Harper president works off a debt, and school benefits

Two hours into his shift as a professional waiter, Harper College President Kenneth Ender took a look around the crowded dining room of Schaumburg's Chicago Prime Steakhouse and made a prediction: “If I can just make it through the eight o'clock seating, I think I'm going to be all right.”

In the end, he stuck it out until the 11 p.m. closing — serving salads, taking drink orders, delivering meals with a cordial, “Bon appetit!” and checking in regularly on his diners in an effort to drum up seed money, by way of gratuities, for a new Harper scholarship for culinary arts and hospitality students.

The results of his first waiter stint would do any professional proud: $5,685 in tips and donations.

Adding in an initial donation from Chicago Prime owner Andy-John Kalkounos, brings the scholarship fund to $8,685 — enough to help many Harper students achieve their educational goals, and less than $1,500 away from the $10,000 mark required to have the award live on indefinitely as an endowment.

“I have a feeling that the amount we raised has less to do with the quality of my service and more to do with peoples' pride in and love for Harper College,” said Ender, who joked to diners throughout the night that he hoped any complaints they had with his work as a waiter didn't negatively affect their feelings toward the college.

“I'm thrilled with how well we did at supporting such a great cause.”

The scholarship and Ender's waitstaff stint were the results of an NCAA basketball tournament bet he made earlier this month with Kalkounos, a Harper and Butler University alumnus. Ender received his bachelor's degree and doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University and, when the two men realized their alma maters would play each other in the Final Four, they solidified the wager.

A scholarship was promised either way — allowing Ender to guarantee a victory regardless for his Harper Hawks.

But Butler's win in the semifinals meant Ender literally had to work for it.

“I've always thought he's really good at what he does by day, but he was also impressively good at what he did tonight as a waiter,” Kalkounos said during Ender's shift. “He's not afraid to get his hands dirty for the sake of the college or the students, and I'm so glad I could be a part of making this happen.”

Ender shadowed several top waiters at the award-winning Chicago Prime over the course of the night, serving up steak, appetizers and a variety of sides to about 100 Harper supporters — including trustees, faculty, staff administrators and Educational Foundation board members who eagerly signed on for the rare opportunity to have the president wait on them.

“He was charming and very accommodating, and he didn't spill the entrees he placed on the table, so he definitely scored points with me in that department,” said Professor Renee Zellner, who was among the evening's diners.

She jokingly added: “He should perhaps consider keeping his day job, however.”

Kalkounos had merely required that Ender hand out dinners as they arrived from the kitchen, but Ender, who showed up a half-hour before his shift for a how-to briefing, happily took on additional dining room duties and worked the tables with a smile, chatting with guests and offering enthusiastic reviews of the menu. He left most of the order-taking and tray-carrying to the professionals.

“These servers make this job look easy, but I can tell you it isn't,” said Ender, who wore a crisp white Chicago Prime waitstaff jacket for his official shift. “I think I do a little better eating the dinner than serving it, but together, we all accomplished a wonderful thing for Harper College students, and that's certainly what matters.”

Chicago Prime servers were among the evening's donors; one of them, a Harper culinary student, has pledged to match every dollar donated by the rest of the waitstaff team.

“If I were to sit at his desk at Harper and have to be president for a day, I don't know what I'd do, but he's excellent at doing my job,” laughed Chicago Prime server Josh Olson, who noted Ender at one point carried out a tray laden with drinks for a table of diners — often a particularly precarious part of waiting tables. “The fact that he even took on this bet in the first place is impressive.”

Kalkounos, who became managing partner at the privately-owned Chicago Prime in 2000, was named a Harper Distinguished Alumni in 2010, and now sits on the Educational Foundation's Directors Circle Committee, raising money for scholarships and educational programs.

Given his roles, he said the culinary and hospitality scholarship was the perfect payoff with his bet with Ender.

The first recipient of the new Chicago Prime Steakhouse Culinary and Hospitality Scholarship will be chosen this fall. Donations still be made to the fund by calling the College's Educational Foundation at (847) 925-6490 or by visiting www.harpercollege.edu/giving.