BLUF: Fuqua alumnus and successful restauranteur Jimmy Kim turned to the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP) to help identify the best city for his restaurant expansion. The FCCP team was comprised of five MBA students, all armed with either professional backgrounds or personal passions for food. Spoiler alert: Cucciolo’s new location is in North Hills, Raleigh!
“The FCCP team’s recommendation had a major impact on my business.”
– Jimmy Kim, Owner & Chef, Cucciolo Osteria
The Challenge
Jimmy Kim (Duke ‘04 and Fuqua ‘12) is the successful owner of Durham’s Cucciolo Osteria, a full-service restaurant in downtown Durham, serving modern Italian cuisine, cocktails, and wine. With Durham residents and visitors alike celebrating Cucciolo’s delicious fare, Jimmy decided it was time to open a second restaurant location. He turned to FCCP to help identify the best city for his restaurant expansion.
The Approach
The team conducted a comprehensive market analysis of the two cities (Raleigh and Charlotte) and developed a balanced scorecard to calculate a final score for each of the top three neighborhoods identified.
“I expected them to recommend Charlotte. Not only did they recommend Raleigh, but they also recommended a neighborhood within Raleigh — North Hills — that was not entirely on my radar, and I’m glad they did.”
– Jimmy Kim, Owner & Chef, Cucciolo Osteria
The Recommendation
The financial analysis revealed that Raleigh provided a more attractive opportunity than Charlotte. Furthermore, the team recommended the North Hills neighborhood within Raleigh as the ideal location for Cucciolo’s restaurant expansion. Jimmy pressure tested the team’s recommendation and agreed with their analysis.
Patrons can expect to dine (or takeout) at the new location in Raleigh around late July or early September 2021. Until then, Cucciolo in Durham is open and ready for business!