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Dining Services transforms RFoC into restaurant for special event
April 3, 2006 —
Dining Services switched things up Thursday night when the RFoC went restaurant style, seating and serving students in the typical restaurant fashion and offering dishes from two different concept menus.
Beginning at 4:30 and lasting until 8:30, the RFoC was divided into separate restaurants, with the south side of the dining area reserved for the upscale dining of Chez Kelly and the north end dedicated to the more relaxed menu of Kristen's Diner.
The names of the two restaurants coincided with two Dining Services employees who played a big part in the evening, with Sous Chef Kelly Van Connett and RFoC Manager Kristin Shufelt lending their namesakes to the two concepts.
Chez Kelly featured appetizers like French onion soup and salad, entrees such as steak, grilled salmon, and tequila chicken, and desserts like cheesecake and a bundt cake filled with chocolate mousse.
Kristen's Diner, on the other hand, featured a menu college students may be more familiar with, serving such items as cheese sticks, onion rings, hamburgers, and Coney dogs. For dessert, Kristen's Diner featured such items as hot apple pie, hot fudge brownies, and strawberry malts.
Also playing a role in the restaurant-style theme was Executive Chef Nick Kole, who said the event was designed as a way to thank students and the rest of the campus community for their patience this year while the RFoC was opening and working out its early kinks. The restaurant idea was chosen as a way to give back to the many that have frequented the RFoC this year.
And many more frequented the RFoC during the restaurant's four-hour window than usual. Dining Services Marketing Manager Heidi Shattuck estimates that about 700 customers visited Chez Kelly or Kristen's Diner, about 100 more than usually come through the RFoC at that time.
Kole said the majority of the students were pleased with Dining Services' gesture, giving compliments about the food and the atmosphere. Some students even left tips for their server.
As for the restaurant wait staff, Kole said he was very proud of the 21 students who made up the serving staff and was quite pleased with the efforts they were able to put forth.
Of the 21 students who served customers, only one had any previous experience as a restaurant server, further adding to Kole's satisfaction on how the evening turned out.
Several students even voiced their opinions that they had wished Dining Services would have held the two different concepts on two different days so that they could enjoy both menus.
Shattuck said she wants those who missed out to know that they should not worry, since Dining Services will most likely host another evening next year similar to Thursday's.
In the meantime, Shattuck says those students who enjoy stepping outside of the dining norm should look forward to Thursday, April 13, when Dining Services will host a carnival-themed evening to round out its once-a-month theme schedule.