BHM has Entered the Restaurant Biz!

This week the Hotel Management Department at Christ University opened the doors to our fully functional restaurant, run completely by students. A project that has been developing for over two years within the Department has finally become a reality!

The restaurant opened for service on Wednesday, 24^th of August 2016.

It is run by the third year and fourth (final) year students of the Hotel Management, with the support of the entire Department’s students and faculty.

We are currently serving lunch twice a week, with a European menu on Wednesdays and a regional Indian menu on Fridays. Each week we create a new menu to showcase what we learn. Operating solely on reservations so that we can prepare to provide the best service, our aim is to showcase the skills of the Department while learning what it takes to run a fully operational restaurant.

The restaurant, ready for service

Having chosen to specialize in culinary operations, I work in the kitchen on Wednesdays. In the kitchen, we always have to be 3 steps ahead. We have to plan our menu a week in advance, prepare an order sheet for raw materials the previous day based on reservations, procure them early in the morning, prepare our workstations and mise en place, and be ready for lunch service. And then the action begins! 

Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and roasted bell peppers,
a vegetarian option on our first menu

While we have our professors around to guide us, we have a responsibility towards our diners who expect a certain standard for the price they pay. This puts us in just the right zone of vulnerability to learn and improve.

For dessert, Apricot, pistachio and white chocolate mousse with berry compote
(Photo courtesy of Manasa Sridhar)

We were pleasantly surprised and thrilled when we opened with a whopping 30 plus reservations – about three times the number we expected for our first day – making us a fully booked restaurant at present capacity! It was extremely heartening to see so many fellow students and faculty from across the university wanting to experience our hospitality. We were visited by a group of 13 students who chose to celebrate a friend’s birthday at our restaurant! We also had the pleasure of serving the Registrar of Christ University, the Dean of Management Studies and his 3 guests, and Mr. Kripal Amanna, Editor in Chief of Food Lovers Magazine, all in our first week!

The opening of this restaurant is an extremely proud milestone for the Department, and I’m so thrilled to be a part of the team that is spearheading it! I can’t wait to see how it grows and evolves!

Wednesday's restaurant team

We are open for guests from within the University, and outside. And I hope we get a chance to serve you soon! Stay tuned for updates.

Photos courtesy of The BHM Calendar