DAVENPORT, Iowa — A new student-run restaurant, The Lemonade Stand, opened for business in downtown Davenport this weekend.
The restaurant, located inside the old Zeke's Island Cafe at 131 W. 2nd St., celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, Apr. 13.
The unique restaurant is run by culinary students and is designed to offer real-world experiences to future restaurant owners and operators. It hopes to keep culinary talent in the Quad Cities.
Owner Yasmin Moreles says it's a rather unorthodox way of bringing about a new restaurant. However, she says it's all about providing the best opportunities for students.
"We were like we need to give people more opportunities, whether they're in school or they're not in school," Moreles said. "This will give students the opportunity to make real-life decisions in the moment."
Students will be running the show, from day-to-day tasks to working as shift leads. The restaurant will be open for full-service dine-in, as well as available for events. Moreles says it will help the students learn how to troubleshoot common issues.
"They'll find out what you do when the credit card machine stops working on a Friday. Or how to troubleshoot a decision if you run out of a certain product or an item, or what they need to do so then they can be prepared for their own scenarios," Moreles said.
It will also teach the students communication skills through interacting with customers and de-escalating situations.
The goal, says Moreles, is to set the students up for success if they ever wish to open up a business of their own one day.
"We've always believed in trying to kind of help people work interdependently. So they offer what they can and they ask for what they need," Moreles said.
Watch Moreles's full interview on The Current
Specializing in Cajun-inspired Bayou BBQ, the menu will rotate dishes created by students, plus a variety of lemonades.
The restaurant will also host Quad City Storm and Quad City Steamwheelers watch parties and offer free event space rentals for a limited time.
Downtown Davenport's newest kickback spot is open from Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and noon until 5 p.m. on Sundays.
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