On-Campus Restaurant Experience

On-the-Job Training in World-Class Restaurants

Time to get to work! You鈥檒l be thrown into the mix in these real-world, live-action classrooms. With the most on-campus public restaurants of any culinary college, CIA offers you big-time experience honing your skills and preparing for the food industry that you won鈥檛 get anywhere else. Feel the energy as you prepare dishes in the fast-moving kitchen and serve paying customers in the dining room. And our expert faculty will be right there to guide and mentor you.

New York Campus

A waiter serves food to a man and woman sitting at a restaurant table. Other diners can be seen in the background enjoying their meals. The restaurant is well-lit with chandeliers and has a warm, inviting atmosphere.
A group of chefs in white uniforms and tall white hats stand in a commercial kitchen. The chef in the foreground has arms crossed and looks forward confidently, while the others in the background smile and also stand with crossed arms.
A cheerful chef in a white uniform and hat hands a plate of food to someone off-camera in a busy kitchen. Baskets of bread are lined up on the counter, while other chefs are seen working in the background. The kitchen has a warm and inviting atmosphere.

You鈥檒l feel like you鈥檙e actually working in a restaurant in Italy! Present and serve classic Italian dishes in an authentic villa setting, offering guests fresh produce, cheese, and cured meats with a diverse selection of Italian wines and other beverages.

A smiling chef in a white uniform and tall hat is decorating pastries in a professional kitchen. She is holding a utensil above a tray of desserts, and a carton of cream is in the foreground. Other chefs are working in the background.
A warmly lit restaurant bustling with people, some seated at tables enjoying their meals and drinks. A waiter in a white shirt and striped apron is serving wine to a table of diners. The atmosphere is cozy, with wooden furnishings and framed photos on the walls.

Post Road Brew House

California Campus

A group of restaurant staff stand attentively in a formal dining room as a manager or instructor, dressed in a suit, addresses them. The room features wooden floors, neatly set tables, an exposed stone wall, and soft overhead lighting.
A person wearing a white shirt is arranging loaves of bread on a wooden display shelf in a well-lit bakery or caf茅. The background shows a refrigerator and hanging lights.

Texas Campus

Two chefs dressed in white uniforms and blue aprons with the word "SAVOR" are working in a kitchen. One is carefully placing ingredients on small dishes, while the other observes. Various kitchen tools and containers are on the countertop beside them.
A smiling female cashier in a white chef's coat greets a customer at a coffee shop counter. The counter has a basket of bagels and a glass container with pastries. In the background, a colorful tiled wall and an employee working at the coffee machine are visible.

Chat With a Student

Are you curious about what it鈥檚 really like to attend CIA? We鈥檝e got you covered. Our students are ready to answer the questions you haven鈥檛 asked anyone else, share their own personal experiences, and give you genuine advice鈥攂ecause they鈥檝e gone through it, too.

Also in this Section

Internship: Real Life, Experience

There鈥檚 only one way to see what it鈥檚 really like out there in the food industry鈥攁n awesome internship experience (or 鈥渆xternship,鈥 as we like to call it in this industry)! 

The Culinary Institute of America