No better classroom complement than the world of business

Business major learns on the job as manager of Cranker’s Coney Island

When you step inside Cranker’s Coney Island, you immediately feel you’ve come to the right place. The staff members are warm, the atmosphere is bright and cheerful, and the menu offers eclectic, healthy choices, from fruit smoothies and herbal teas to salads, burgers, Greek favorites, soups, and, the Cranker’s specialty, flaming kasseri cheese.

As manager, Central Michigan University business major James Crank has created and maintained this atmosphere since Cranker’s first opened last October. To do it, the senior has worked 70-hour weeks and managed to stay on top of his studies.

“It’s challenging, but I’ve found that being in business and taking business classes at the same time has helped me because I can relate what I learn right to Cranker’s. I’ve found that with this real-world experience, I know the material before I learn it. That becomes pretty obvious in classroom discussions, especially when it comes to accounting and finance,” Crank said.

In turn, Crank has found that his marketing and advertising classes have helped him work out the intricate details of promoting the restaurant.

Getting in on the ground floor with the family business

Crank has been in the food service industry since the age of 12, delivering food, cooking, managing parties, and, when he was old enough, bartending for his uncle’s catering business.

“James is very focused. He knows how to deal with people and how to make people feel good,” said Crank’s father, Jim.

After playing Junior ‘A’ hockey across the country, the University of Massachusetts-Boston recruited Crank, and he studied business there until his father, who originated Cranker’s in Big Rapids, asked him to open a second location in Mount Pleasant.

“It was a life-changing question because it meant missing my last year of hockey, but once I committed to my Dad, I knew I was doing the right thing,” Crank said.

As manager Crank handles the money, manages staff, does inventory, and, most importantly for him, makes sure the customers are happy. He wants to get his CMU business degree and go into business with his father and his brother, who is head cook at the Big Rapids Cranker’s. He hopes to help turn Cranker’s Coney Island into a franchise and a nationwide top-500 franchise restaurant chain.

“I’ve learned from my mistakes, but I’ve also been able to catch on pretty quickly,” Crank said. “My greatest satisfaction comes when I see smiles on people’s faces as they enjoy good food in a sanitary environment that I’ve provided.”

Flaming kasseri cheese is a delicious Greek specialty at Cranker’s Coney Island in Mount Pleasant.

As manager of Cranker’s Coney Island, business major James Crank feels the synergy of his classroom. On-the-job lessons have made him a better student and businessman.