Healthcare Food Services
Historically, healthcare food services was mass produced, often characterized as lacking quality, variety, and value – which reflected badly on institutions and service providers seeking to retain the patronage and goodwill of consumers.
Today, Glendale Dining Services™ has risen to effectively shatter the stereotype and squelch the stigma of institutional foodservice by providing restaurant style food services for institutions throughout the eastern U.S.
As the Food Service Company brand dedicated to providing restaurant-style dining for institutions, Glendale Dining Services has become recognized as a leading provider of family style dining and hospitality for several types of healthcare facilities, assisted living facilities, senior care communities, and residential special schools.
A New Era of Healthcare Food Services
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Working in your on-site kitchen, our professional chefs embody an exciting new era of healthcare food services with fresh, creative and healthy menus that delight your clients, patients, visitors, students, and employees. We can also partner with you to develop strategic, accessible dining venues that support everyone in your facility.
Our clients include for-profit and not-for-profit providers of health and rehabilitation services, assisted living, senior care, special care, and special education throughout New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Every day, our teams of professional chefs, dietitians, dining managers, and hospitality specialists enable mission-critical facility leaders to carry out their core commitments to their communities, and enjoy peace of mind from knowing that Glendale Dining Services is diligently and compliantly indulging their audiences’ culinary needs and preferences.
The Best Foodservice Contractor for Your Service Institution
The concepts of non-commercial food services, institutional food management, and healthcare dining contracting are ever-evolving. Everyone on our collective team – from actively-involved owners, to corporate chefs, registered dietitians, operations managers, marketing specialists, and front-line hospitality professionals – seeks to advance with our industry and be at the forefront of culinary excellence that drives results for our clients. This commitment secures our status as the best institutional food service contractor in the regions we serve.
National Institutional Food Service Companies – Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Many international institutional food service companies offer common, universal, cookie-cutter services that fail to adequately or cost-effectively rise to the noncommercial food service challenges of today’s special schools, healthcare and rehabilitation centers, assisted living, independent living, and senior care communities. This is often because their global-controlled business structures can limit the scope and flexibility of their offerings.
Three key differentiators that give Glendale Dining Services a competitive advantage include our firm’s size, locally-managed business model, and corporate philosophy. Our business model is purposely large enough to generate the significant buying power that enables us to cost-effectively source food and products from local and national vendors. Glendale Dining Services has also become an attractive company for employees to join, as the training and development opportunities are significant. Yet, we’re also small enough to offer our clients the truly flexible and scalable dining options that have proven to add tremendous value to their organizations. We work to steadily earn our clients’ confidence by generating a positive return on their investment in institutional food service management.
Our reputation for success stems from our corporate philosophy of partnering with clients to learn their goals and budgets, and then sharing our culinary expertise and experience to collaboratively develop custom dining programs that uphold their mission, delight their audiences, and enhance their image.
Our Food Service Management People are Committed to Your Success
You can feel it in every community served by Glendale Dining Services: A passion for food service management excellence that is evident throughout the building – from our kitchens, to cafeterias and cafes, to auxiliary dining areas, to the warm smiles of our dedicated employees and the delighted diners they serve. This passion for people enriches everything we do, from preparing and serving mouthwatering fresh food, to maintaining clean, attractive, vibrant environments that nurture a positive relationship between people and food.
Our focus on treating your foodservice program as our own is evident in the many ways we support your success, including accessible managers, dedicated employees, and outstanding daily performance.
Comprehensive Institutional Food Management Services
Our full suite of food management programs for institutions includes:
- Health Care Foodservice Management
- Assisted Living Foodservice Management
- Senior Care Food Services
- Residential Special School Food Services
Whether you operate a for-profit or not-for-profit facility, you can count on the Glendale Dining Services team to embrace your goals and provide fresh, healthful cuisine that caters to the diverse menu needs of your clients, patients, students, guests, visitors, and employees. In short, our goal is to facilitate your success by supporting everyone under your roof with extraordinary meal experiences that support their dignity and privacy, and empower them to achieve their desired outcomes.
Our team’s passion for nurturing people by providing them with vibrant, flavorful, tastefully-presented cuisine ensures that everyone who uses, visits, resides within, or is employed by your facility can enjoy a positive dining experience that reflects your organization’s mission, goals and brand personality. This vital support serves to help attract consumers by setting your organization apart from others in your service industry.
Noncommercial Food Services for 3 Major Types of Facilities
Glendale Dining Services specializes in caring, compliant, and responsive operation of Healthcare Dining Services, Assisted Living dining services, and Special School dining support for facilities that serve residential patrons.
The noncommercial food services we provide for these three major categories are thoughtfully designed to gratify the diverse culinary preferences and dietary necessities of each community’s clients, patients, students, visitors, and employees.
Our Healthcare Dining Services Support Residential Facilities such as:
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- County Nursing Homes
- Dementia / Memory Care Center
- Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers
- Hospice Care
- Medical Rehabilitation
- Memory Care Centers
- Skilled Nursing Centers
- Special Care Facilities
Our Assisted Living Dining Services Support Live-in Facilities such as:
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- Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC)
- Congregate Care Housing
- Independent Living for Residents
- Retirement Communities
Our Special School Food Services Support Residential Schools That Teach Students With:
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- Alternate Learning Methods
- Boarding School Options
- Emotional Supports
- Holistic Care
- Individualized Lesson Plans
- Integrated Instruction
- Preparatory Programs
- Special Education
- Transition to Mainstream
9 Advantages of Contracting Glendale Dining Services as Your Culinary Partner
Our growing family of clients with facilities that support the health, wellbeing and special education of clients throughout CT, RI, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NY, PA, and VT appreciate these vital advantages of our culinary support:
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- Flavorful Homestyle Food Made from Scratch
- Creative, Chef-inspired Menus and Dinner Themes
- Warm, Nurturing Hospitality
- In-house Professionally Trained Staff with Direct Accountability
- Respect for Your Population’s Dignity
- Honor of Cultural Diversity
- Commitment to Sustainable Sourcing and Practices
- Compliance Assurance
- Positive Return on Your Financial Investment
Flavorful Homestyle Food Made from Scratch
We specialize in developing menus that appeal to the multifaceted dietary needs, values and preferences of dining audiences spanning multiple age groups, cultures, and backgrounds. Our registered dietitians and dedicated chefs draw upon their experience to expertly-craft fresh, flavorful, made-from-scratch food that appeals to all audiences with its delicious homestyle taste and restaurant quality presentation.
Creative, Chef-inspired Menus and Dinner Themes
Our creative chefs regularly rise to the challenge of maintaining culinary excitement by devising restaurant-inspired recipes and dinner themes. This commitment to dispel dining dullness prompts diners to partake of themed meals that feature healthy, homestyle entrees, side dishes, and desserts that satisfy their personal preferences, tastes, diets and nutritional needs.
In-house Professionally Trained Staff with Direct Accountability
You can count on our Glendale Dining Services in-house staff of seasoned culinary and hospitality professionals to help you achieve your goals by delivering uninterrupted foodservice support for your mission-critical organization. We recruit and employ top talent, and enhance their skills with comprehensive training to accomplish several objectives.
Initially, our training expands each employee’s professional understanding of diners’ needs in environments that promote health, rehabilitation, independent and assisted living, and special education – which serves to deepen their compassion and shape their supportive mindset. Our training also reinforces our team’s complete knowledge of local, state and national foodservice regulations such as ServSafe® training, food sanitation and safety, and quality control, to ensure that we maintain your facility’s consistent compliance.
Consistent throughout our firm’s leadership of actively-involved owners and extending through our ranks of corporate and district managers is a dedication to being highly-accessible and responsive to your unique needs. In fact, associates in all positions company-wide are encouraged and empowered to make thoughtful decisions with regard to the best interests of those they serve.
The direct accountability you gain from this single-source, professionally contracted foodservice management far outweighs your investment. It promotes your values, streamlines your operation, and reduces your risk of noncompliance, as well as diner dissatisfaction.
Respect for Your Population’s Dignity
Inpatients and outpatients in health and rehabilitation facilities, as well as boarding or day students in special schools, all appreciate the comforting, restaurant-quality meals prepared and served by Glendale Dining Services’ compassionate, discreet hospitality professionals. We understand that our respect for your population’s dignity and privacy can assist their recovery, wellbeing, and learning.
We also understand that some people appreciate being asked for their input and choices regarding menu options, dining settings, and themed dining events, as this inclusiveness can offer them a sense of meaningful control that enhances their independence and supports their dignity.
Honor of Culinary Diversity
Daily living centers around food. Our team of hospitality experts regularly craft custom menus and themed dining experiences. This support engages everyone in your facility, from consumers to employees, and inspires them to partake and benefit from exciting food experiences that empower their success.
Commitment to Sustainable Sourcing and Practices
Environmental sustainability is a common priority we share with many of the communities we support.
Our chefs take pride in creating high quality cuisine that features seasonal, locally sourced ingredients as often as practicable.
Some of the additional ways we incorporate sustainable practices into our daily work, to help our clients demonstrate their mutual commitment, include:
Sourcing foodstuffs and products from trustworthy, socially-responsible vendors
Maintaining the nutritional quality and integrity of the ingredients we use
Initiating green practices such as buying local, and minimally-processing fresh food
Adopting the tools and practices that reduce waste of resources and improve efficiency
Engaging in responsible recycling, and use of biodegradable packaging and serving products
Increasing energy efficiency and using environmentally-friendly cleaning products
Compliance Assurance
Today’s increasingly-regulated foodservice environment makes it more important than ever to retain the in-house support and resources of experts who fully understand the complexities and nuances of how to plan and document a compliant culinary program. Our Glendale Dining Services team applies their thorough knowledge of ever-changing regulations surrounding not-for-profit meal service management. This reduces your risk by ensuring consistent compliance throughout your community’s specialized dining offerings.
Positive Return on Your Financial Investment
Glendale Dining Services facilitates a positive return on your financial investment in the quality dining services you offer to clients, patients, guests and employees of your healthcare or rehabilitation center, assisted living residence, independent living community, senior care community, or residential special school.
We constantly strive to streamline our operational systems and processes to achieve cost-effectiveness without sacrificing quality.
Healthcare Food Service Trends
What’s New in Healthcare Food Service Management
Today’s healthcare administrative professionals face rising demands and pressures that stem from industry consolidation and competition, government programs and regulations, and the increasingly-discerning tastes and preferences of their clients, patients and employees. Accordingly, healthcare facility operators who recognize the positive impact that forward-thinking food service management strategies contribute to boosting people’s satisfaction are most likely to prosper and position themselves to satisfy more audiences throughout all economic cycles.
6 Food Service Management Trends Among Healthcare Facilities
Innovative Cafeteria Dining
Today’s healthcare food management experts are seeking to transform opinions and update attitudes toward on-site institutional dining. Cafeterias and dining rooms have become destinations that deliver sought-after value – from quality ingredients and menu options; to innovative presentation; to thoughtful layout and attractive décor – all in support of creating extraordinary dining experiences that enhance the health and wellbeing of patients, guests, and staff members.
Custom Menus and Patient Room Service
Patients appreciate the access, control and warm hospitality of restaurant-style room service. This proven service model increases patient satisfaction and helps to manage operating costs. Patients may choose from menus of a-la-carte breakfast, lunch and dinner items served from morning through late evening. Menus can be modified to satisfy specific dietary needs and nutritional requirements. Patient room service also mitigates the pressure of cooking and serving food to accommodate predetermined meal delivery times. By nature of the made-to-order concept, patient room service also cost-effectively reduces waste.
Innovative Menu Themes
Today’s health care user audiences of clients, patients, visitors and employees are inspired and motivated by chef-prepared restaurant-quality menus that creatively incorporate ethnic themes and flavors in healthy ways. Satisfaction soars and dining is delightful when people are treated to a variety of ingredients and flavors that honor cultural richness and diversity.
Restaurant inspired trends including beautiful fresh in-season produce and artisan cheeses, limited time offers, exhibition cooking stations, distinctive seasonal specialties, moctails, Bistro concepts, holiday and special themed celebrations such as; Mardi Gras, Diner Days, Hawaiian Luau, interactive old-fashioned ice cream making demonstrations and scores of other innovative dining options all serve as hallmarks of a content and satisfied resident community.
Convenient Micromarket Retail Cafés for Employees
While rehabilitation clients enjoy their own specific types of in-house meal services, and visitors benefit from innovative new cafeteria offerings, an emerging trend that benefits employees is the rise of convenient on-site micromarket retail cafes. Micromarkets are accessible to employees via key codes or magnetic stripe cards, and offer around-the-clock cashless convenience, value, and healthy meal options for staff members working all shifts in mission-critical healthcare environments.
Decentralized Dining Areas
Some healthcare environments, particularly senior care facilities, are offering well-appointed, attractive and convenient decentralized dining rooms that support an authentic dining experience for residents, patients and visitors. Additionally, cafeteria layouts are appearing less-centralized, with food stations that provide unique culinary experiences and “food edutainment” as chefs prepare made-to-order options and interactively educate and entertain diners while discussing ingredients, recipes, and choices of healthy, flavorful cuisine.
Elevating the Dining Experience
Today’s consumers across all industries expect more from their dining experiences, and healthcare is at the forefront of this trend in many ways. Increasingly, next generations are entering healthcare facilities, and they – as well as the friends and family members who visit them – are seeking more than the traditional cafeterias and typical tray-service breakfast, lunch and suppers of their predecessors. The rise of themed dining programs, café food stations, decentralized dining areas, and custom-menu room service are all significant trends that successful healthcare facilities have implemented to support the overall satisfaction of their patients, visitors, and staff.
The Glendale Dining Services team’s full-service, dedicated and caring support is evident in the various ways that we deliver excellence in culinary hospitality and management to each community we serve. Our team respectfully considers and prioritizes your mission, goals and budget, as we partner with you to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, patients, students, and staff. This value you gain from this professionally contracted foodservice management is worth much more than your investment, as it maximizes your effectiveness, minimizes your risk and boosts your bottom line.