ph: 760-983-0764
cathypac
COOKING/PRODUCTION
Always start with scratch cooking as much as possible - there really is no increase in labor once employees adjust to new tasks, the quality is superior and usually the cost is the same or lower
Did you know that you can flavor butter for an extra treat? Take whipped butter and when it softens add whatever flavoring you like (I like fruit - once frozen it usually mushes up) and mix with butter and then pre-portion and freeze again. Delicious and really good on pastries or toast. But you can also use herbs/spices for meat/fish toppings - you can get really creative - another favorite of mine is with capers and spices in it for fish.
Did you know that frozen vegetables/fruits are more nutritious than most of the "fresh" items out there? Unless you get your produce within 24 hours from the farm it loses nutritional value compared to the fresh items that you are receiving - that is probably anywhere from 3 -14 days (or more) old from the farm. Also frozen produce is less expensive. Be careful as many fruits become mushy once frozen so keep in mind what you are using it for.
UDA times for items to be held at 0 degrees or lower in freezer
RETAIL/PROMOTIONS
Develop a plan for the whole year. Always try and have a least 2 special events a month and 2 special buffets each month (so basically if you can work out 1 special day a week that is great.
Post your monthly calendar in the cafeteria and on your company's intranet whenever possible. Maybe a flyer could be added to the employee checks if it is a really special event. Also posting the calendar or flyer in the elevators works great! Post them on the bulletin boards in departments or send them out to departments through in-house mail system or email.
Use display plates for any specials you are promoting daily.
Within your annual plan spread out special buffets representing each country. Especially every country represented by your company’s employees if it is varied. Check out travel agencies for old posters of desired areas. You might also be able to get some items from the country's embassy if you write a nice letter.
Always offer a meal deal daily - a full meal discount (entrée, starch, vegetable and beverage or also include desert or a sandwich and soup/salad, starch and beverage. You get the idea, but always have some daily value deal - this can be used to promote good nutrition also.
If your facility has a founder's anniversary day, annual volunteer day, etc., make sure that you include these types of events in your planning. You can offer free/discounted items for these people to acknowledge and show appreciation.
If you have a large senior citizen population in your local community, set up an early bird meal daily and/or brunch on Sundays. Senior Citizen centers and living facilities will often put you on their mobile bus routes if you do this and let them know about it. Always include dietitians in this promotion. They can give out nutritional info, etc.
If your facility is within a couple of hours from some produce or fruit farms then talk with the owners and see if you can set up a farmer's market day weekly or monthly (depending on your volume). Always use whatever is being sold on your menu selections for that day and or week. If you can set this up to be a regular event it will be very popular.
When deciding on some events also consider that you might want to deliver to departments so that staff can purchase gifts for other staff as a way to say Thank You. Sometimes a Department Manager might want to purchase an entire tray or cake for the department as a whole - take this into account for your promotion of the event.
Always be aware of when graduations are being held in your area for all the different types of schools and come up with a promotion to help celebrate the event
When looking for groups to promote to or to tie into a special day look at your local newspapers/city web pages as they often list all local organization - local phone books and the library also might have this information
Always keep aware of festivals or events occurring in your area -also check with zoo's, museums and schools.
Produce picking events happen different times in different parts of the country and you should always participate and support these local events - for example it there is an apple festival in your area then you should be promoting apples in recipes and desserts.
With so many food holidays your business could develop a food of the day and promote whatever item is being celebrated for that day/month and use it in specials - put out a monthly calendar showing what food is promoted on what day and people can make arrangements to participate on their favorite days.
When there are cake holidays always offer whole cakes and cupcakes for sale. Always promote ahead of time so that you can take orders. Cupcakes can be sold individually or by the dozen/1/2 dozen. It is nice when you are promoting a special food to offer recipes.
Have a promotion of meal with dessert specials promoting your special dessert that day.
For restaurants keep in mind that when offering sides/desserts, etc. it is better to teach your servers to pick something that appeals to them that day and offer it - you will be surprised at the increase in sales, as although many will not choose the item described but it gets the mind thinking and then they pick their favorite.
Offer employee recipes of the day occasionally. This is really enjoyed by employees as they submit items and if chosen it is posted as their item with a copy of the recipe. Always promote this item several days in advance so everyone knows whose item it is and when it will be prepared. Make sure that the chosen employee is working that day!
For more historical events, births, deaths etc. check under “this day in history” on the Internet. As I have provided only those I thought might be of interest - there is so much more that happens on each date if you are interested.
You can set up a movie day where you show movies of stars that were either born or died in the month, weeks or day for whatever time period you wish.
You can have Trivia contests - using either historical or entertainment events and or people. This can be used as fun questionnaires on tables or as a contest with an accumulation of points bringing discounts or free items at certain intervals.
If your facility or company promotes a particular diet plan (for example Weight Watchers) always make sure that you use this in your meal offerings with all particular meal values necessary so you are assisting those employees that are participating. You can also make a contest of this to assist in the process. If employees are self conscious then a department vs. department contest is applicable here.
Always offer something to those who have proof of voting on those days!
Celebrate major sporting events and offer to employee's trays of snacks for their own private at-home parties. Also keep in mind major sporting events important to the local community.
Do not forget local historical events when putting together your annual plan - these can be fun for the community. If you think these are important enough let me know and I will add them to my list - let me know of a web site I can link to if possible.
When considering what holidays/events to promote look at what else is on that particular day or month/week and see if you can combine concepts into one big event.
I know a Food Service Director that made arrangements with a local TV station for time to present nutrition information along with recipes on that station - think about it, a weekly or monthly slot or develop your own web page with offerings/information that helps your community, promotes your department and the hospital - what could be better along with being fun!
If you have fairs, conventions, trade sh0ws, etc. in your area then see if participating in them is helpful for your business. If you have meeting/catering rooms I know that when I was managing in Restaurants we did very well at the wedding shows. I found this site that lists all the events - festivals, meetings/conventions, etc. for each month and where they are located. These are all food related so you should check for all events occurring in your area for each month.
http://www.foodreference.com/html/august-festivals-2018.html
Red Hat Society is a good organization to promote to - they will be very interested in many of the events that occur annually.
Your business should support local kids sport groups in your area - this is a good cause and good for business.
If you are located near a college/university then offer deliverable care packages for the parents to provide for their students - work with college to get on lists sent to parents.
When offering for sale in house baked goods by the dozen remember that a "Bakers Dozen" is 13 and that is a great marketing program.
For something special have some flavored ice cubes for your beverages/cocktails - again another special touch. Again easy to do - add fruit, juices, spices, etc.
HEALTHCARE
You should whenever possible work to have a large out-patient consult program for your dietitians as this benefits the facility as a whole along with improving relations with physicians on staff - also think of the great community goodwill you can get with this!
Always include your dietitians in your planning, as you should be offering a variety of nutritional choices. Nutritional information for as many items as possible is always an excellent service. When Dietitians find new products they are excited about (such as a cookie or meal recipe) that they think is excellent then try it out and promote it with all the nutritional info along with recipe.
If your facility offers “New Parent Meals” I would like to suggest a more memorable offer. Take the time to contact local groups/schools for lists of babysitters, diaper services in area for information and potential discount coupons, restaurants in area for coupons/discounts, vendors for free “baby” items or coupons, photography studios that specialize in baby pictures - you get the idea and put into a nice basket. I think you will find this is more memorable and appreciated than a meal while in a facility! This is good for the facility and the community as a whole!
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ph: 760-983-0764
cathypac