In one MacKay Hall classroom, the best way instructors help their students learn is by eating their creations.

That classroom is the Tea Room, located on the ground floor of MacKay, where students plan, prepare and serve meals to customers.

The Tea Room is operated by students enrolled in the Quality Food Production and Service Management lab class offered by the hotel, restaurant and institution management department.

The purpose of the lab is to introduce students to the complexities and intricacies of producing a meal for about 90 people, according to Dr. Janice Dana, program coordinator for the department.

The Tea Room is staffed by two sections of 12 students. Dana said the students work in a different capacity each day in lab. For example, a student would be an assistant chef one day before becoming head chef the next time.

By the end of the semester, a student will have been a server, host or hostess, cashier, kitchen staff member and kitchen manager. Eventually, each student will plan a meal, procure all the ingredients for the meal, choose the place settings and make all other necessary preparations.

Dana said students also get to play the role of tea room guest, where they evaluate the service and preparation of the meals.

Dana said she is hard-pressed to put a label on the type of cuisine served, but she said meals consist of an entree, a salad or vegetable, bread, dessert and a beverage.

During this summer, the meals are served from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.

“This summer has been a little slower,” Dana said. She said about 70 to 90 patrons have visited the Tea Room each day this summer.

Dana said the class is taken mostly by hotel, restaurant and institution management students. The class also is beneficial to students who plan to be dieticians, she said.

Pam Williams, library staff member, said she stops by the Tea Room twice a week. She said she likes having a place on campus where people can sit down and be served a meal.

She said although the Tea Room is not necessarily quiet, the atmosphere is ideal for a lunch where you can visit with your colleagues.

Williams said the whole operation is done quite professionally, although the service varies depending on the experience of the servers.

In addition to providing one of the only formal dining establishments on campus, the meals at the Tea Room are relatively inexpensive. Dana said meals are $3.90, drinks included.

Dana said summer service at the Tea Room will end July 8, two days before the class is finished.