 |
|
|
|
|
Café Laura on the University Park campus recently underwent a $650,000 renovation to convert it from a cafeteria-line style eatery to a new food concept where the meals are prepared in front of the customers. The concept, known as the Marché style, eliminates bottlenecks and gives customers easier access to a wider choice of freshly made items. At the same time, it exposes hundreds of students to a future trend in the food industry.
The café, housed in the Mateer Building, is an educational partnership between Penn State Housing and Food Services and the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreational Management (HR&RM) in the College of Health and Human Development. Faculty and students from the school work in the café.
"This is a real-life educational laboratory," said Fred DeMicco, professor-in-charge of the HR&IM program. "We're taking the lead in providing hands-on management and leadership experiences for our students, who will go on to leadership positions in the hospitality industry."
Scott King, general manager of Café Laura, said the experience prepares students for their continually changing career world. More than 225 students each day produce the meals, create the menus and manage the café, while working with faculty members. More than 400 customers eat at the café each day. Since the renovations, the café now offers food stations including: Soup & Salad; Veg Table; Pastry & Coffees; The Sauté; and Rotisserie & Oven.
The café, which has seating for 140, also uses an innovative method of paying for meals. Customers pick up a meal card when they enter and then move from station to station to create their meals. They present their cards to the attendees at each station, and the selections are added to the card as they go. After dining, customers take the card to the checkout station, where their total purchases are tallied.
"We believe we're the only university in the country using this technology and, like the Marché concept, this is a future trend. Our students are learning about the high-tech end of the business as well," said DeMicco.
The Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program is one of the top five programs of its kind in the country. Graduates are required to have 1,000 hours of work experience before they graduate. The Penn State program boasts a placement rate of 100 percent, with two or three job offers on average for each student.
The café is open for breakfast, lunch and special event dinners; lunch is held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, call the café at (814) 865-7441.
