Schuler's Hosts Etiquette Day for Marshall 7th Graders

Tina Munson of the Schuler's wait staff, checks the place setting for a 7th grade student's lesson in good manners.

Nearly two hundred seventh graders in the Marshall Schools were given an opportunity to sharpen their skills with knife and fork, over lunch at Schuler's Restaurant and Pub, a fine dining icon in the Midwest, on May 12 and 13, 2004.

Students received instruction on such niceties as how to set a flawless table with any number of utensils, china, water glasses, and napkins. They learned which fork or spoon to use during the four-course meal, and even the table manners that are important when one eats out or at home.

Advice columnist Dear Abby, stated in a recent column that "People are judged in business - as they are socially - by the manners they do (or do not) display." By working with the 7th grade teaching staff and Schuler's wait staff, the young people had some classroom instruction on good manners several weeks in advance of the actual luncheon in the restaurant. Over 50 community leaders were invited to attend with one sitting at each table to act as role models for the students and help lead the conversation at each table.

Following are a few of the items that were covered by Schuler's wait staff when they went to the school to instruct and also during the luncheon itself:

WWMT-TV films Hans Schuler and Supt. Phillips on Etiquette Day at Schuler's. Peggy Day, a community leader invited to attend is seated with the students.

At school and in the restaurant, students learned about:

• Making proper introductions
• The description of the courses they will enjoy: soup, salad, entrée and dessert
• Proper table manners:
  • Waiting to eat until everyone has been served
  • Keeping elbows off of the table while eating
  • Importance of eating slowly and chewing food completely
  • Importance of not chewing with an open mouth
  • Never reaching across the table to grab more food
  • How to use a napkin properly (and not a shirt sleeve)
• Writing a proper thank-you note (these will be sent to the attending community leaders)

"Schuler's Restaurant is pleased to be able to offer this community service to its young people," says Hans Schuler, long-time proprietor of the restaurant. "We are celebrating our 95th year in business in Marshall and think it is important that we give back something special to our young people by helping them feel comfortable dining here in the future, we are teaching them skills that will prove invaluable the rest of their life."