Students serve up fresh marketing ideas to established restaurant group

Downtown Plymouth has a vibrant restaurant scene and a UM-Dearborn class recently created marketing plans to let people know what’s on the menu — and then some.

College of Business students in Lecturer of Management Steve Aldrich’s Marketing Principles and Policies course conducted market research this spring and shared promotional ideas for Compari’s on the Park, Fiamma Grille and The Sardine Room. They also proposed a marketing plan for The Drift, a tavern with live music and entertainment that will open later this summer. The class partnered with Ryan Yaquinto from restaurant groups Paison, Inc. and Straight Family Hospitality.

The class, which takes place during the winter and fall semesters, offers undergraduates the opportunity to do market research for a client and then use the data-driven insights to suggest new marketing strategies. 

“There were really good minds in that group,” Yaquinto said about the students. “As a business owner, you want to understand what people want and you welcome fresh perspectives to help you explore ways that you could do things differently. But things can get so busy that you don’t always have time to do that. Steve’s class gave me their time and researched ideas in exchange for my time and perspective — this was a great experience.” 

Sharing the recommendations

Among their suggestions, students proposed a more lively social media presence for the  businesses — for example, an Instagram post where a server shares a favorite meal or a TikTok video of a bartender pouring a signature cocktail. Students also shared ways to enhance the already existing loyalty programs through membership promotions for exclusive drink or food items and they explored ways AI could help get eyes on new menu items and promotions. 

Sophomore Hannah Jaso said the class is one of the best she's ever taken. “I got to learn about how successful businesses operate from a marketing standpoint — and we heard it right from the owner, who was really cool and open to answering all of my questions,” she said. “By the end of the course, I could see how my ideas might help create value for a business in real time.” 

That real-world experience is exactly what Aldrich wants his students to get out of the course. Aldrich, who graduated from UM-Dearborn in 2005, draws on his 20-plus year career in the marketing industry. He’s worked for companies like Adobe, Gap and Visa, and uses his extensive network to help his students get experience and expand their networks. 

“We all benefit from working with seasoned professionals and I know industry experts through my experience who are happy to come in and work with my students,” Aldrich said. “These industry leaders remember the challenges that come with starting out and getting that needed experience. They want to help. They also want to hire employees who have a bit of know-how. It’s a win-win.”

Connecting the classroom to clients

Aldrich began teaching the practice-based learning course in 2025. Last fall, the class partnered with the nonprofit Plymouth Council on Aging and they worked with the historic Penn Theatre in Plymouth in Winter 2025. Aldrich is currently in talks with a successful music industry professional for a future semester. 

Yaquinto is a long-term connection of Aldrich’s — they both grew up in Dearborn, went to high school together and have kept in contact. Yaquinto’s family opened Paisano’s Pizza in Dearborn in 1970, not far from where Aldrich’s family lived. Aldrich approached Yaquinto with the partnership opportunity last year.

During the course, Yaquinto came to class to kick off the project and answer student questions. After he shared how his business works and gave students a proposed $10,000 budget, the class went to work. The nearly 40 students — divided into five groups — gave Yaquinto ideas for all of the restaurants in a final project plan. Yaquinto attended the presentation and gave on-the-spot feedback.

“I need to further review everything they gave me, but I will definitely be implementing their ideas into our marketing strategy,” Yaquinto said following the presentation. “There were a lot of great ideas. We’ll likely start with the ideas students had to enhance our loyalty program since that will be easier to implement. But there were many creative ideas we are looking at.”

To best prepare students to execute the final presentation, Aldrich brought in guest lecturers during the 15-week course to get additional industry perspectives on market research and actionable insights. Guests included Josh Shames from the brand consulting group Hall & Partners, Bruno Gralpois from the marketing software solutions consulting firm Agency Mania Solutions and Prathima Ramesh from the artificial intelligence-powered public relations management platform Muck Rack. Shames talked about identifying marketing segments and target customers, Gralpois discussed how to differentiate brands in crowded markets and Ramesh spoke with students about managing marketing communications in the digital age.

Jaso, an accounting major, appreciated Aldrich’s connections — as well as his teaching style. “Professor Aldrich has a great sense of humor and is chill, but takes this class very seriously. He wants to make sure we know our stuff. The class is completely interactive. It’s not just a lesson — it’s having a conversation around a topic to see how we can apply it.”

Understanding the role of marketing

Seniors Tre Manciel and Jon Nushi, who worked together in a group for their final project, recently met up with Yaquinto at Compari’s. They told him how much the project helped them see how marketing affects all aspects of a business. As information systems management majors, they weren’t sure why the course was required for their area of study — until they took it. 

“This class really opened my eyes to how things work. My field is the more technical side of a business’ operations, but I now see how marketing shouldn’t exist in a silo — it should be everybody’s responsibility. If the marketing is successful, we all win,” Manciel says. “It’s also important to have an understanding of each business area’s role so you can see how their work folds into what you do.”

Jaso said Yaquinto’s restaurants have enhanced her personal life for years. Compari’s on the Park is one of her favorite places to celebrate her birthday (she suggests the calamari steak). But she had no idea the impact one of her favorite places would have on her professional life. 

“It’s a dream of mine to one day have my own business — and I got insight on how to do that from one of the best and learned about marketing from a professor who’s super passionate about what he teaches,” said Jaso, who does fitness-based consulting. “I was accepted into several universities for college, but UM-Dearborn stood out because people helped me every step of the way, even before I was a student. And I know people will be there for me after I graduate. I made the right choice — and this class is another example.” 

Story by Sarah Tuxbury, photos by Matthew Stephens