Josh Eggeman thought he was coming to Waupaca, Wis.-based Bethany in 2011 with one mission: to change the culture of the senior living center’s dining team. And while transforming what he calls “your standard cafeteria-style nursing home foodservice department” to one with more of a hospitality focus was no short order, that ask was complicated when a large-scale renovation became part of his purview.
As that initial culture shift was getting underway, Bethany also began eyeing a $25 million expansion project to both change the layout of its existing facility and add a new building. Blueprints were finalized in summer 2015, and “[we’ve] been in construction ever since,” says Eggeman, who started as a consultant and came on full time as Bethany’s director of food and beverage in 2012.
Throughout the process, the department has seen a complete transformation, with team members who now embody positivity and teamwork, he says, and who have also become close with residents and guests. Here’s how.