My friend, who comes from a restaurant family, told me how everyone in their restaurant worked as a team. When the dinner hour became truly busy, the wait staff took a moment to clean a table to help the busboy, the sommelier and the host-both in tuxedos-carried a plate to a waiting diner to help a wait person, for the … Continue reading
Watching a well-trained professional team work through a busy mealtime is like watching a theatre production of a top rated director. It gives the viewer pure pleasure to see each person have a part to play and interact gleefully with everyone else. When your caregivers and ancillary serving staff learn the new routine enforced by the new regulations, they will … Continue reading
Every industry has its focal point, the most important center that every other part of the production surrounds. In community living that focal point is the dining room. In my first job in health care after years of experience in the restaurant industry, I learned quickly and surprisingly from a state surveyor just how important our dining room was to … Continue reading
I took note when the “Greatest Coach of All-Time” UCLA coach John Wooden said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” This brief statement overflowed into all areas of his long, successful life and it does the same for every area of your dining room. You want your serving staff to work together as an award-winning team. You want your … Continue reading
Arlene – the state surveyor – sat down to interview me, and it changed how I could make a real difference. I had spent the first two weeks on the job organizing the inter-workings and cleaning of the kitchen, reading the notes from the nurses on each resident’s dietary information. “Why is Ms. Anderson on a puree diet?” she asked. … Continue reading
A friend of mine told me that when he wanted to wait tables in a well-known, upscale restaurant, he first dined there, choosing the busiest time of the evening for his visit. He was interested in the quality and presentation of the food for the high price he was paying. Even more than that, he was interested in watching the … Continue reading
When a friend of mine was widowed all her friends gathered around her to give her comfort. They also agreed among themselves that she would be included in all their functions in the future so she would not feel left out, even though they were couples and she was not anymore. After 6 months of being stuck on the end … Continue reading
As a friend and I were reminiscing about our teen years, she mentioned the agony of walking into a school dance and not knowing what to do, where to go and hoping someone would come to her rescue. A single or widowed resident may feel that same agony when entering your campus dining room if she finds all tables are … Continue reading
A Sense of Home When I was growing up I was encouraged to invite a special friend to join us at lunch or dinner. This was a bonding factor in our friendship. It told her, without words, that she was special and belonged in the nucleus of our family. It has long been held that the dining table is the … Continue reading
Hospitality Made Easy Hospitality is much easier than your servers may think. Starting the day with a positive attitude, knowing this will make life easier for others, and smoother for them, is a win-win situation. A smile is contagious even to people who think they have nothing to smile about today. On a daily basis the dining room is the … Continue reading
