“How did you come to work in this assisted living community?” Maryann, who is a part-time food server on Spring Break from college, asked Helen. They formed a friendly/mentor relationship since Maryann first came to work and now shared a table during their lunchtime. “Well,” Helen said, “my kids were off to college, like you” she smiled. “I married young … Continue reading
Category Archives: Kind Dining
Do your residents ever make a complaint or offer a suggestion about the food service? Do you take the time to listen? Or do you try to change their mind before they even finish saying what they have on their mind? It costs absolutely nothing to pause, stop what you are doing, look them in the eye, and listen. Whatever … Continue reading
The two women were walking down the hallway heading towards the kitchen to begin their work shift at an independent living community. They just finished a segment of the training session and were discussing their opinions. “First of all,” the older one said, “I never heard the term ‘soft skills’ and I certainly didn’t realize I had them. Timewise I’ve … Continue reading
Do you know what the most successful companies look for in an applicant when hiring? They seek a person with the combination of skills that enable a person to learn, relearn and relearn again. We know how rapidly changes are happening in our long-term care communities. Our industry has been experiencing major changes and upgrading of services. People with EQ … Continue reading
A retired friend told me recently how she made an excellent living in the old days, by being a waitperson during the years of raising a family. “I was good at it. My aunt trained me,” she said. “I was pleasant and paid close attention to my customers’ tables without obviously staring at them. With my ‘regulars,’ I remembered what … Continue reading
The latest trend towards cooking to order is setting assisted living community chefs and food serving teams on fire! Spring changes in the kitchen in food preparation and in the dining room in serving food have awakened creative culinary minds. The focus on utilizing local, fresh, and seasonal foods results in fresh food prepared of without increasing the food budget. … Continue reading
Finding a new approach to dining in Residential care communities while still keeping within the present budget has been introduced by trending chef leaders of creative community dining. Using fresh, local food supplies to serve on order ala restaurant-style dining is here and is doing well. Creative menus offer wholesome foods that taste as good as the food looks and … Continue reading
“When my husband and I decided it was time to move to a senior living community, the first thing I said was, ‘I’m going to miss going out to restaurants to dine.’” Mrs. Long was talking with her friend about her and her husband’s plans. “As seniors, after struggling financially in the early years of marriage, building careers, raising the … Continue reading
Is this a good time to look at your food service through the eyes of your customers as top top-notch restaurateurs do? Do you realize that your residents yearn for the same quality of food and service that their favorite restaurants gave them? Those are the restaurants, bistros, and trattorias they patronized before they made your community their home. That … Continue reading
Many seniors will decide to leave their present home and make their new and final home in a senior or an assisted living community. This is a lifetime decision and not one that is made lightly. When keeping this in mind, your food servers have the power to reassure any hesitancy of these new residents. Incorporating kindness into their … Continue reading