Mrs. Tracy Player’s special education class has begun a new program called the Claw Café in which her students prepare and serve lunch to Chapin High teachers.

Completely run by the special education class, students learn career building skills in addition to their regular course work. The former Home Economics room was perfect for the project since they were already equipped with cooking equipment.  A dining area was set up in the adjacent room and foundation for The Claw Café was laid.

Once the physical details were worked out, students were given the task of getting the café open for business.

“The students plan, make grocery lists, and go with me to buy supplies. They shop and find bargains which implements reading, math, and real life activities all into this restaurant,” says Mrs. Player.

Students like Christeen Wilson, Taylor Duckworth, and Larry Bunnel put in a lot of hard work and training to make the class project run like a restaurant rather than a class. There are around a dozen students in the class to help operations run smoothly and they seem to enjoy the challenge.

Mrs. Player says, “The students take care of the preparation, the hosting, waiting and busing tables and washing dishes. Everything it takes to run a restaurant our students are doing with our guidance.”  Students are expected to behave as if they were employees in an actual restaurant.   While they do not receive paychecks for the work, they do earn grades and even more important experience.

“I have a rubric for the expectations and if they follow all of them they make a one hundred. I haven’t had anyone make below an eighty – five yet,” says Mrs. Player.

During a recent visit to check out the café, it was abuzz with activity. As teachers leisurely enjoyed a Mexican themed lunch of taco soup  with Mexican cornbread and choice of chicken or beef burrito with refried beans and rice, students were busy taking orders, preparing plates, and greeting diners as they arrived.  It looked like any busy restaurant at lunch time.

“It’s difficult but once we get used to it we just know what to do,” says Wilson.

As part of the cafe’s opening process, teachers were invited to help the students with a dry run and teachers got to sample some of the student creations for free.  After a few kinks were worked out, the Claw Café opened for business to rave reviews.

Patrons such as Mr. Bill Sommerville have been impressed.

“It was great. The food was superb as was the service.  It was so much fun to see a group of young people take pride in what they did.”

Reservations can be made and teachers are charged $4 for lunch.  The menu, which changes every two weeks, includes everything from Mexican to Italian food and deli style sandwiches.  The café even plans to offer outside dining once the weather turns warmer.

“We have bistro tables that we are going to set up on the patio as the weather gets warmer,” Mrs. Player says of the restaurant.