A student-run restaurant at the University of Guelph serves up much more than just meals.
PJ’s Restaurant is a training ground for students in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management program, offering the opportunity to learn all there is to know about running their own restaurant.
Located on campus in the atrium at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, students enter into a real world restaurant where they create a menu, budget food costs, prepare meals and ultimately serve customers.
The experiential learning class is for third and fourth-year students taking the restaurant operations course which offers a hands-on approach to the development and delivery of food and beverage services.
Led by U of G alum chef Monika Kruszka and her staff, students are eager to step into their chef whites and delve into an opportunity that can eventually lead to future careers in restaurant management or ownership.
“We definitely go through all the steps when it comes to managing the day-to-day operations. This includes menu planning, costing, deciding on marketing strategies and all the little things that would come up if you actually were managing a business in the real world,” Kruszka said.
“The goal is for students to be more comfortable with food provisions and managing this type of business.”
But, Kruszka said, the aim is also for students to hone their soft skills such as communication, delegation and leadership, abilities they might not get in the theory portion of the program.
“PJ’s is all about the practical aspects of applying the knowledge that they’ve learned from their other classes,” she said.
The first four weeks of the full-credit course are a traditional teaching and learning environment in the classroom. The last six weeks are devoted to running PJ’s.
The interdisciplinary element to the course consists of 18 students each semester. Approximately half study hospitality, and half are nutrition students from the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (HHNS).
Others are in Hospitality and Tourism Management, a four-year bachelor of commerce major that’s also available in co-op and a three-year accelerated degree option.
“Because it is such a small class size, there’s a lot of interaction with each other, with myself and the (teaching assitants). So, it is more intimate and there are a lot more opportunities for one-on-one experiences between myself, students and guests,” Kruszka said.
“Students learn a lot more about teamwork, which is probably more like what they will see in the industry, whether that be in hospitality or in other jobs where they will work in teams.”
PJ's is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning Feb. 4. The 80-seat dining room is available for reservations, walk-ins and take-out service.
Click here for menus and reservations.
Students rotate through front- and back-of-house positions each week. The kitchen and bar are full service and the menu includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. The aim is to use ingredients that are locally and organically sourced.
After each service, the class reconvenes to discuss any hiccups and needed improvements for next shift.
By the end of the course, Kruszka said students are industry experts.
“This course has been around since I was a student and even beforehand. At the time it was called HAFA (Hotel and Food Administration),” Kruszka said.
“Some of the professors that I work with graduated in the 80’s and 90’s took the course. It was a little bit different then, but the restaurant was still there. It still is an exciting and unique industry and it's just such a fun environment to be in."
It’s a real full circle moment for Kruszka.
“The fact that my path took me to teaching is really awesome. We do see a lot of student graduates take the opportunity to really try to make a difference,” Kruszka said.
“You learn the management side. You learn the theoretical side. But the program is not just set up for you to become a line cook or a front desk manager. It really is about creating leaders for the world.”
