Successful Food Service

Why on earth would I even consider going back to work, even for just 3 days a week?

Well, first there’s the opportunity to serve a growing population who needs the services offered by the Senior Center. That fits with my “Life Purpose”. God put me on this earth to serve others.

Secondly, the income is relatively stable and with three of us sharing the duties (and the profits) both Bev and I won’t earn more than we’re allowed by either SS or Medicare.

With that in mind, here are the particulars that are so intriguing.

This Senior Center serves parts of two counties. Because we are pretty remote, in terms of where the major poulations are in Utah, we’re kind of left to serve ourselves as best we can. I live in Iron County, and the Senior Center is in Enterprise (Washington County).

Located about 55 miles from Cedar City and 40 miles from St. George, this area has been growing up for the past several years. With gas well over $4.00 a gallon, things could all change rapidly as there is little employment in this valley. I seriously expect retirees to remain here, though, rather than relocating or even travelling.

At this time, this particular Senior Center provides Meals-On-Wheels as about 80% of the total meals provided. The remaining 20% are consumed by senior citizens, who come to the center on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

There is a local senior “dial a ride” service that picks up and returns senior citizens who would rather not drive. That is a very nice service during the winter, as we often have snow and ice on the roads.

My friends (via the Internet) asked me a simple question. Could a good lunch be served to senior citizens for less than $2.50 per meal?

Of course, knowing these two friends, my answer was… and just what ARE you two thinking? They had recently moved to Utah (in the middle of nowhere), and neither had a TON of food service experience. I’m talking about the overall experience needed to get the job done day in and day out. In retrospect, I think it was a test. A test to see if maybe, just maybe, I’d be interested in joining them in the middle of nowhere.

That was in late 2005. Barely a year later, I made a mad dash between snow storms from Oregon to Utah and have been here ever since. The contract never came open, however, we have become the “relief cooks” for the contract holder. That gets our foot in the door.

This past year, there have been a number of indicators leading us to believe the contract will become available at some point between now and the end of the year. Fuel prices are putting a SERIOUS bite on the current contract holder. Along with increased food costs, they are struggling to maintain a decent profit margin.

Additionally, the primary contract holder is now 65 and has gained full eligibility for his SS and Medicare. Ever since his Dad passed away this spring, he’s been looking forward to retirement, and travel, while he’s still young enough and in good enough physical health to enjoy life.

Now, the process for obtaining this contract has been somewhat convoluted as it’s not your standard “put it out to bid” type thing. Rather, the “position” is posted by the county H&R department, and you literally apply, as if you were applying for a JOB.

According to the local director, with whom we have a good relationship, there is an “interview” process. The current contract holder was not quizzed on food service experience at all… go figure!

I’ve been putting a business plan together to present to the county when the contract comes open. I firmly believe that if they are presented with a professional plan, that will give them the confidence to award us the contract.

So, what’s the point?

The point of this blog is to share my experiences as I develop a food service business plan, which leads to obtaining a contract for a Senior Center, where my team will provide both “in house” and “Meals on Wheels” food service.

The challenges are budgetary, logistical, philosophical, nutritional, and physical. In time, I’ll discuss each challenge in detail.

Why would you want to read this blog?

Well, I have a “certain style” that may keep you entertained. If you’re a food service professional, you may find new tips, tricks, and techniques that you can then apply to your own situation. You may even become compelled to comment on certain posts.

If you’re the “average reader” who isn’t a food service professional, I’ll be including things you can do in your home kitchen, too. If you’re a recipe collector, you’re gonna love this site as I will be including a number of recipes. I’ll also be advocating for some “standardized” ways of putting your recipe on line.

So, stay tuned while I get content and goodies loaded up!

Shari Thomas