Skyviews Restaurant Reopens with Gala, Dinner Series, and Lunch Service
Texas Tech University's student-run Skyviews Restaurant hosted a sold out grand re-opening gala on Sept. 17, featuring five dinner courses. Guests who purchased a ticket for the event were treated to a dinner menu prepared by executive chef Jason Lindley and wine pairings by the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute.
“It was the first opportunity for our Restaurant, Hotel & Institutional Management (RHIM) dinner students to get hands-on experience with real customers,” associate professor of practice and general manager of Skyviews Restaurant, Gary Danhof said.” I was extremely pleased with their job performance with all the students doing a wonderful job.”
The Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management (RHIM) students received a large number of compliments on the food that was served at the gala. Following the grand opening celebration, Skyviews began its seven week fall dinner series Sept. 29 and re-opened its lunch buffet Oct. 11.
“The hope for the dinner series this semester is to get back to normal operations, giving the students real world and hands-on experiences,” Danhof said. “Creating new leaders for the service industry.”
The dinner series operates like a pop-up dining experience at Skyviews Restaurant with a different theme and menu each week. This year the dinner series will feature southwestern, southern, Italian, Caribbean, backyard barbeque, fresh citrus, and chop house inspired dining experiences.
Under the direction of Executive Chef Jason Lindley and General Manager Gary Danhof, students are split into teams with each team put in charge of different dinner series. Students create the menus, research recipes, coordinate themes, determine the cost of each meal, and generally choose all of the details that run the restaurant. The students that work at Skyviews not only receive class credit, but also the opportunity to work in a restaurant environment, performing the different functions and positions that help the business run. Proceeds from Skyviews Restaurant go back into the RHIM program and support the next generation of chefs, managers, and restaurateurs.