The purpose of this research study is to identify and evaluate student expectations prior to enrollment in a quantity food production lab/simulated restaurant environment. Web-based questionnaires were distributed to students at three four-year universities in the United States, who were required to take a quantity food production lab in order to meet graduation requirements. The questionnaire covered topic areas including material supplements and topics covered, expectations of the teacher, sources of influence, and real world applicability.

Respondents had high expectations of technology and online components being used in the course. There was a higher expectation of learning back-of-house tasks such as knife skills and food portioning, compared to front-of-the house skills like customer service and staffing. When compared to previous literature, the traits respondents expected of their teachers were similar to those identified in prior studies; this included approachability, timeliness, organization, and subject area knowledge. Two-sample t-tests were performed on several responses to determine if any significant differences existed between males and females; no significance was found.