Think about the times you’ve enjoyed dining out and how much great service made you feel welcome and special. It\u2019s the same for residents of healthcare communities. Mealtime is often the highlight of their day. \u201cMealtime is show time,\u201d says Gordon Food Service Non-Commercial Segment Leader Lee Wolf-James, RD, LD. This means dining provides another opportunity to enhance a resident\u2019s overall satisfaction and improve overall satisfaction scores. That\u2019s where good waitstaff training comes in. \u201cTraining is very important because, even more than the taste of the food, people have to like where they are,\u201d Wolf-James says. \u201cAnd people like being treated with dignity and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFood service is now a marketing tool of the healthcare community,\u201d says Gordon Food Service Customer Effectiveness Manager Ken Wasco. Many residents are more educated and sophisticated than in the past, he notes, which creates a new level of service expectations. \u201cThey\u2019re looking for more of a restaurant experience,\u201d Wasco explains. \u201cThe better the experience is for the resident, the better their feelings toward the healthcare community.\u201d \u201cGiving somebody great service means you care about them and their welfare,\u201d adds Holly Becker-Baratta, Dining-Room Manager at Beacon Hill at Eastgate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which operates independent-living and continuing-care residences. \u201cYou don\u2019t want people to feel like they\u2019re just in a cafeteria line. You want them to feel like they\u2019re a member of a community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waitstaff must be well-groomed and in clean uniforms. Make eye contact with residents. Greet them as they enter, and check on them during the meal to see if they need anything. And don\u2019t forget the most obvious nonverbal cue, a smile. It also means no unnecessary sidebar conversations with other staffers. \u201cIf people are trained to treat others correctly, that will help diners enjoy the food,\u201d Wolf-James says.<\/p>\n
Listen to their concerns and respond to their questions. \u201cTreat them like you would treat your own grandmother or grandfather,\u201d Wasco says. \u201cIf your staff is good, they\u2019ll know Mr. and Mrs. Smith, what their background is and where their grandchildren live, as well as what foods they like and don\u2019t like, and even what they might be allergic to.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a big difference in communication styles between the older residents\u2019 generation and those of the often-younger waitstaff. \u201cSaying \u2018It\u2019s my pleasure to serve you\u2019 is much more appropriate than saying \u2018No problem,\u2019 or \u2018Back at ya,\u2019\u201d Wolf-James says. \u201cAnd be specific: Not just \u2018How is everything\u2019 but \u2018How is your pork chop?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Invest in your team. Train them thoroughly before they start working the floor. Pair new hires with your best servers to help them learn the ropes. Being introduced to a new server by one they already know and like will give residents an extra level of comfort. Make training continuous with ongoing refreshers about key service points.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your people are doing a great job, reward them. It\u2019s how you develop your staff,\u201d Wasco says. \u201cThey\u2019ll feel better and go the extra mile. If your servers enjoy their jobs, they\u2019ll feel fulfilled and are more apt to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Managers should personify the behavior they expect. \u201cThe strongest tool for teaching staff how to do it correctly is to model that behavior yourself,\u201d Wasco advises.\u201cShow them what you want by doing it the right way.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Residents expect service to show respect and make the dining experience stand out.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n