Restaurants where hospitality students put their skills into practice in real life are a proven success. One such teaching restaurant, Sedem in Maribor is recommended by top culinary guides, and KULT316 in Ljubljana is another place to go for a fine dining experience.

Restaurant Sedem, which translates as seven or I sit down, is run by the Maribor Vocational College of Hospitality and Tourism (VSGT) under an innovative business model where students perform all jobs independently under the watchful eye of their mentors.

Chef Sebastjan Plevčak says they involve around 100 students a year, working both as waiters and in the kitchen. The training counts as part of their compulsory apprenticeship.

"Here they get their first contact with the guest, so that when they go to work elsewhere, they will already have the basic real-world work experience. Here, they actually cook for guests, shouldering responsibility," Plevčak told the Slovenian Press Agency.

This does not mean the students are trained on guests, and the restaurant meets the highest quality standards.

Restaurant that can match the best

Sedem has been rated one of the best restaurants in Maribor by the Gault&Millau guide and has also received a special mention from The Plate Michelin, finding its place in the Slovenia Michelin Guide.

"I believe we can compete with many of the best restaurants in Slovenia and abroad. This is the standard we have set for ourselves and this is the level at which the learning process takes place," says Plevčak, himself a former student of the Maribor college.

They are very pleased with the turnout and response of guests. "We have become recognised and people are coming back. Even though this is a teaching restaurant, they expect the best," he adds.

The restaurant allows the college not only to raise funds for practical training, but also to promote hospitality jobs, for which staff is in short supply on the market.

Lab of creativity and innovation

KULT316, the culinary and tourism training centre of the Ljubljana Biotechnical Educational Centre, has similar experience.

"The restaurant has proved to be a good model where both students and guests benefit. Guests can see for themselves how hospitality jobs such as cooking and serving are performed to the highest standards, ideally," says the manager, Tomaž Leben.

The restaurant is designed in such a way that the guests can see what is going on in the kitchen. "Almost on a daily basis they can learn about the latest trends and creative ideas proposed by our students - we are a lab of creativity and innovation of sorts," says Leben.

The restaurant does not have a standard menu, as students and their mentors come up with new recipes for dishes every day. "Being a school restaurant, there are virtually no barriers to menus or sourcing food like other restaurants might have."

Hard and soft skills

Operating since 2015, KULT316 features a restaurant, a cafe and a microbrewery. Leben is pleased that over the years, they have established themselves as a first-class hospitality venue, one that builds long-term relationships with guests.

The students gain invaluable experience, not only in terms of practical skills; they also learn to cope with the challenges of a real-life work environment, get real feedback, and get in touch with the latest trends in the industry.

"In addition to technical skills and knowledge, they also develop important soft skills such as teamwork, communication and flexibility, which are key to success in the hospitality industry," says Leben.

Headed by chef Gregor Potočnik, the KULT316 restaurant employs two other chefs and a waiting staff manager, who serve as mentors to the students on placement. Groups of five students rotate in the restaurant every 14 days.