Inspiration and Information for your Tabletop

Since the onset of COVID-19, the state of foodservice in healthcare facilities changed dramatically. We went from the early days of the pandemic when patients were isolated to prevent the spread of the disease (and everything that entailed from a foodservice delivery perspective), to today's landscape which is more challenging due to labor issues.

We all know about the challenges in healthcare, but often overlooked are how those issues translate into healthcare foodservice. Costs are rising. Preferences are becoming more demanding. Competition is at an all-time high. And quality is consistently one of the first things to be marginalized.

The 2018 National Restaurant Association Show is upon us, and it's never been a more exciting time to discover what's going on in the industry, as well as what's new in the BauscherHepp booth.

Who says hospital food has to be bad? In reality, for operations that take the time to pay attention to the details, hospital dining experiences can be high quality if not enjoyable.

We've talked about the trends in healthcare foodservice that matter, but those trends can change from year to year, especially in an industry like healthcare with so much volatility. Important factors like budgets and patient volume will always be important, but let's take a look at some of the healthcare foodservice trends we feel will be important in 2018.

Dining with dignity is an essential part of a successful patient experience. But it doesn't exist in a vacuum. It takes thought, preparation, and a commitment to providing service that is both safe and enjoyable.

Eating is one of the most basic things we do as humans. When we no longer have the ability to eat the way we normally do, this can be traumatic and demoralizing. It's at this point where physical health can affect mental health.

What if I offered you the opportunity to consistently eliminate high healthcare food costs, overcooked or poorly seasoned food, or even low patient scores or bad healthcare foodservice reviews? Would you be interested in improving your healthcare foodservice program? Would it be a worthwhile trend?

“If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”

- John Wooden

Last week, I was in a hospital cafeteria watching a cook schlep over to the self service coffee machine with two-third pans. One contained cooked chicken breasts; one contained cooked hamburgers. You know what happened next, don’t you? 

Healthcare foodservice trails other segments of the food and beverage industry in many ways, including quality of food, quality of traytop, and presentation. But, there are also operators doing exciting concepts like farm-to-table, locally sourced, and real food on beautiful china. This serves as my proof of what can be accomplished. Imagine the surprise of the customer who was expecting typical healthcare food!