DAVENPORT, Iowa — It's a new era for the downtown Davenport building that's housed Zeke's Island Cafe for the last decade.
While Zeke's will maintain both of its Bettendorf locations, the Davenport spot on West 2nd Street is now 'The Lemonade Stand.'
The new restaurant will serve up a Cajun-inspired 'bayou barbecue' menu filled with po' boy sandwiches, barbecue sandwiches, jambalaya gumbo and more.
But there's a twist here. The Lemonade Stand will be operated by local culinary students. They will learn to intern in a restaurant setting, gaining real-world experience in both the kitchen and front-of-house business management settings.
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," said Moreles.
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.
The Lemonade Stand is hoping to host a grand opening event the weekend of March 15. Until then, a soft launch with temporary shifts are planned for Tuesday, March 5.
Moreles joined The Current on News 8 to discuss the restaurant and the interns that will be keeping it running. You can catch her full interview in the above video.
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