Students get a taste of the real world as they manage Old Main Restaurant in the SIUC Student Center each Friday as part of a food production management class.

Trish Welch, professor of animal science, food and nutrition, said Old Main Restaurant becomes totally under the control of F&N 460 students each Friday.

The students are responsible for the menu, preparing and serving food and cleaning up, she said. They are also responsible for financial operations.

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Welch said the students have to do a large amount of preparation before they come in to work on Friday.

They decide on menus, themes and recipes, she said. They also create a different theme each week, so they must know how to portray the dining room.

She said the class is broken down into five or six teams. Each team manages twice each semester, and the other teams are part of the workforce. The workforce includes hosts, dishwasher operators and wait and bus staff.

Welch said the students rotate so they can get experience in all aspects of the restaurant business.

By rotating each position, I hope this program will help their organizational skills and management skills, she said. I want them to know how to work as a team.

Jason Grau, a senior in hotel, restaurant and travel administration from Naperville, said he is gaining a lot of practical managerial experience he can use in the industry.

I think a manager needs to know how to perform every position, even running the dish washing machine, he said.

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Welch said even though the students work together as a team, they can still develop their own professional character.

They notice if they have good or bad communication skills, she said. They don’t realize how realistic this program is until they are working with real customers, food and problems.

Michael Hopfner, a senior in hotel, restaurant and travel administration from Hanover Park, said everyone brainstorms to develop ideas when they work as part of a management team.

Not everyone is going to think the same way, he said. Each individual has an idea, and the whole lesson is to combine each idea into an entire one.

Welch said if the management team runs into a problem, she will not interfere.

I cannot jump in and solve every problem, she said. Instead, I have to let the students figure out what’s wrong on their own. I’m trying to facilitate their growth and development.

Some Old Main Restaurant customers said they are pleased with the quality of service provided by the students.

Eric Block, a food chemist from State University of New York in Albany and a first-time visitor to Old Main Restaurant, said the students were an enthusiastic group of people.

They seemed to be doing an excellent job by being professional and working hard, he said.

Lauri Vermeulen, a customer and an SIUC assistant professor in chemistry, said she comes to eat at Old Main Restaurant every Friday.

I’ve never been disappointed yet, she said.

Welch said F&N 460 is a class past graduates inquire about.

The alumni have always said this class really got them ready for their first job after graduation, she said. They think it’s one of the more memorable classes because of the interaction and the hard work that’s involved.

Hopfner said managing Old Main Restaurant is preparing him for the future.

By the time I get a job in the real world, I will know how a restaurant operates by gaining exposure from Old Main Restaurant, he said.