If you enjoy waffles, then All Saints’ Day School’s annual Waffle Inn was the place to be two weeks ago. First graders in red bow ties served heart-shaped waffles to their classmates as the school’s introduction to its Economics Program.
"Our goal is to have the students begin to understand the concept and reason behind why things are as they are," said Donna Gearhardt, the school’s business manager and public relations representative. "At the Waffle Inn, the kids learn about what is required to run a restaurant."
According to Gearhardt, the students learn the restaurant business in its entirety. In the last few weeks, students filled out applications for different jobs at the "Inn" such as host, waiter, server, and cashier.
Then according to their first grade teacher, Cheryl Smith, every day leading up to the event, during snack time, the students would practice serving each other.
The students didn’t forget about advertising, as they made colorful posters announcing the coming of the Waffle Inn, with slogans such as "Come to the Waffle Inn, the food is good."
Then on the day of the event, the first graders set the tables with handmade, colored place mats. As their fellow students entered the café, they were greeted and waiters placed their order. Then trained servers, dressed in white shirts and red and black bow ties, delivered the heart-shaped waffles to the table.
As the customers left, they paid with fake money at the door, where the cashier effortlessly made change.
At the end of the day, the students’ parents got the pleasure of dining at the Waffle Inn, which according to the students, is suddenly the chic place to see and be seen. "We all had fun," said Mia Schoening.
Jeremy Morales, a host, said that one of his favorite parts was being able to make the placemat. "We did everything," he said. "We greeted them as they came in, and they sat in front of placemats that we drew."
Frankie Sasso, a server, said that he took pride in the job he did. "The waiters would take their orders and then the servers would take them the waffles," he said.
Smith added that this event especially benefits the student because they learn an understanding of money and how to count change. "The Waffle Inn is really their first exposure to economics and money at school," she said. "But it allows them to learn about money and how to count change in an environment that is fun for the students."
All Saints Day School is a private interdenominational school of more than 100 students in nursery through sixth grades, located on the corner of Seventh and Washington streets. All Saints Episcopal Parish is the school’s sponsor.