The #2 Truth That You Cannot Ignore!

Truth #2 Mealtimes are the Core of Your Community.

Mealtimes are so much more than nourishing the body of each resident. It’s a time to form new, or replenish, the friendships they’ve made in the community and their acquaintance with your servers. Socializing is an important part of their well-being. This takes place at the table. Your residents spend 60% of their day focusing on mealtimes. It’s a time for them to leave their home (room) to go ‘out’ to eat. The news they will hear in the dining room is more important to them than what the newscaster tells them on TV.

At times, your servers will need to act the part of the social host, introducing new residents or suggesting one particular person meet another because of an interest they share. Your servers will shine in satisfaction with the results of these efforts. This is a time for the dining room to be one big, happy, family. It is also in your best interest if all residents come to the dining room rather than sit in their room because of shyness. This is a labor-saving preference for your servers and your kitchen staff.

Your chef has usually completed his timely work by the time seniors are sitting down to enjoy his efforts. This is an ideal time for your chef to come into the dining room, smiling, to say ‘Hello, I hope you are you enjoying your food.” Your residents will instantly know he cares. This is the habit of fine restaurants because it works wonders.

Meals must be served on time. The first fifteen minutes sets the pace, reinforcing the residents’ belief that everything is in order and the community is the most wonderful place to be.

Kind Dining© knows how to train your staff as a team working together so that everyday’s mealtimes go as smoothly as Grandma’s holiday dinners. The residents will be as happy as the family that sat around her table.

About Cindy Heilman

Cindy is the founder and owner of Kind Dining®, which she began in 2006. She’s traveled across the country and Canada working with and training senior living communities that want to create an exceptional dining experience for their residents and staff. In addition, she certifies select professionals in her Kind Dining® philosophy and provides tools, now in an eLearning format, that make learning stick and help people put insights into action. As a result of her work, clients often share their staff has a new sense of purpose, get along better and keep their focus and energy on what matters most. In fact, she wrote a book, Hospitality for Boomers on how to attract residents and keep good team members. In her free time, she enjoys walking Oregon trails and cheering on her favorite soccer teams, the Portland Thorns and Timbers.

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