<p><span class="p-body">Small- and medium-sized businesses worldwide lean into inexpensive, innovative, easy-to-implement solutions to help drive growth and the customer experience. For her Capstone Project, NYU SPS <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/division-of-programs-in-business/integrated-marketing-and-communications.html">MS in Integrated Marketing</a> graduate Catherine Shi found a genuine business need for a menu translation solution for restaurants in Thailand.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">According to her research and experience in the region, the language barrier between Chinese–speaking tourists and Thai-speaking restaurant staff in cities like Chiang Mai and Phuket often leads to menu misunderstandings, order errors, and bad reviews. Shi discovered this issue is compounded by the reluctance of Chinese-speaking foodies to seek assistance due to embarrassment and their subsequent complaints and negative reviews when they receive incorrect orders.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">With more than two million Chinese foodie tourists visiting Chiang Mai and Phuket annually and over 500 hundred restaurants in these cities, Shi saw a significant market opportunity for a translation solution. For her NYU SPS Capstone Project, she created and developed MenuEase to help ease and improve this situation for small- and medium-sized restaurants in Thailand.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">While current solutions like Google Translate are free and widely available, they are inadequate and often inaccurate regarding food. Training Thai staff to speak Chinese or translating frequently changing menus is time-consuming and costly for small- and medium-sized restaurants. MenuEase addresses this gap by offering restaurants a QR-driven platform that provides Chinese foodie tourists with expertly translated menus, reducing order errors and enhancing their dining experience.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Kuo added that during her project, Shi was able to uncover a true insight into her target audience because she was so open to the feedback process and undeterred by the rigorous interrogation of her idea in the classroom and one-on-one meetings. “Her project demonstrates how the best solutions sometimes are the result of combining existent solutions in a creative way,” said Kuo.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">In addition to helping Thai restaurants drive growth in bookings and positive reviews, MenuEase has the potential to be a standalone profitable business that addresses market barriers and unmet business needs in a sustainable and unique way.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">To successfully launch and develop MenuEase, Shi is seeking investments. Her growth strategy involves a phased launch, starting in Chiang Mai and Phuket and gradually expanding to other Thai cities and international markets to help ensure sustained expansion and success.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body"><a href="/content/sps-nyu/experience/how-youll-learn/consulting-practicums.html">NYU School of Professional Studies’ Capstone Program</a> provides graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to apply their classroom learning in complex, real-world environments. The final product exemplifies the volume and depth of theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom. Held each spring, the annual Capstone Fair features projects that embody the School's innovative spirit. We invite students graduating in the spring and fall and summer graduates to participate. Students apply via form, and faculty can nominate individuals or teams.</span></p>