Students planning to enter the hospitality industry can get a better taste of the real world in the newly renovated and renamed Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom.

The tearoom in MacKay Hall reopened Jan. 31 after a $300,000 renovation.

The improvements were funded by a gift from the Roger Underwood family in honor of Roger’s mother, Joan Bice Underwood, an ISU alumna, said Mary Gregoire, professor and chairwoman of apparel education studies and hospitality management.

The money was used to buy new kitchen equipment and renovate the dining room, Gregoire said.

A new charbroiler, tilt skillet, steamer, deck oven, hot water dispenser, fryer and dish machine fill the newly-painted kitchen.

Tearoom guests also can take advantage of the renovations, as the dining room has new wood baseboards, drapes, lights, tables and chairs, Gregoire said.

Since students use the restaurant as a laboratory during both fall and spring semesters, the renovation had to be completed over winter break, she said.

“The tearoom definitely has a new look, which is exciting for us because it allows students to work with state-of-the-art equipment and a modern dining room,” Gregoire said.

Students take part in all the processes involved with running the tearoom, she said, and the menu changes every day to give students real-life experience.

“The students are involved in the purchasing, planning, preparing and serving of the food,” she said. “It teaches them about managing a food service operation.”

The features on the new equipment will be convenient and time-saving, said Janice Dana, program coordinator for hotel, restaurant and institution management.

The new combination steamer and oven will keep food from drying out, and the electric tilting frying pan will brown items better, Dana said.

And the new hot water dispenser is a “wonderful time saver,” she said.

“We just draw the water off and not have to heat it on the range,” Dana said.

Familiarizing students with new technology in food service will make them more competitive in the job market, she said.

“Hopefully, as students learn how to operate these pieces of equipment and go out into the industry, they are going to be familiar with how to use these things,” Dana said.

The new equipment provides a glimpse into the future, said Kevin Roberts, graduate student in hotel, restaurant and institution management.

“I think the new equipment will be a lot better to learn on than the old equipment because the industry these students will be going out into will be using these types of appliances,” he said.

Students who participate in the tearoom lab will be more marketable upon graduation, Roberts said.

“The students will have a more competitive edge because they’ve had more chances to deal with new equipment and have a better sense of how to operate it,” he said.

Shannon Schwab, senior in hotel, restaurant and institution management, said the newly opened tearoom attracts about 75 people each day.

“The amount of people varies,” she said, “but we usually get a good sized crowd consisting of mostly faculty.”

Students working in the tearoom rotate through various positions each day, Schwab said.

“My job changes from day to day,” she said. “I’m given a chance in class to try positions in the kitchen and dining room, which gives me more experience.”

The new renovation allows for more room to move around and a nicer atmosphere, Schwab said. “It looks very classy, a lot more modern.”

The tearoom is located in MacKay Hall and is open Tuesday through Friday. Menus and reservations are available at www.fcs.iastate.edu/tearoom.