UM Student Survey - Cooking Equipment

[mgoblue]

I am a student at the University of Michigan Business School, and I am researching a new business idea for people who enjoy cooking.

Can you complete the survey at the link below? There are 13 questions that will take about 3 minutes to answer.

Thanks for your help!

Go Blue!
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB22464SEB5K5

[Molli526]

Interesting idea, renting cooking equipment.

I wouldn't rent b/c I guess if I couldn't substitute what I had, I would rather not make the dish or would wait until I could buy it myself. I don't trust that the equipment would be in good shape - think rental cars, people really abuse them.

I do have a lot of cookware/bakeware too, so chances are I wouldn't run into that problem.

[Jazzmatazz49]

I don't like the idea of dealing with used equipment in my kitchen. This is probably irrational, but I'm kind of funny about what touched my food.

[Molli526]

Originally posted by Jazzmatazz49
I don't like the idea of dealing with used equipment in my kitchen. This is probably irrational, but I'm kind of funny about what touched my food.

I thought that too. The irrational part of it is I wouldn't have a problem borrowing from a friend if I needed something, but then, I do know them.

[badunnin]

And yet, we'll sleep in beds that complete strangers have slept in.

[jphilg]

I like the idea of being about to rent highly specialized equipment (again, with the caveat that it meets my standards) for "project cooking." I am not going to make sausage more than once or twice a year; I'd love to be able to rent a heavy duty meat grinder, for example, for something like that. Instead I tend to buy multitaskers that do the job fine, like the less-heavy duty KitchenAid meat grinder, but not optimally. (Just an example....I am perfectly happy with my KA grinder). I can also see renting extra equipment for big parties, like extra sheet pans and stock pots. I already rent glassware, china and linens some of the time, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Cleanliness wouldn't be an issue for me; I would assume that these products go through a commercial cleaning process before being sent out, and I *know* that it would be a better job than my neighbors do on the stuff I borrow from them.

-Jen, who has been known to scour pans borrowed from one particular neighbor before even letting them touch her clean counters.

[cdc]

I work at a kitchen store and we can take home products to try and i love it. I was able to borrow the Waring Pro Waffle Maker while my sister was out for a visit and make them a special breakfast without buying the $80 waffle maker that I wouldn't use often at all. I can definitely see this being a great way to get high end stuff for special occasions. Not something everyone would want but definitely something I would use.

[gertdog]

It would all depend on the type of equipment we're talking about- I wish the survey had given examples.

I can see renting an appliance, like Jen described, something that was either too large or too expensive to own myself. One of those top-of-the-line gelato/ice cream makers that costs a thousand dollars, or a professional-size stand mixer for some large-batch project. But I still can't see using a service like this more than once a year or so.

[sneezles]

Originally posted by badunnin
And yet, we'll sleep in beds that complete strangers have slept in.

But I always have my own pillow and pillow case!

It would concern me only for electronic equipment...way too expensive to replace. I can always find some pan/dish to sub.

[Peggy]

I agree that it would depend on what it was. It's funny that I wouldn't think twice about borrowing something from a friend or relative, but I have misgivings about renting cooking equipment. It probably is a cleanliness issue and not knowing "where" it had been and "who" had used it. Interesting idea.

Peggy

[mgoblue]

I want to thank everyone so far for sharing your candid feedback and for filling out the survey.

All the information I get from potential customers (as well as non-customers) allows me to better develop the concept into something that is commercially feasible.

ps The survey is still active for those who haven't responded yet.

[jmarie]

I am curious about something. This person had never posted before, they came in for their first post and asked you to fill out a questionaire.

Apparently SPAM didn't cross anyone's mind...What was the difference between this and SPAM? The format?

You all were very courteous and I am very curious.
Joyce

[jphilg]

Joyce, honestly I thought that I was responding to a different poster; I think we have an mgoblue82 who posts a lot.

But for the most part, if someone claims to be a student, I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt (assuming that they aren't asking me to buy anything). We've had lots of other grad students (regulars and non) post polls for b-school here, so it seems like a pretty standard assignment.

[RebeccaT]

I have been a student, and I know how hard it can be to do this kind of research. I wasn't asked to spend any money, I was asked to give my opinion, and it took all of 1 minute. And I LOVE to give my opinion!

So I don't think I would rent cooking equipment, but, for me, it's not a cleanliness issue. I eat in restaurants, I sleep in hotel rooms, I guess I just trust that the standards are high for that kind of thing.

However, as a cooking "hobbyist," I own a lot of cookware. I built my collection up quickly, since I would tend to buy what I needed for a certain recipe feeling fairly confident that I would use it again. IMO, if I need to rent (especially to rent often, like once a month), I might as well buy what I need. But then, I was approaching the survey thinking of everyday cook and bakeware, not specialized tools like gelato makers and such. I could see renting something like that for a party, but I was thinking or more day-to-day things. The survey would have been better, I think, if it had specified that kind of thing, as answers will be determined by what people had in their minds while they answered the questions.

[Robyncz]

<Begin hijack!>
Joyce,
I can't answer for anyone else, but here's what I think. The poster was up front about who she was and why she posted here. She isn't trying to sell anything (yet) or persuade us that we are right or wrong about a highly personal issue. Nor was she trying to rile people up. In addition, the post is relevant to these boards. If she showed up out of nowhere with a survey about religion, politics, sex, or something completely irrelevant, I think people would have reacted differently.

Still, Joyce raises a valid point. I'll have to think about it some more.

Robyn

<end hijack!>

[tperes]

I just want to add, I took the survey (which didn't ask for any identifying information), and it was done through a survey website that was also used by my university's student newspaper for a recent survey. Don't know if that matters to anyone....

[Molli526]

I clicked the link, saw it was an actual survey and the person posted they *are* a student. I did research in college that depended on volunteers, so I always try to help out students as I know what it is like to get unpaid volunteers.