5 Ways Wolffest Makes an Impact

For more than a decade, C. T. Bauer College of Business entrepreneurship students have rolled up their sleeves and learned to run a business the hands-on way, operating Wolffest, a three-day on campus food festival.

Hosted annually on campus and now a mainstay in Butler Plaza, Wolffest has become a beloved tradition for University of Houston students. Under the Texas sun, fried foods and high energy draw in crowds of UH students who are greeted by Cvyia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship students working the tents.

Every Wolff Center student plays a role in running the event, with the seniors taking on the teams’ C-suite positions and juniors learning the ropes for next year.

Beyond being a fan-favorite of students who attend, the festival is a critical component of Bauer’s entrepreneurship curriculum. Ahead of this year’s Wolffest, Executive Director David Cook explained the top five reasons why the event contributes to the No. 1 ranked undergraduate entrepreneurship program’s learning experience.

Community Engagement

From crawfish to snow cones, many beloved Houston restaurants and food vendors participate in Wolffest, selling their iconic items under the festival tents.

With a friendly sense of competition amongst each other, Wolff Center students are charged with coordinating with businesses to bring to campus. Often, students reach out to popular and trending locations in hopes of bringing more foot traffic to the event.

“It's an eclectic group of different kinds of tastes and restaurants present,” Cook said. It’s also a chance to push entrepreneurship around the campus from a central location.”

Teamwork

Behind all the food options available are seven teams of Wolff Center students. Teams consist of seniors, juniors and volunteers.

As they work together to run a restaurant environment, Cook said students learn to push through difficulties by leaning on each other.

“They are practicing the leadership skills they are taught,” he said. “They are learning if they can create a culture and inspire others.”

Operational Skills

While most graduates of the Wolff Center do not open restaurants, Wolffest is intended to teach participants how to solve problems quickly and work in a different type of business environment.

In order to get the event off the ground, students oversee all of their teams’ logistics. From finances to customer experience, Wolffest teaches students the ins and outs of the food industry.

“They have to learn about many different aspects of entrepreneurship and make it work,” Cook said. “Can they get credit cards to work? Can they manage the flow of traffic? Can they adapt as needed? Can they promote and market in a way that works?”

Recruitment

For students outside of Bauer College, Wolffest is often their first interaction with the highly coveted entrepreneurship program.

By accepting student volunteers, Wolffest teams are an opportunity for underclassmen and prospective Wolff Center students to experience a feel of what the program is like.

During the festival, Cook said WCE students get to know potential applicants while volunteers get to decide if the program is something they want to apply for.

“Wolffest is how we attract applicants to our program,” he said. “It is the single biggest factor that gets applicants to say, ‘Wow. That's a really cool experience. Look at those people. They're driven. I want to be part of that kind of activity.’”

Fundraising

Majoring in entrepreneurship through the Wolff Center is a large time commitment, and one that often requires some non-academic sacrifices. To offset any potential loss of income, each student in the program typically receives a significant scholarship.

Funding for scholarships and Wolff Center initiatives come from the support of program donors and through events like Wolffest. Last year’s festival raised more than $225,000. Through the work that seniors put into Wolffest, Cook said they are paying it forward to the next class of Wolff Center students.

“This is the lifeblood for the next class that is going to apply to the program.”

Wolff Center Executive Director David Cook

Wolffest 2026 will take place on April 7-9 in Butler Plaza.