Last updated on June 15th, 2023
Outsourcing, where tasks usually completed in-house are delegated to an external organization, is beneficial to all types of residential facilities. Creating a welcoming community for all residents involves leveraging your team’s strengths and finding support for their weaknesses. As a business strategy, it makes sense to bring in outside assistance for things your staff aren’t skilled in.
Finding a strategic partner that matches your community’s values and resident preferences isn’t always easy. However, the challenge is worth it. Here are six reasons why using contract management for food service can help your community stay relevant for potential new residents and keep your current ones satisfied.
1. You’ll have access to nutrition experts.
When you think of food at a healthcare facility, healthy and delicious probably aren’t two things you immediately think of. Instead, you might picture bland, traditional meals. This type of food might meet the requirements of what you have to provide, but it won’t keep residents engaged and looking forward to their next meal.
Using a contract food management service gets you access to their entire team of nutrition experts. Dietitians, nutritionists, and other health-educated staff can work together with onsite staff to provide you with both satisfying and satiating meals. They put time, thought, and effort into curating a menu that improves the health of residents while keeping in mind physical or mental health conditions that impact eating and other resident preferences.
2. You can customize your meal programs, providing residents with more options.
A person-centered approach to care is part of creating a suitable environment for residents in your community. Person-centered care emphasizes the needs and wants of a person rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Customizing your meal programs gives residents more options for what they eat, promoting independence and dignity. A contract food program provides the flexibility to offer more than one option on your menu.
Additionally, as more seniors gravitate toward a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, including options that fit their dietary requirements is becoming a must for communities. Cultural diets are also something that should be accommodated. Both are possible with a food service management partner like Culinary Services Group.
3. It saves you time and energy.
It’s no secret that being the director of a residential community is hard work that often involves wearing multiple hats. However, extended workplace stress can lead to burnout among leadership staff without taking preventive measures. While being in management or leadership means stepping in when necessary, reducing the amount of time this happens can significantly lighten the number of tasks you’re responsible for.
For example, if managing a kitchen isn’t in your wheelhouse, outsourcing food management can save you time and energy — giving you more time to spend on other pertinent things.
4. Stay in compliance with federal and state regulations.
A lack of awareness is a potential hazard in the kitchen, especially when maintaining compliance with state and federal health regulations. Keeping track of these regulations is a challenge, especially since they constantly evolve to reflect the current best practices for storing and preparing food. Partnering with a contract food management service that handles this for you helps to ensure that your kitchen is always inspection-ready, regardless of what’s happening.
5. It’s cost-effective.
Outsourcing your food service management also helps to reduce costs. The Economic Research Service with the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that food prices will increase between 3.5-4.5%, which is lower than the drastic 9.5-10.5% increase that happened in 2022. As prices rise, it may become more challenging for you to stick to your budget. With a contract food management service, you won’t have to worry about whether or not you can provide residents with the quality meals they expect. The logistics of creating a cost-effective menu that doesn’t skimp on the necessities like having enough flavor or proper portion size is something they can handle.
At Culinary Services Group, we prioritize saving money by negotiating better market rates, sourcing products from distributors that directly benefit the local economy, and reducing the overall cost you pay for high-quality meal services.
6. It brings consistency to your staffing.
With staffing shortages impacting many healthcare facilities across the country, the need for consistent workers cannot be understated. Outsourcing with a trusted company like Culinary Services Group allows you to bring in the highest quality experts to run your kitchen without a high staff turnaround. It also reduces the time, energy, and money you’ll spend on training and development.
Also, as many residential communities deal with the continued impact of viruses like COVID-19 and the flu, residents may feel isolated and lonely. Seeing a familiar face decreases these feelings, creating an environment where residents feel welcomed and safe — highlighting another important benefit of using contract management for your food service.
Choosing the Right Contract Food Service Partner
Now that you know the benefits of contracting out your food service management, it’s time to start thinking about the next steps. Whether you’re serving seniors in an assisted living community or residents in another type of healthcare facility, having a food service partner benefits everyone. But how do you choose?
That’s where Culinary Services Group comes in. We provide several options of comprehensive meal programs that are geared toward improving the health and happiness of the people that consume them. Contact us today to learn more about how you can partner with us to improve your dining program.
