West Newton restaurant gives high school students a chance to learn skills
WEST NEWTON, Pa. (KDKA) — A small town restaurant is giving high school students a big opportunity to better their future.
Good eats are guaranteed at The Outpost Eatery in West Newton, and so are good opportunities.
"We're not just selling food," general manager Jalena Morse said. "We're building our kids up."
Those kids, most of who are high school students, run the kitchen, cash register and everything in between.
"When I go into the workforce, I have had so many roles," said Azzia Berestecki, a former intern. "At the youth center, I will be able to apply my experiences here to any job that I get."
The tiny tin restaurant off the Youghiogheny River is an extension of Waypoint, a youth center in town that helps kids find their passion and purpose.
"They learn what it's like to run a business, to operate, to work on costs, all of that," Morse said. "They learn how to do it all."
The hands-on experience was designed as a way to help the students develop fundamental life skills, setting them up for success long after high school, Waypoint's CEO said.
"We thought running a restaurant will teach you a lot of life skills you can take with you, and man have they impressed us," Chris Morse, Waypoint CEO and The Outpost Eatery founder said.
"Working at the youth center has changed my life for the better," Berestecki said.
The Outpost Eatery is open Thursday through Sunday.