers and partners, deciding on the decor, marketing and communication strategy, financial management, service organisation and more.

A real-life entrepreneurial project, which puts all the skills acquired during their studies at Institut Lyfe to the test.

A real-life project, guided by experts

The students are not alone in this adventure: a dedicated teaching team is on hand to support them across every aspect of the project.

For Marielle Salvador, PhD, Professor of Marketing at Institut Lyfe, her role is clear: “My goal is to guide students in turning their initial idea into a pop-up restaurant concept open to the public. I support them in structuring the idea and developing it, then throughout the process of constructing a business plan. All aspects are covered: marketing, finance, legal, communication. It’s a real team effort, with the support of the chef and maître d’hôtel.”

Duc Dau Xuan, maître d’hôtel trainer at Institut Lyfe, also emphasises the collective dimension: “My role revolves mainly around the dining room. I assist students in the fundamental service techniques as well as on team management. We also work a lot on storytelling, so that the concept comes to life for customers. The objective is to create a real coherence between their project, service and customer reception.”

Chef Yoann Constanty accompanies students through each stage in the kitchen, from creating technical sheets to execution: “I help them validate their culinary proposals, plan production and manage supplies. The Capstone project is a real challenge: they have to ensure consistent service over ten days of service.”

A fast track to professional growth

This project highlights a variety of talents. Some students discover their entrepreneurial flair, while others shine in management or communication. All of them develop a better understanding of the realities of their future professional path.

As Marielle Salvador explains: “The Capstone project allows them to put all their knowledge into practice. They realise that what they’ve learned in management science comes together and is critical in creating a business project.”

Duc Dau Xuan makes a similar observation: “Everyone showed professionalism and the ability to listen. Some stood out for their sense of customer relations, others for their organisational skills. It’s an experience that helps them gain a clearer idea of the direction they want to give their career.”

According to Chef Constanty, it is also a question of perseverance: “They realise that having ideas on paper can be different from actually putting things into practise. But they learn to listen to each other, to adapt and to work as a team. It’s really nice to see them develop and succeed in overcoming challenges.”

From the students’ perspective, this project is an opportunity to get to grips with the realities of the profession: “When we started the project, we were given an empty space: no equipment, no furniture, nothing. We had to think of everything, assess every aspect so that it was consistent with our concept, so that we liked it, but above all so that the customers liked it. Finding partners wasn’t always easy, not everything went according to plan, but the best way to learn is by doing.”

This project is a real asset for our future when we’re aiming to become an entrepreneur and open a restaurant, because it enables us to understand how an establishment is run.

The Capstone project embodies the experiential pedagogy philosophy of Institut Lyfe: learning by doing, creating by experimenting and growing by taking on real-world challenges. By launching their own pop-up restaurant in the Capstone project, our students on the Bachelor’s in International Culinary Arts Management gain unique experience that forges their professional identity and gives them the keys to become the entrepreneurs, chefs and managers of tomorrow.