College of DuPage's Waterleaf reopens as student-run restaurant

College of DuPage student Daniel Baeza drizzled dressing on a wedge salad as he worked hard in the kitchen at the college's Waterleaf restaurant to keep up with the lunch rush.

"I like the adrenaline rush," the 19-year-old Addison student said. "I want to eventually open my own restaurant."

These days, Waterleaf is a totally student-run operation. The COD Board of Trustees voted in 2015 to close Waterleaf and reopen it as a facility solely for students' educational benefit after losses for the past three years had approached $1 million per year.

Officials expect a brighter financial future for the program this year compared to last year. Revenues are expected to grow to $123,667.40 this year, up from $116,873.17 in 2015.

Waterleaf and the adjacent Wheat Cafe began featuring 100-percent student-prepared lunches and dinners in February. Board Vice Chairwoman Deanne Mazzochi said the new program gives students a better educational experience than the previous program.

"I'm very glad that a result of the board working with the administration, that the facility has now been turned over and devoted to exclusively student-run opportunities and student-teaching opportunities, student-learning opportunities," Mazzochi said.

She said she had the opportunity recently to watch the students in action at a student-prepared dinner.

"The student who I spoke with had been offered an internship and training opportunities at a top restaurant in France," Mazzochi said. "So that was really great to see that working at the Waterleaf was in turn helping with their long-term career prospects."

James Mulyk, COD assistant professor for restaurant management, said the new program gives the students more real-life opportunities.

"The Wheat Cafe is a 60-person restaurant while Waterleaf serves about 120 people, which is better for learning," Mulyk said. "Each server gets two or three tables. That gives them more training."

COD student Madison Gwilliam, 20, of Lisle, was waiting on Waterleaf customers during lunch.

"It's 100 percent a real-life experience," she said. "It's a bigger setting, and it's a lot more room for us."

Meanwhile, Eduardo Rodriguez, 22, of Wheaton, was greeting customers as they walked into the restaurant in his role as student manager. But his duties began even before the restaurant opened for the day.

"I had to do the floor plan for the day and figure out which server would be serving what table," he said.

That included figuring out what to do after one of his servers did not show up for duty.

COD Career Services Manager Steve Gustis was one of several college employees being served lunch that day. To him, the service and food being offered through the college program is on par with any other restaurant.

"It was what you would expect going into a restaurant in the community," Gustis said.

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Know more

For information on Waterleaf, including menus and dinner seating schedules, visit shawurl.com/2fz8.