Becky Schilling
Articles by
Becky Schilling
Page 15Serving Seniors
Directors say trends for senior dining are moving toward casual dining and additional menu options. According to the 2006 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau,...
Sue Bettenhausen, nutrition services director in the 27,000-student Scottsdale Unified School District, has a tough job. Scottsdale is an affluent Phoenix suburb; only 16% of students qualify for free or reduced meals. Enrollment is stagnant or, in some schools, declining as charter, private and parochial schools are attracting more students.
Ever since he was a child hanging around his grandmother’s kitchen, Chris Schmidt has immersed himself in the culture of food. From his ethnicity—Sicilian and Mexican—to his work experience—the U.S. Army, restaurants and country clubs and, now, a hospital—that diverse background has proved to be a tremendous asset, particularly in his current position as executive chef/foreman cook supervisor at Fort Bliss’s William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Texas.
Robert Darrah often uses sports analogies to describe the foodservice program at the Legacy Retirement Communities in Lincoln, Neb. “We’re going for the gold. We want the perfect 10,” Darrah says. That competitive quality has served Darrah well in his 10 years as foodservice director at the four facilities that make up the company. When he was hired, the department was struggling, but now, resident satisfaction is at 98% and Darrah managed to shave $120,000 off his operating costs, even with the current challenging economic climate.
When Doug Davis began working in the hospitality industry, he learned that customer satisfaction is key to success. He has been putting that knowledge to work during his 11 years as director of foodservice at the 3,800-student Burlington (Vt.) School District. Davis listens to the students, parents and community to help drive his program. The result: increased participation and a nationally recognized farm-to-school program.
When you are the director of guest services at a small, self-op hospital in rural New Mexico, you have to think outside the hospital walls to increase sales and community presence. That’s exactly what Stephanie Tanner has done in less than five years at 99-bed Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo. Between a foodservice contract with nearby New Mexico State University at Alamogordo and off-premise business from the hospital’s catering program, 60% of the department’s revenue now comes from external sources.
Growth comes with the territory when you are the director of foodservice for the nation’s No. 1 integrated health system—St. John’s Health System in Springfield, Mo.—but for Donna Medlin, the growth has come naturally. Medlin, a 31-year veteran of the foodservice industry, isn’t reveling in her accomplishments at the 880-bed St. John’s Mercy Health Center, nor is she content with the status quo. She is always looking to the future.