Bergen County Special Services (BCSS) School District is highlighting the Bergen Bistro, a collaborative, culinary endeavor between two BCSS programs for young adults ages 18 to 21, Springboard and Career Crossroads. The Bistro is a student-run, full-service restaurant located at the district’s Paramus campus, where students have the opportunity to develop vocational skills. Students gain experience by planning and budgeting meals, creating menus, shopping for food, learning how to market and advertise, as well as preparing and serving delicious meals to their ever-growing customer base.
The Bergen Bistro welcomes patrons from other BCSS campuses, adult programs, and out-of-district programs in the surrounding communities, as well as guests from Bergen Tech, the Sheriff’s Department, the district’s custodial/maintenance department and central office. Class trips to the Bistro have become so popular that most visits are booked months in advance and additional openings, in addition to their usual Wednesday and Thursday hours, had to be added to accommodate the demand. Each customer is provided with a full dining experience, and students perform all front and back-of-house tasks.
When food is prepared, food allergies and dietary requirements are taken into consideration and special requests, including for various ethnic foods, can be accommodated. Breakfast items like muffins and bagels are made from scratch and customers can choose from a selection of made-to-order specialty egg sandwiches. The lunch menu features favorites such as burgers, hand-cut fries, salads, and mac and cheese, and every meal is capped off with a complimentary dessert. Orders can be placed via email for pickup, and on-campus orders can be delivered. Custom catering is available, and has been enjoyed by organizations like the BCSS Board of Education, Maywood and Rochelle Park American Legions, and the Bergen County LBGTQ Alliance.
In addition to the experience students gain while working at the Bergen Bistro, they also have the opportunity to obtain their ServSafe Food Handler Certificate, which is a nationally recognized industry certification for food safety procedures. Not only do students walk away with food service industry skills, they also learn a variety of business and financial skills as they calculate profit and loss, budget, and gain an understanding of how to reinvest into their own business. Most recently students designed and purchased embroidered “Bergen Bistro” aprons and hats and screen-printed shirts that now serve as their uniforms. Each month students are treated to an off-site breakfast or lunch as a thank you for all their hard work, and have someone serve them for a change.
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