News / Announcements
February 20, 2026 | Student Experience / College of Business and Entrepreneurship
By the time guests entered Cub Paradise Restaurant on Feb. 19, Bethune-Cookman University students had already moved through the work that makes a dining room feel effortless. In the kitchen, teams prepared and plated each course. At the host stand, students managed the flow of arrivals. Across the room, servers carried trays, presented dishes and watched for the details that shape a guest's experience.
The restaurant was fully booked, but the day was more than a popular lunch service. Cub Paradise is a hands-on learning laboratory for students in B-CU's business administration program with a concentration in hospitality and management systems. Participation is required, giving students practical responsibility for the front and back of house while faculty guide the operation.
For the Spring 2026 opening, students added another layer to the assignment: a Black History Month menu that connected food, memory and the University's own legacy.
“It's class, but at the same time, it doesn't feel like class.” — Annalise Galindo, junior
Cub Paradise asks students to perform the work they will one day supervise. The exercise reaches beyond cooking: students practice guest communication, time management, team coordination, menu presentation and the steady problem-solving required when service is underway.
Junior Annalise Galindo told Spectrum News 13 that working behind the scenes changed her perspective on restaurant operations. “How it works back here is a whole different experience,” she said, adding that she preferred the back of house. Even with the pressure of live service, Galindo described the environment as manageable and supportive.
That confidence is part of the design. Dr. Ruth A. Smith, chair and associate professor of hospitality management, described Cub Paradise in an internal planning exchange as a hands-on, experiential learning lab. Instructor Shanae Smith helps students translate classroom concepts into real-time decisions, from how a plate leaves the kitchen to how a guest is welcomed at the table.
A student server presents a course to a guest during Cub Paradise's Black History Month lunch service. Photo: Courtesy of Bethune-Cookman University; confirm final photographer credit.
The opening menu invited guests to encounter Black history through dishes with names including “The Delta Harvest,” “Jubilee Feast” and “Riverbend Roux.” The courses offered students a way to think about culinary traditions as stories — shaped by place, community, migration and memory.
One dessert brought that idea home to B-CU. The menu included sweet potato pie in tribute to University founder Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Shanae Smith, a descendant of Bethune, told Spectrum News 13 that including the pie was a way to pay homage to her great-great-grandmother.
The connection made the restaurant's educational purpose visible. Students were not simply reproducing recipes; they were presenting a menu with context, learning how hospitality can carry culture while meeting the operational standards of a working dining room.
Finished courses await service from the Cub Paradise kitchen. Photo: Courtesy of Bethune-Cookman University; confirm final photographer credit.
A sold-out room raises the stakes. Students must coordinate across roles, protect the pace of service and adjust when the unexpected happens — the same habits employers expect in hotels, restaurants, resorts and event operations.
Dr. Smith said the program's goal is to prepare managers, not simply task workers. Cub Paradise supports that goal by letting students see the whole system: food production, customer service, financial and operational decisions, and the people who keep each part moving.
The Feb. 19 opening was one of three spring restaurant services, all reported sold out. Take-out service was scheduled for later dates, extending the students' work to a different service model and another set of operational demands.
For guests, the result was a carefully plated meal and a celebration of Black history. For students, every course was practice in leading through preparation, teamwork and care — the kind of learning that continues long after the dining room closes.
