E.T. Booth Students Learn Through Restaurant Wars Competition

WOODSTOCK-TOWNE LAKE, GA - From Cherokee County School District: E.T. Booth Middle School students learn more about culinary science and careers in the kitchen through a “Restaurant Wars”-style competition!

Inspired by the TV show, Family and Consumer Science teacher Leslie Elliott’s lesson splits the eighth-graders into two teams, with students each taking on a role within their “restaurant,” such as host, server, cook, or dishwasher.

Through the competition, students learn food service job skills such as cleaning and preparing silverware/cookware, good customer service, and kitchen sanitation. Students also master how to make salsa from scratch, as well as to prepare cheese quesadillas for a crowd with limited time.

While one team runs the restaurant, the other students act as customers. Student are assigned startup funds and are expected to stay within their budget.

“It’s not easy having a successful restaurant,” eighth-grader Amela Ganues said of the experience. “You have to work as a team to get tasks done.”

Eighth-grader Hali Jang was surprised by the lesson: “I thought being a server would be an easy thing to do, but it’s not. You can’t be shy.”

Classmate Mikayla Kaufmann also learned something new: “As a customer I learned how much to tip or how to tip correctly.”

Ms. Elliott said the lesson is the highlight of the quarter for students, as they gain skills and self-confidence while having fun.

“They love it!” she said. “My hope is that students will be better prepared for the workplace after this experience.”

Image via Cherokee County School District