New café offers more dining, greater experiences
By Erin Meyers

Hotel and restaurant management students are gaining hands-on experience with the opening of The Café inside Eckles Hall. The Café has been open to the public Sept. 20. 

Since this past summer, HRM students have been working on The Café with the help of faculty members Leslie Jett and Dr. Jim Groves. Students have been involved in all aspects of the planning, ranging from choosing the type of food to serve to the dining atmosphere.  Senior HRM students Andy Bingham and Seth Winberg manage The Café, while the kitchen and dining staff are all HRM students. 

According to Bingham, the majority of the funds for The Café came from student fees from a HRM class this past summer. Bingham said the students had access to the majority of the resources they needed for The Café through MU, so start-up costs were relatively low.  Bingham also said that the profits would be used to continue the business. 

While this program is not a requirement for HRM students, many volunteer their time at The Café and others receive class credit for their work. None of the students yield a profit.  

Presently, students with classes located on the east end of Rollins Road are limited to The Zoo convenience store and Buck’s Ice Cream Place for their meals. The opening of the cafe will provide students and faculty with a fast alternative for lunch, with a choice of sit-down dining or a to-go service.

According to Groves, the menu is fairly light, with a selection of soups, salads, sandwiches and deserts. The Café will also serve Tiger Stripe Ice Cream from Buck’s Ice Cream. 

According to Bingham, the restaurant will also offer a “grab-and-go” service, housing a cooler with sandwiches and salads ready to eat.  

The Café will be equipped with the services to accept student IDs, and purchases will be charged on student’s easy charge accounts.

“Students are excited to have something close where they don’t have to use cash,” Bingham said.

According to Bingham, the restaurant should be accepting credit and debit cards within one month after opening. 

Bingham has seen positive feedback from faculty and staff.

“We’ve served the faculty, and they continue to come back,” Bingham said.

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