Five days a week, people walking through the basement of MacKay Hall might enjoy the gourmet smells of vienna bread, broccoli vinaigrette salad, moo goo gai pan or chocolate toffee cream cake.

For $3.70, anyone can enjoy the taste of these foods.

Students in Hotel Restaurant Institution Management 380 are preparing for guests to feast on a gourmet lunch in The MacKay Tearoom.

Janice Dana, the lab coordinator for the class, said that although The MacKay Tearoom has existed for more than 70 years, it is “one of the better kept secrets on campus as far as students are concerned. But the taco salad and lasagna are popular with professors.

“Advertising is word of mouth,” she said.

Dana said The Tearoom, located in Room 23, is a team activity from planning the food to cleaning up.

The Tearoom education consists of two parts — a two-credit lab and a three-credit lecture.

In the lab, students rotate in positions such as kitchen manager, head cook, dessert baker or table server, while in lecture students learn about quantity food preparation and safety standards.

Pick up a copy of the menu, written two weeks in advance, or make reservations, but Denise Schiller, a junior in dietetics, said things may not always go as planned.

“The Tearoom is for educational purposes and guests know that things may not always be perfect,” Schiller said. “But Dr. Dana is a perfectionist and that’s how it (restaurant production) is in the real world. The Tearoom is run really well and the kitchen is immaculate.”

To further perfect the dining experience, someone from the class also acts as a Tearoom guest, Dana said.

“Someone will critique the operation through the customer’s eye and write an evaluation about the service and quality of food,” she said.

Because of the intensity of the class, usually only dietetic students and hotel and restaurant management students enroll in the class, said instructor Christy Abbott.

For example, a student acting as the kitchen manager will supervise the over-all production, research past reports and write a detailed report at the end of the day, explaining such things as the product’s texture.

“It’s really time consuming. The kitchen manager is graded on how well the restaurant is handled that day,” Schiller said.

She said the class has been an eye-opening experience.

“Before talking this class, I had no clue what a big restaurant used for equipment,” Schiller said. “We learn about production details and what works the quickest—Things you never think of unless you are educated about it.”

Kenneth Vacek, a senior in hotel and restaurant management, said that although the over-load of information was overwhelming at first, he is getting the experience he needs to one day run his own restaurant.

Abbott said a goal of the class is to improve the students skills.

“Students come to the class with varying levels of experience. The class is based on performance-based evaluation and we look at each individual person and their own set of skills.”

The MacKay Tearoom can accommodate 80 to 100 people. Eager diners can make reservations Monday through Friday by calling 294-3330.