Legends Cafe Serving Up Cuisine and Competence SSS Career Management Students to Operate Restaurant, Demonstrate Knowledge of the Industry SMITHFIELD-- Every 18 weeks or so, William Sanders opens a business. His objective is not to stay in business, but rather to teach the art of running one. So after just one day of service, he closes the business down and grades the operation-- not with your routine sanitation grade, but with an academic one. Sanders is a teacher at Smithfield-Selma High School. The business he "opens" is a restaurant that is totally student-run, and for the 16 or so weeks leading up to the grand opening, Sanders is busy teaching the rudiments of being a successful restaurateur to the 25 students who eagerly sign up for his class . This semester's class will demonstrate their knowledge on March 24, when the restaurant they've named Legends Cafe opens at 1:15 p.m. that day. Invited guests will choose from an varied menu ranging from shrimp fried rice to ribs and red beans and rice, cabbage, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. >From day one, the students have tediously planned for this upcoming event, hiring from among their classroom attendance rolls for every position from owner, managers, and wait staff to food preparation staff and any other roles that need to be played in order to have a successful venture. They even "hired" the designers and architects for the restaurant building, even though the actual restaurant will be situated in a corner of the cafeteria. Outdoor signs, a marquee, placemats, and interior design are all a part of the instruction, so those tasks must be completed and the products in place on opening day. Sanders says one of the most interesting pieces of the course is acting as a facilitator as the students hire, then interact with, each other on a daily basis. If a student is hired as an owner or manager who happens to be younger than members of the wait staff, Sanders says he cautions against holding a person's age against them. Not only is it unlawful, but the objective is to have a competent person fulfilling the tasks at hand. "I tell them they must overlook each other's differences and consider their competence," said Sanders. Sanders uses the state's handbook on food preparation as a guide. "We purchase hairnets and gloves, and learn the critical importance of washing your hands when you're in the restaurant business," said Sanders. The students are graded in six major areas during the course of the semester: professional demeanor; mutual respect; knowledge of their roles; interaction with each other or collegiality; demonstration of knowledge; and, the final "opening day" activity. When the restaurant opens for business on March 24, the students' customers will consist of invited guests, including some of the school's teachers. Once the school's last lunch bell rings at SSS, they will have 15 minutes to ready themselves for business and a possible foray into a life of entrepreneurship, said Sanders. Sanders says the students' parents are actually preparing the food, which will be placed over burners to keep it hot and fresh. "It's hands-on at its best, and the students love it," said Sanders, who also teaches his brick masonry class using the same strategy. The students select a Superintendent, shop foreman, and safety manager. The class conducts a wrap-up session at the end of every class to determine what tasks have been completed and which need to be carried over to the next day.
