Tri-C Jerry Sue Thornton Center — Alere Student Restaurant

At 2500 East 22nd Street, the Jerry Sue Thornton Center houses one of Tri-C’s most concrete hospitality classrooms: Alere, the student-run restaurant. It is not a self-service cafeteria. Culinary and dining-room students prepare and serve guests under faculty guidance, connecting advanced kitchen classes with front-of-house practice and menu planning.

Tri-C describes a restaurant kitchen and dining room where students work on contemporary cooking, service, buffet and restaurant operations. The menu changes and may include breakfast, lunch, entrées, lighter dishes and desserts; the college posts seasonal menus and invites guests to ask about chef’s specials. Fall 2026 hours were listed as Tuesday through Friday, breakfast from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Confirm service before traveling because class schedules and special closures affect availability.

The location is especially relevant to Culinary Arts, Restaurant/Food Service Management and related food-and-beverage studies: students practice in an operating dining room and move between kitchen stations and customer service. That makes the menu an expression of the term’s coursework, so selection and service can vary with the academic cycle. Alere posts 216-987-4080 for reservations, menu questions and takeout inquiries.

Tri-C lists the Jerry Sue Thornton Center among its Cleveland locations and publishes a dedicated directions page. Tri-C identifies visitor parking in designated areas; check the current campus map and parking instructions before arriving. This site does not replace program admission: confirm hospitality prerequisites and credit requirements in the catalog and with Tri-C’s academic team.