Ajax, ON March 19, 2025
Four Questions (Part 1)
1.Event Success
What special food service events have you done in the past year that were a BIG hit? Tell us.
2. Maximizing Choices
How do you maximize and provide daily meal & beverage choices at your healthcare community? Explain.
3. Timely Feedback
What effective ways do you obtain timely feedback on meal satisfaction from staff/ residents/pt/family (outside of resident council mtg?)
4. Best Practices
How does your team stay up to date with Best Practices? What resources do you lean into the most? List
1.Event Success
1. Elevated dinners – every three months
2. Chefs Table monthly – 15 people seating
3. Diamond Club – over 95 years
4. Recipe contest – residents create recipes
5. Resident and family meals – seasonal
6. Monthly themed meals – cultural focus
7. Resident choice menu – option built in
8. Monthly themed meals
9. Chinese New Year
10. Black History celebration
11. Lunch buffet – various theme
12. Menu Fest – serving green beer on St. Patrick’s Day
13. Holiday events – invite family
14. Resident breakfast
15. Showcase new items
16. Sampling – Winter / Summer menus
17. Pub nights
18. Cheese / wine nights
19. Theme Days
20. Outdoor events
21. Menufest – featuring recipes from residents and families
22. Around the World - pick recipes from different cultures, decorate the dining rooms
23. Theme meals from different cultures – feature dishes from different cultures / countries
24. Theme meals – nourished to flourish - Ice cream truck - Staff holiday meal
25. Carnival eats – Halloween – St. Patty’s
26. Taste & Tours – new residents served meal
27. Summer BBQ
28. Surf & Turf – still under budget
29. Food service week
30. Colour contest: banana & seeds
31. Fireplace, Quiz, Christmas Open House, BBQ, Ice Cream Social,
32. St. Patrick’s Day – family buffet
33. Octoberfest: beer holding the longest
34. Shrimp alfredo event
1.Event Success (cont’d)
35. Harvest dinner: personal set – dinner: formal dining – 5 course with wine
36. Men’s Breakfast
37. Appetizers every Friday
38. Collaboration with recreation department.
39. Wine tasting every Sunday – Canadian wine
40. Mini food shows
41. Holiday meals
42. Food around the world
43. Special buffet and invite family members
44. Chef cooking competition with resident voting
45. Food demos
46. Open house
47. BBQs
48. Calendar events / celebrations
49. Happy Hour
50. Menu tasting – introduce new items before they are rolled out – samples with resident feedback
51. Takeout meals – fan favourite restaurant
2. Maximizing Choices
1. Increased a la carte menu – 20 items 2. Moved to fully a la carte 3. Also available menu 4. Resident food committee 5. Individualized menu 6. 2 choices 7. Always available menu
8. Incorporate member choices 9. Email feedback 10. Resident feedback 11. Added Variety 12. Show plates / pictures 13. Bistro / tea room / family friendly room 14. Seasonal options 15. Combo choice 16. Additional / standby menu
17. Fruit
18. Tuck shop / alcohol
19. Chefs daily creation / also available menus (can change at home level)
20. Second choice & implement a la carte as second choice
21. Make something the resident requested
22. Condiment caddy on table with “Did You Know” signage
23. Food available 24/7 – server / home area fridge
24. Bistro available most of day
25. Self help ice cream fridge (even Häagen-Dazs)
26. MealSuite
27. Set menu
28. Home areas meeting
29. Food & Family Committee
30. Silly Food Day / calendar
31. Monthly theme meals
32. Menu postings
33. Spring/Summer menu
34. Resident’s satisfaction survey
35. Family’s satisfaction survey
2. Maximizing Choices
36. Checking in with residents at meal service
37. Asking residents for home recipes
38. Specialty drink options
39. Provide a third option at meals with four options for dessert
40. Resident’s choice once a week
41. Resident’s preference – likes / dislikes
42. Also available menu – vegetarian menu
43. Extra menu item – i.e. – soup
44. Bistro 24/7 – late sleepers / early risers
3. Timely Feedback
1. Present in dining room
2. Audit – 2 questions
3. Continuous feedback – food committee monthly
4. Survey – happy or not
5. Comment cards
6. Waste audits – leftover recording
7. Resident satisfaction survey
8. Open door for staff and residents
9. Daily walk abouts – speaking with residents, family, staff
10. Monthly food committee
11. Area meetings – monthly
12. Care conference
13. Huddles – daily – staff / servers / PSW
14. Leadership rounds
15. Chef walk around
16. Dietitian / nutrition meeting with members
17. Annual survey
18. Monthly surveys
19. In dining room surveys
20. Family council
21. Survey monkey @ POS
22. Comment cards outside of dining area
23. Coming to office
24. Suggestion box
25. Meal check ins / meal rounds (daily/weekly)
26. Survey to determine what is featured on theme meals
27. Evaluations post meal for feedback
28. Meals for family, get feedback
29. Cooks visit with residents after meals asking for feedback
30. Monthly resident meeting (families also attend)
31. Daily interaction with residents
32. Leadership audit
33. Waste audits
33. Healthcare team – nursing
34. Meeting with chef once a week with council president on review of menu
4. Best Practices
1. Collaboration with peers
2. Sysco & MealSuite
3. Complete Purchasing
4. CSNM / OSNAC / ORCA / RHRA / OLTCA
5. Best practice guidelines from Dietitians of Canada
6. Policy highlights
7. Town Halls
8. Education Courses – Relias / Surge / ORCA
9. Education events
10. Conventions
11. Professional Network – peers / dietitians
12. Update training
13. Staff meetings
14. Reviewing 24-hour notices related to members / residents / staff
15. Review policies / risk management audits
16. Regular education days / in services
17. CSNM webinars / conferences
18. Attending education sessions
19. Before shift meetings
20. Surge learning
21. Facebook for recipes
22. Education workshop / trade show
23. Nourish page
24. Weekly huddle with team
25. 10 at 10: kitchen feedback with servers / chef
26. RD for education and resources
27. Corporate Chef – consultation
28. Work Vivo
29. Sysco & Sysco Rep: Market Update / Produce Update / shortages
30. RD Associations
31. Advantage Ontario
32. PEN - practice based evidence in nutrition
33. Staff education & quizzes – food handlers
34. Checklist for food safety
35. Shift change reports
37. Corporate Consultants
38. Attending Sysco Conferences
39. Webinars & company policy updates
Four Questions (Part 2)
5. Positive Changes
What positive changes have you made in the quality of food service in the past year?
6. Resident Participation
How do you bring “resident participation” into your meal service? (inside & outside of mealtimes)
8. Actual Birthday
How do you bring dignity to texture modified diets (not the “3 scoop special”) within your serving time restraints?
How do you celebrate a resident/pt’s birthday on their actual day? Tell us exactly what you do.
7. Puree Meals
5. Positive Changes
1. Added more a la carte items
2. More special dinners
3. Theme dinners
4. Resident recipes
5. Bistro options
6. Fine dining meal 1 x / month
7. Use fresh vegetables/fruits
8. Cook pre-prepared closer to meal service
9. Correct food holding temperature
10. Food demos
11. Create efficiencies to speed up service
12. Using ipads to take orders
13. Ensuring food is super hot
14. Scratch cooking – homemade desserts
15. Corporate Chefs on site
16. Demos – menu development
17. Stir sessions
18. Attitude of staff
19. Training
20. Adding resident ideas and food on menu
5. Positive Changes
21. Addressing concerns
22. Vendor accountability
23. Standardized recipes
24. Meal rounds with Chefs
25. Waste audits
26. Leadership presence in dining room audits
27. Follow up actions from Town Hall
28. Scratch cooking
29. No medication at mealtimes
30. Looking at products ordered, get feedback and make changes to improve
31. Corporate Chef training in home
32. Change to more home cooked food
33. More fresh local produce where possible
34. Taste testing & supporting cooks to do this
35. Updating recipes based on resident feedback
36. Re-training cooks, re-education
37. Went to farm to pick up local food
38. Continually sourcing better quality
39. Less holding time – better quality
40. Changed providers – more delivery options
41. Introduce new Sysco products
42. Retrain / update cooks
43. Changed entire menu
44. Sysco food show – use new products in menu
45. Going to 1 choice – elaborate a la carte menu
46. New equipment
6. Resident Participation
1. Kitchen tours for residents
2. Using herbs that residents grow in rec program.
3. Residents cook special meal for staff members
4. Food/cooking demos for residents
5. Food committee meetings
6. Weekly food review / feedback meetings with residents
7. Auditing meals
8. Food for thought meeting
9. Resident recipes
10. Involve residents in cooking activities
11. Ask for resident input
12. Open lines of communication with residents
13. Open door policy
14. Have cooks speak to residents
15. “Food for thought” meetings
16. Round table conversation
17. Resident baking
18. Christmas dinner preparation
19. Department tour with residents
20. Resident running bistro / tuck shop
21. Resident tasting panel
22. Vendor show with residents
23. Food education
24. Themed snack carts
25. Special food days
26. Food committee meetings – encourage participation – provide refreshments
27. Have residents help put out clothing protectors, wipe tables
28. Programs work with residents to bake cookies, free for residents, staff/others buy
29. Resident garden – use or sell what is grown
30. In care conferences / meetings – residents share ideas to incorporate into the menu
37. Close the loop calls
38. Share family recipes / cultural recipes
39. Resident trip to pick up produce
40. Resident choice meals
6. Resident Participation
37. Spring vendor showcase in the home
38. Care conference
39. Soup days – resident produce menu
40. Book Club
41. Men’s Club
42. Games area – by bar / food bistro
43. Involved residents in menu planning – table talks
44. Monthly food advisory meeting with families
1. Shaping molds
Puree Meals
2. Pre-made puree meals
3. Different colour combinations
4. Make puree as close to regular menu options as possible
5. Use gravy and sauces
6. Garnishes (puree-appropriate)
7. Chef and managers do puree taste-testing to ensure taste quality
8. Plate presentation
9. Make plate colourful
10. Fresh ingredients
11. New daily options
12. Ensure flavour is good
13. Have them eat in dining room
14. Education to interdisciplinary team
15. Ask if they prefer divided plates
16. Special dishware
17. Recipes with consistent texture to hold shape
18. Explain meal – i.e. – roasted chicken with potatoes
19. Discourage negative connotations – i.e. “ewww”
20. Not show resident show plates but verbal – instead as different texture
21. Ready to cook items and scratch
22. Education with serving staff on modified textures
23. Show plates of modified textures
24. Adding condiments to match foods
25. Puree bread forms sliced with sandwich filling to make look like a sandwich
26. IDDSI testing training to cooks so puree is at proper consistency
27. Blind taste test – PSW’s / dietary aides / managers
28. Following recipes
29. Layering dishes
30. Scratch puree options
31. Staff tasting and feedback
32. Auditing – meals & snacks
33. Early eaters program for those that need assistance
38. Ready made items
39. Bread mix for desserts and pancakes
40. Layer lasagna / shepherd’s pie
41. Pureed dessert multiple different ways
Actual
1. Recreation staff bring cupcake to residents at lunch
2. Electric candles
3. Mini cupcakes & team sings Happy Birthday during meal service
4. Resident birthday parties
5. Special placemats and balloons
6. Order birthday cake
7. Take photos
8. Entertainment – bring Elvis
9. Door decoration
10. Happy Birthday placemats
11. Small birthday cake, balloons and hats
12. Ensuring proper communication on whether resident wants to have their birthday celebrated
13. Individual birthday cards
14. 100th birthday cake to celebrate
15. Special place mat
16. Sundae
17. Balloons on chairs
18. Recreation programs
19. Customize placemat with resident birthdate
20. Family attends day of celebrations with cake and balloons
21. Birthday themed meals
22. Photos of residents celebrating “centennial”
23. Cake for all in the dining room
24. Individual birthday cupcakes
25. Dining room sing to them
26. Birthday certificate or posting in home
27. Celebrate “bigger” birthdays with cake for home/home area
28. Monthly birthday to celebrate all with a birthday that month with a cake.
29. Pick a meal on your birthday – serve everyone
30. Customized birthday cake – texture modified
31. Monthly birthday party
32. Doorway décor
33. Birthday Cup
34. Rose / flower
35. Signed card
Available through Sysco! Contact your Sysco Account Representative today to learn more.