At the Pendulum Court Cafe, students don’t work for money, but rather a grade in a class.
The Pendulum Court Cafe, located on the first floor of the Eyring Science Center, has been serving nutritious and delicious lunches since 1962.
Students working at the restaurant are all in the dietetics program and receive lab credit for their time.
Natalya Flake is in her first semester in the dietetics program and has already loved her time at the cafe.
“It’s some of the cheapest food on campus, and it’s also the most nutritious,” Flake said.
Throughout their time in the lab, students rotate through jobs including production manager, cook, baker and salad maker.
Makenna Mayfield, an intern at the cafe, says the lab is a great way for students to learn what it is like to work in specialized dietetics fields.
“It’s a lot of cutting, a lot of prep. And there is so much that goes into, like, chicken breast, making sure it’s done correctly," Mayfield said. "We really want to make sure that everyone gets the best quality product that they can.”
The rotating menu of dishes allows for a variety of food for customers. Each dish is tested by a taste panel and nutritionally broken down to make sure that it has all of the needed macros.
“It’s super, super fast-paced. Imagine if it’s your first day at a new job, but it’s also everybody else’s first,” Flake said.
The cafe is only open for nine weeks of the semester during lunchtime.
“It’s a great way to build friendships and just have fun with people in your cohort, and you make some of the greatest friends working here,” Mayfield said.
The Pendulum Court Cafe is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. and Tuesdays from noon to 1:10 p.m. Reporting for the Universe on BYU campus, I’m Cate Carnesecca.
To see what’s on the rotating menu and for more information visit pencourt.byu.edu.