The National Restaurant Association says that the industry provides work for nearly 8 percent of those currently employed in this country, and that one out of every four retail outlets in the United States is an eating or drinking establishment. Those establishments have more than 9 million employees. The field is a fluid one, as restaurants come and go quite rapidly, but sheer numbers make layoffs less traumatic than in other careers. And for those who want to relocate or simply see the country, good positions are available in virtually all parts of the nation. Reynold's division is a part of the thriving school of merchandising and hospitality management at UNT, and her students gain practical as well as classroom experience as they work toward degrees.
Courses range from basic sanitation and nutrition to cooking and accounting.
UNT's food service students operate the College Inn, a white-tablecloth restaurant which offers lunch to the college community and the public three times a week. Using the Inn as a laboratory, the students rotate roles, serving as waitstaff, cashiers, cooks, menu planners, managers and dishwashers. The lunches, served at nominal cost and on a reservation-only basis, sell out regularly. Students usually move on to internships in area restaurants after they complete work at the Inn, and those internships often evolve into full-time positions. The Inn's manager, Paul Ellis, is a 1993 graduate of the UNT program and gave up a lucrative job in the area to return to school to work on a master's degree while directing students at the Inn.