Case Study of the Week: Last Call For Mozzarella Sticks

Dec 8, 2025

Restaurant and Food Service

You are to assume the role of the general manager of Paisley Town, a family restaurant located in a city of 150,000 people. The owner wants you to determine how to sell excessive inventory before expiration.

Paisley Town has an American-fare menu that features hamburgers, sandwiches, chicken dishes, pasta, salads and a variety of appetizers and desserts. Paisley Town is open daily 11:00AM – 11:00PM and is busiest during the lunch hour on weekdays and all operating hours on weekends.

The least popular item on the menu are the mozzarella sticks. The item is priced at $5.99 for six mozzarella sticks. Paisley Town purchases frozen mozzarella sticks from its vendor and the kitchen staff simply drop them in the deep fryer to cook. Due to it being the least popular menu item, Paisley Town has a huge surplus of frozen mozzarella sticks that are nearing expiration.

The owner wants you to determine how to best market mozzarella sticks to Paisley Town customers to sell as many mozzarella sticks as possible before expiration.

Questions?

Randi Bibiano
Competitive Events Specialist
randi@deca.org

Randi Bibiano is DECA's competitive events specialist. In this role, she conceptualizes and authors role-play scenarios for the collegiate and high school division’s competitive events programs. She also manages DECA's online competitive events and serves as a liaison to volunteer efforts at DECA's educational conferences.

Discussion Questions

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

Classroom Connection

Career Cluster:

Hospitality and Tourism

Instructional Area(s):

Marketing

Performance Indicators:

Describe marketing functions and related activities
Explain factors that influence customer selection of food places and menu items
Discuss actions employees can take to achieve the company's desired results
Explain the use of marketing strategies in hospitality and tourism