Student-run caf plans construction

In a far corner of campus in the Mateer Building, students bustle around for their first-ever restaurant management position at Caf Laura.

Caf Laura, open for lunch and dinner, is an educational opportunity for students to manage every aspect of running a restaurant in preparation for jobs outside of the classroom, restaurant manager Scott King said.

The student-run restaurant is planning for reconstruction that will begin May 1, the first time since 1998, King said.

The restaurant is almost entirely run by students, and it is used as a tool to prepare students for management positions after they graduate, King said. In order to better prepare students, the restaurant has to keep up with industry trends, such as environmental awareness.

The renovations will allow students to practice these industry trends, and they will even try to stay ahead of trends in the restaurant industry with new technologies, lead instructor George Ruth said.

Some of the new technologies include registers that will help the dining experience run more smoothly, he said.

With the renovations, teaching assistant Carly Szyszko said she thinks the restaurant can be more functional.

During lunch time, thats just a mess in there, Szyszko said.

But during the operating hours, students learn valuable lessons about managing a restaurant, King said.

Since the restaurant works with campus food services, students have the pressure of making sure everything finances, customer service, food quality works well.

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Student-run caf plans construction