3 ideas we stumbled upon at AHF’s annual conference

Besides schooling attendees in the art of the lip sync-off, the Association for Healthcare Foodservice’s Annual Conference had many other teaching moments. Here are a few to take home to your operation.

In a bid to create ease for customers, visitor waiting areas are equipped with remote kiosks at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, based in Columbus, Ohio. Guests can order and pay at the kiosks, and dining staff will deliver their food. “Not only does this help feed them in a stressful time, but it also reduces cafeteria congestion during peak times, increasing throughput and offering a better customer experience,” says Mike Folino, assistant director of nutrition services for the hospital.

Not only do chefs and dietitians collaborate on display cooking events at Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee; they also publish a video series of their healthy demos online—on the internal caregiver page of Aurora’s website. Corporate Retail Manager Bruce Parker says Aurora regularly partners with chefs and dietitians to create health-focused events.

Look beyond the bank's holiday schedule when brainstorming special theme days. For instance, Folino’s operation hosts Star Wars Day on May 4, referred to as “May the Fourth be with you.” The whole dining team dresses up like Luke, Leia and the gang, and the menu includes tasty puns such as Chewbaklava, Boba Fettuccine and BB-8 Buckeyes. “We had a guest cry because they got to take a picture with Chewy,” he says. “We took around 500 to 700 photos with guests that day.” Other theme events at Wexner Medical Center include Fair Food Day, Opening Day and the Olympics.