Field trip for restaurant culinary management

Restaurant & Culinary Management Arts - Los Angeles Campus

Whether looking to open or grow a food business of your own, or climb the ranks to become an executive chef, an understanding of the bottom line is key to a successful culinary business. Get expert training in the business of food in the city of angels.

Diploma Program

Launch your culinary career in an urban oasis for food and restaurant lovers.

Nestled in Pasadena’s historic Playhouse District, ICE LA opened its doors in 2018 and has been a thriving center for professional training and culinary inspiration ever since. Between the heralded restaurant scene and the bountiful produce, southern California is an oasis for food and restaurant lovers. Tour our facilities for an immersive experience — there’s no better place to launch a culinary career.

Where Passion Meets Profits

Everyone can think of a local restaurant or food business that seemed busy and successful but ultimately closed. What happened? Running a food business takes more than a good idea and delicious food. That’s where ICE’s Restaurant & Culinary Management program comes in. This program was born of the understanding that the food and beverage industry is unique and complex. In as little as seven months, our experienced instructors cover the nuances of culinary management, using their decades of combined experience to help the next generation of restaurateurs and aspiring chefs.

Quick Facts

Program Name: Restaurant & Culinary Management

Program Duration: 7 months

Class Times: morning, afternoon, evening

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Los Angeles Restaurant & Culinary Management Schedule Options

Evening (7 months)

Hours: Tues. - Thurs., 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Start Date: TBD

Morning (7 months)

Hours: Tues. - Thurs., 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Start Date: TBD

Afternoon (7 months)

Hours: Tues. - Thurs., 12 - 4 p.m.
Start Date: January 30

Dual Diploma Discount

Combine business and cooking skills to accelerate success. Students enrolled in the Restaurant & Culinary Management program who also enroll in another diploma program, such as Culinary Arts, Plant-Based Culinary Arts or Pastry & Baking Arts, can receive a discount worth up to $4,000.

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One Quick Conversation is All it Takes

From day one, ICE is here to help make your dreams of launching a career in the restaurant industry a reality. One quick conversation with your Admissions Representative can open the door to endless opportunities. They’ll also set you up with a personal Student Financial Services counselor, who can help guide you through the many financing options available including federal financial aid, loans, scholarships and more.

Explore our LA Campus

With professional teaching kitchens, a culinary technology lab and an expansive learning resource center, ICE LA spans 38,000 square feet in the heart of southern California. ICE’s LA campus is designed with you in mind. Come see for yourself, or take a virtual tour.

Learn about Career Services

Attending a well-established school like ICE has many benefit, including the vast professional network available to students from day 1. With on-campus recruitment from top hospitality brands, regular ‘hot job’ emails, and ongoing support long after graduation, your career services team is here to help.

Alumni News

ICE is proud to have over 17,900 alumni across the culinary industry. Our students come from diverse backgrounds with varied goals, which means our alumni land in some of the most interesting roles across the industry. Read some of their stories and get inspired.

ICE's 316-hour Restaurant and Culinary Management program is taught at the school's Los Angeles campus, featuring over 38,000 square feet of teaching space. Utilizing the city as a classroom, the program includes field trips to local food businesses as well as guest lectures from successful food entrepreneurs. The program is comprised of nine courses, which are divided into 79 four-hour lessons (106 three-hour lessons in evening classes). This instruction provides students with the pragmatic training in restaurant management, operations and entrepreneurship necessary to achieve and sustain long-term success in the culinary industry.

The Restaurant and Culinary Management program is constructed as follows:

Course 1

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AND MENU DESIGN

45 hours

This course is designed to acquaint students with the realities of how to open a food business — from creativity to profitability. By surveying the industry, culinary management students explore all types of operations, analyze concepts, as well as research feasibility and location selection. Students gain the knowledge required to develop and refine their ideas. This course gives a comprehensive view of key aspects of the menu, including planning, pricing, layout and design. Students prepare sample menus as a project, which will become part of their final business plans.

Course 2

MARKETING

30 hours

Culinary businesses are marketing businesses from the moment an idea is developed through opening and operation. This course provides a comprehensive examination of how a marketing plan is developed, including market research, positioning, product mix and life cycle. It includes development of potential strategies for social media, advertising, merchandising, public relations and promotion.

Course 3

FOOD SAFETY

16 hours

Proper food handling and safety procedures are important elements of a successful culinary business. In this course, culinary management students earn the nationally recognized ServSafe certification while learning the essential principles of food safety.

Course 4

PURCHASING AND COST CONTROL

45 hours

Strategies for purchasing and control of the business are vital for the success of any culinary operation. This course examines the commercial knowledge required to control food, labor and beverage. Detailed lessons of food and labor costs, recipes and revenue control are taught. Purchasing product guidelines, inventory and theft, employee performance standards, productivity and scheduling, use of point-of-sale systems and computers are also reviewed.

Course 5

SUPERVISION, STAFF MANAGEMENT AND LAW

45 hours

People are the most important resource in any culinary business. In this course students focus on the major functions of management, including leadership, motivation, communication, hiring practices, recruitment, training, discipline and staff organization. In addition this course focuses on the legal rights and responsibilities of owners and operators. Topics include labor relations, employment law, real estate and contracts. Also various business structures are surveyed.

Course 6

SERVICE MANAGEMENT

30 hours

Managing the front of the house requires particular knowledge and skill. Culinary management students are introduced to the tools and techniques of service and service management in restaurants and other food service operations. The importance of hospitality is emphasized. This course also covers how to build customer satisfaction.

Course 7

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

45 hours

A working understanding of the numbers is critically important to culinary success. The curriculum for this course focuses on the use of financial statements as a tool for control and decision making. Topics include balance sheets, statements of net income, break-even analysis, cash flow and financing. Budgets, industry standards and variation analyses are emphasized. Actual case studies are used to provide real experience.

Course 8

BEVERAGE AND WINE

30 hours

Beverage sales is a challenging business. This course explores all areas of beverage service, including wine, spirits, beer, mixology, nonalcoholic drinks and bar design. Wine tasting and appreciation is included. Culinary management students will study proper alcohol service and receive safe beverage service certification.

Course 9

FACILITIES AND DESIGN

30 hours

This course examines how to bring a concept from idea and design through construction and final inspection. Whether planning to renovate or build a restaurant from scratch, culinary management students gain insight into capital costs and budgeting, as well as how to work with architects, designers and contractors. Topics include equipment and systems basics, space analysis, product and people flows, kitchen and interior design.