Fushi Sushi Wins First Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition

A quick-service sushi concept took first place in the Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition (CHBPC), sponsored by the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration (SHA).

Three student teams, which had been narrowed down from 28 original teams, presented their business plans and five-minute pitches to a panel of hospitality executives in the final round of the competition. The judges were Tony Capuano ’87, EVP global development of Marriott International, Inc., John Metz ’77, president of RREMC Restaurants, LLC, and Leland Pillsbury ’69, co-chairman and CEO of Thayer Lodging.  

The first place winner and recipient of $15,000 was Fushi Sushi, created by Sam Boochever CALS ’11 and Daniel Mann SHA ’11. Second place and $5,000 went to Josh Aaronson MMH ’11, Nate Berkowitz MMH ’11, Alexis Donahue MMH ’11, Jessica Sackler MMH ’11, and Sameer Seth MMH ’11 for Ward’s Wine Shop & Dining Room, a combination restaurant and retail wine store. Third place and $2,500 went to Colette Chen CALS ’11, Elizabeth Convery MMH ’11, Mark Eckenroth MMH ’11, and Sam Thorpe SHA ’12 for designing the Exclusive Route business plan, which offers fractional ownership of luxury recreational vehicles.

The Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition was made possible through a generous gift from Stanley Sun ’00 and his parents, Dennis and Betty. Marriott International was the title sponsor of this year’s competition. Other sponsors were Avendra, Chartres Lodging, and HotelPlanner.com.

To learn more about the Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition, visit http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/industry/centers/pihe/competition/.