Current and Future Practices in Hospital Foodservice

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify current and future operational practices in hospital foodservice, establish the probability that current practice will change, and determine whether differences exist based on profit status and size of hospital. Data were collected from 214 foodservice directors (43% response). Results suggested that foodservice departments of the future will serve fewer inpatients with less staff, have smaller expense budgets while expecting to generate more revenue. Expected operational changes included increases in: services provided for a fee, spoken menu or computerized menus, nonselective or restaurant style menus, self-operated food and coffee kiosks, branded products, home meal replacement programs, on-site catering, debit cards, and management responsibilities. Directors are trying a variety of strategies to deal with the changing environment; Chi-square analysis results suggest that current practices and expected future practice do not often differ based on hospital profit status and size.