Prominent restaurants and CBS join forces to develop new ways of learning

If the restaurant industry is to survive both a pandemic and a shortage of staff, then it is crucial that data and knowledge do not remain solely in the hands of individual businesses. That’s why several restaurants have teamed up with CBS researchers in the Bowline project. Together they will develop new ways to share knowledge.

Some restaurants in Denmark are hard-pressed due to the pandemic, while a large swatch of the industry faces an enormous challenge in hiring a sufficient number of chefs and waiters to keep their doors open. As a result, a handful of well-known restaurants began a discussion in the spring of 2020 with researchers from CBS and others to determine whether the lockdown could be transformed into a respite, providing a break and time to reflect.

This resulted in the Bowline project, which brings together, based on a management perspective, a group of restaurant owners and researchers to find a solution for the challenges the restaurant industry faces. The motto for this collaboration between researchers and restaurant owners is: Grab your apron and join us!, explains CBS Associate Professor Rasmus Johnsen.

“Bowline puts us smack dab in the middle of the restaurant world, allowing us to understand the atmosphere, what they’re proud of and what they dream of. All of this will help contribute to learning communities and solving problems,” says Johnsen, also the Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning at CBS.

Lifelong learning is essential to the university’s strategy because today’s students can expect to live to be one hundred. This means they will likely be on the labour market until they are at least 75, after having held 2–3 jobs over an estimated 60-year career. Consequently, continuing education and development across a lifetime are a necessity. This is also true for the restaurant industry, where atypical working hours often mean that ordinary continuing education is usually off-limits. This represents the underlying foundation of why the Bowline project will explore new ways of learning.

Individual restaurant owners must share their knowledge

On a Monday in the Autumn of 2021, restaurant owners met with representatives from industry interest groups and CBS researchers to discuss their biggest challenges and positive experiences during the pandemic over a three-course meal hosted by Restaurant Amass. The future of food was also discussed.

“People aren’t always aware of what they already know or are unable to adequately articulate what they know. With that in mind, the main objective of the meeting was to help solve problems and define the future outlook of the problems. This was for the sake of the industry, but also to equip CBS with knowledge on how to teach based on the particular challenges the restaurant industry faces. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves to find out how to design our programmes and put together learning activities,” explains Johnsen.

Christer Bredgaard, Owner of the restaurants Il Buco and La Banchina, believes that one important outcome alone is the opportunity to meet across the industry and with CBS to talk freely in a forum like Bowline.

“In the long run, I'm sure that the industry, other stakeholders and CBS will gather and disseminate a great deal of knowledge and data on sustainability, the working environment, technology, etc. that generally remains in the hands of individual restaurant owners,” states Bredgaard.

According to Johnsen much of the discussion at the table concerned how to create a resilient organisation, how universities can contribute and also reciprocity.

“Many researchers welcome cases, but how can the individuals those cases represent also get something out of their encounters? During the evening various parties responded that they rarely have the chance to meet in a facilitated context and that a positive aspect of initiatives like Bowline is that they provide just such an opportunity,” he adds.

Additional discussions, e.g., how restaurants can become CO2 neutral, are in the pipeline after the event at Amass. Johnsen likewise has the desire to set in motion additional projects like Bowline, stating:

“Blended learning has become hypermodern, with technology making it possible to expand teaching beyond the physical classroom. The blending, however, needs to be bigger and more ambitious. We need to blend generations, industries and educational levels to learn from each other and be right where the action takes place.”

Where do I learn more?

If you’re interested in discussing industry-specific issues with CBS researchers, similar to these restaurant owners, please get in touch with Associate Professor Rasmus Johnsen

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What does Bowline mean?

A bowline is a knot that forms a loop that does not slip yet can easily be untied, even when it holds a heavy load, making it an apt metaphor for this project.

Read more about Bowline

Panel debate at Innovating a sustainable future for food event covered by play button

Innovating for a sustainable future of food

Illustration featuring various food products in relation to obtaining a sustainable food future

The role of innovation to achieve a sustainable food future

Rethink your leadership success criteria in times of crisis

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