By News Editor: Kayla McClain
Students at Howell High School have a variety of choices when it comes to lunches, and the Highlander Restaurant is usually preferable for those wanting a classic diner experience between class periods. However, there was confusion as to why the restaurant closed down for the last couple weeks, but fortunately, it is having its ‘Grand Re-opening’ the week of Feb. 3. The new chef, Eric Walker, explains exactly why the restaurant had to take a break.
“Well, actually, the restaurant never did close,” Chef Walker says. “I would say it shut down due to snow days. It’s difficult to manage the snow days because I have a set amount of fresh product I got coming in here, and then I found out the school is closed. So, it’s just one of those things.”
Chef and his staff will discover how the restaurant holds up on Thursday, Feb. 6 and Friday, Feb 7 for the second week back. Last week was the actual time that they opened, but business was slow and Chef decided to bring in reinforcements.
“I was just working with Mr. O’s class under marketing strategy, and they decided to call it a ‘Grand Re-opening’ just to spark some interest,” Chef Walker says.
In order to fulfill this interest, Chef Walker is hoping to bring in more students by creating new dishes to the menu.
“We got a couple of new menu items,” Chef Walker says. “I shifted some things around, and we’re excited. We just wanted to pack this dining room, basically.”
The added dish is a Reuben Sandwich, which consists of whole cuts of meat that is grinded by the cooks themselves for five days. It is soaked in the liquid and is cooked overnight. Chef Walker is excited to try out the delicious product.
“We’re serving it tomorrow [Friday, Feb. 6], so I can’t wait to see how it turns out,” Chef Walker says. “We need a certain amount of prep-time to get ready for a day like tomorrow.”
Instead of wasting the unused food due to snow or ice days, Chef Walker donates to some charitable organizations in order to help those who need it.
“It was nice to use it up that way, but it’s definitely a kind of tricky situation to manage something like that,” Chef Walker says.
The Highlander Restaurant is currently open every Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., unless inclement weather days interfere.
“I think you can get a great meal for a reasonable price here at a high school. There’s a decent atmosphere here opposed to just a standard cafeteria. If I was in high school, I absolutely would come in here and eat.”
