I recently went out to dinner with my wife. Not an uncommon occurrence--we like to dine out--but our choice of restaurant was unique, something I'd never thought of as an option. But I was so excited after our meal that I thought I'd let you all in on a secret.
…Culinary schools.
My wife is a prospective culinary student. We were given some wise advice by our campus tour director: "What better way is there to check out a culinary school than by tasting their food?" And taste we did. We were treated to a four-course meal of corn chowder, BLT salad (they actually made tomatoes taste good), braised spare ribs (I had an amazing pork chop over seasonal vegetables), and decadent desserts of chocolate torte and rum baba. The best part? It was free. I'll say that again…FREE. For fine dining without the tour, this four-course explosion on your taste buds is only $18. Here's a price comparison: the three-course meal I had on my wedding night was over $100. It was delectable, of course, but I'd pay $18 in a heartbeat. $100 again? Not so much.
This got me thinking:
Why not give students some practice? After all, you can't expect bad service or product. The professional faculties are training the next wave of professionals, who are subsequently performing to impress. So expectations should be high. Ours were certainly met.
This trick should not be restricted to culinary schools either. The country is full of specialty schools, so look at this list of ideas, find schools in your area and take advantage of professional-quality for a student-friendly price.
Cosmetology Schools: haircuts can cost as much as $75 at a salon, but you can find cheap cuts for as low as $10 from students.
Want the whole beauty treatment? Don't waste up to $88 for a manicure and pedicure. Students can do them as low as $8 and $12 respectively.
Massage Schools: a deep tissue massage could set you back $110. But student fingers will rub for 45 minutes for only $25.
Culinary Schools: what's left to say? Around $18 for a meal that could easily rack up $100 or more.
I'll take students any day.
--Chris
Photo taken from this photostream and used with permission of a Creative Commons license.
I often get my haircuts at cosmetology schools but hadn't thought of culinary schools for eating out.
Thanks for the tidbit,
Dave
No problem, Dave. If you try a culinary school for dinner, let us know of your experience. I hope it will be as pleasant and cheap as mine was.
Chris
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