School District U-46 employees working at the old Elgin High School need not worry if they didn’t have time for breakfast, forgot to pack a lunch or would rather stay in than go out for a meal.

Thanks to the SWEP (Secondary Work Education Program) Diner, a Central School program operating out of the Educational Services Center in Elgin, 28 students working with three teachers and four paraeducators prepare and serve an affordable menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, soups, salads, hot foods, beverages, snacks and sweets.

SWEP is one of three Central School programs. With its diner, it provides a transition for special needs students ages 18 to 22 who have completed four years of high school by blending work, classroom activities and community instruction, Central School principal Al Jasinski said.

“It’s a well-oiled machine, and it brings great joy,” Jasinski said.

Teachers Mary Gutierrez and Meghan Bulgarelli oversee the diner’s operation, training student workers, putting together a budget, purchasing food from Gordon Food Service, ordering supplies and making schedules. Dana Hoglund teaches SWEP program classes.

U-46 employees working in the building can order by phone or in person. Food can be delivered to offices or picked up at the diner. It can be paid for by cash, credit card and by setting up an account. About 350 staff members have accounts and 375 employees typically order meals during the course of a school year, officials said.

Each quarter, students rotate jobs in the diner, Gutierrez said. In addition to working in the kitchen, using the cash register and taking phone orders, students operate a beverage and pastry cart that makes its way through the building each morning.

They also deliver meals to offices and can cater for meetings held in the building.

“I love seeing the growth and independence the students develop,” Gutierrez said.

Student Stephen Stahler, 21, of Bartlett, said he’s been enjoying his time as a short order cook behind the grill.

“I like flipping burgers and chicken, and I like working with other people,” Stahler said.