Seventh International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

University programs in hospitality, tourism and leisure often provide experiential training for future leaders of these industries. “Dining out” is a leisure activity. Tourism and leisure students participate in “real world” restaurant laboratory experiences by providing instructor-supervised dining services to patrons. Covid-19 impacted all sectors of hospitality, leisure and tourism markets. Educators wanted to determine on-campus university restaurants’ effects, over time, in a geographic area that is currently experiencing Covid-19 variant spikes. For three University restaurants over a three-year period from Fall 2019 (Pre-Covid 19) to Fall 2021, the educators reviewed several artifacts. They studied historic, photo-documentation; university documents; restaurant lab course syllabi. They examined restaurant patron counts and food receipt records. They reviewed restaurants’ signage and physical settings; reflected on their own informal observations; considered: restaurant student workers’ and patrons’ patterns of mask-wearing and social distancing; university policies; restaurant furniture arrangements and signage. Findings revealed: no mask-wearing or social-distancing in Pre-Covid Year 1; evidence of mask-wearing and social distancing in Year 2; less evidence of mask-wearing and minimal social-distancing behavior in Year 3. No Covid-19 restriction signage was in evidence Years 1 and 3 but was conspicuous in Year 2. University restaurant policies, procedures and University messaging specifically related to Covid-19 were non-existent in 2019 and varied over 2020-2021. Serving configurations, seating placement and capacity within restaurants varied over three-year period. Relatively sustained total patronage counts and food sales have resulted across the study period despite some variability. All three restaurants remained open and viable during the study period.