If you want to experience fine dining in the Lincoln area, now is your chance. “Course” is Southeast Community College’s newest attraction, an upscale dining establishment featuring top-notch meals.

Brandon Harpster, chair of the Culinary/Hospitality program at SCC, says he hopes it will be comparable to a four-star restaurant.

“We want to show people what we have to offer and get them comfortable with this type of restaurant,” he said.

“Course” will have its grand opening on Thursday, Feb. 1, for lunch and dinner at SCC’s Lincoln Campus, 8800 O St. Culinary/Hospitality students will work in all facets of the restaurant, including cooking, preparing, serving, and hosting. Rack of lamb and herb-crusted beef tenderloin are some of the options on the menu.

The $4.2 million revamp of the Culinary/Hospitality program includes the full-service restaurant, new classrooms and labs, bakery and storage space. Harpster says it’s been four years in the making.

“I’m most excited to have a space where students can learn in a real-life restaurant environment,” he said. “It’s unbelievable, by far what we’ve always dreamed of having.”

“Course” is available by reservation only. There are no more lunch reservations for this quarter, but Thursday dinner reservations are still open. Starting in July, the restaurant will be open Monday through Thursdays for lunch, and Thursday evenings for dinner.

“We are built to grow,” Harpster commented. “We always had great curriculum, and we always had great faculty. We just needed great space. Now we have it.”

To make a reservation, please email Kim Williams at Course.reservations@southeast.edu. Lunches begin at 11 a.m. for $15, and dinners start at 6:30 p.m. for $22.