Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

food and equipment, expertise and in some instances money for renovation projects, computer
technology, standardized recipes, and menus for a variety of diets.
• Service. Relieves the administration of worry about a department because the company
will handle operational issues, quality control, customer satisfaction, and some staffing responsibilities,
and the annual employee count is reduced because the employees are considered
“management company” employees.
Disadvantages of the contract company versus self-operation include loss of control, expense,
and divided loyalty:
• Loss of control. Hiring a contract company means relinquishing some control of the food
service operation. Employees report to the manager of the contract company and are not part
of the organization. Leadership roles are not clear unless they are clearly defined in the contract.
• Expense. The organization pays a management fee and also may pay the salaries and
benefits of employees. The fees may be determined on a cost-per-day basis, plus a percentage
of saving, or the revenue against expenses. Each contract may be different and must be carefully
evaluated.
• Divided loyalty. Employees working for a contract company may have divided loyalties—
the company or the organization. The contract should include a meeting between the organization’s
representative and the contract company’s representative to plan and promote integrating
loyalty. It is wise to be concerned over a power struggle.
Regardless of who operates the food service, it is vital that the needs of customers be the
primary concern.
Role of Food Service
The role of food service in a health care organization is to provide a variety of food that is
nutritious and well-prepared in a safe and sanitary environment that meets the financial obligation
of the department while meeting the needs of customers and is served in a pleasing and
attractive manner. The department will strive to meet the social, cultural, religious, and psychological
needs of customers in meal planning and service. The staff provides education to its
customers while they are patients in the health care facility, in outpatient consultations, in the
community, and to the general public, as requested.
Workers in the food service department are leaders within the organization who adhere to
the overall mission, vision, and values of the organization while dovetailing the department’s mission,
vision, and values to those of the organization. The role of the food service is to develop
goals and outcome objectives and to seek commitment to achieving the outcomes. The department
works with other departments within the organization in a team effort to provide for customers.
The largest challenge to face a food service department is to provide food to its customers
while integrating the department’s activities into the overall operation of the organization.
Managerial Ethics and Social Responsibility
Food service directors face ethical challenges and social responsibility as they balance the organization’s
need to know and the privacy requests of employees and cultural and ethical behaviors
of a diverse workforce and customer base to ensure that the organization is working in a
socially responsible manner. Ethics is defined as the principles of conduct governing an individual
or business or the views, attitudes, and practices about what is right or wrong; it concerns
moral standards and basic values. There are professional or business and personal ethics.
Organizations such as the American Dietetic Association and the Dietary Managers Association
have written codes of ethics that are guidelines for members of the organization. These codes are
Food Service Industry: An Overview
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