What is it like to be a Food Service Manager in a Hospital?

What is it like to be a Food Service Manager in a Hospital?

Working in the hospitality industry (particularly in food service) is often an intense, high-energy job. Ensuring the people you are serving are satisfied with the service you're providing takes planning, preparation, and the flexibility to adjust to changes. It takes physical stamina and the ability to move quickly for long periods of time, yet to also think on your feet and implement and execute a plan of service that will meet the projected needs with a high degree of satisfaction.

All of this amplifies if you are the manager of a food service establishment and is made even more demanding in a hospital setting. As a patient or the loved one of a patient, you probably don't think about the workings of the food and nutrition services of the hospital, yet you would be highly frustrated if there were ever a breakdown in the system that allows thousands of meals to flow from that institution's kitchen.

What Day-to-Day Management Looks Like

Ask any manager of a hospital food service program what the most challenging part of their job is, you're sure to get just as many answers to that question as you have respondents. But if you ask that same group what brings them the greatest satisfaction in their work, you're likely to hear the same thing, over and over: knowing that the patients and their families are receiving delicious and nutritious food during what is often a very difficult time of life. Whether the food is delivered to individual rooms or purchased in the cafeteria, your job is to create meal options that satisfy health requirements as well as the multitude of palettes you are aiming to please.

Success in the eyes of a food service manager looks a lot like satisfaction on the patient's face, a thank you from a family member, employees who give their all, and the knowledge that the food distributed was instrumental in providing assistance for healing and healthy living. From the moment their shift starts, managers must consider a multitude of areas to ensure success in the job. Some places of particular consideration are:

  • Nutrition and Meal Planning: Obviously a big area of focus in any hospital is to provide genuinely nutritious, individualized meal plans for each patient. People who have heart problems must have a specific diet that may not be the same as someone who is diabetic, or even as someone who has an eating disorder. Food service managers must consider these (and many other) dietary needs as they plan their daily menu. Every meal, every snack, must meet the needs of each person who is in the hospital healing from one or another ailment.
  • Inventory Ordering: Planning thousands of meals daily requires a lot of inventory. From the food that will be eaten to the napkins that will be used to the dishes that will be washed -- a food service manager is responsible for ensuring that every bit of what is needed is in stock and on hand as soon as it is needed. Running out of something can cause not only undue chaos but also delay in excellent care for patients.
  • Financial Management: Even in large hospital settings, the food service manager will be entrusted by upper management with a budget within which their choices must fall. Food cost, miscellaneous other needs (like cleaning supplies or linen cleaning), and labor costs are all examples of the finances the manager is often required to keep an eye on. Going over a budget can lead to repercussions like loss of staffing or even termination of their own position, making a great motivation to stay within the boundaries that are given.
  • Employees: Food service managers (while gifted and skilled in their work) are not superheroes capable of doing every aspect of their job singlehandedly. Having a team of employees available to work each day, in positions including cooks, dishwashers, cashiers (in the cafeteria), and more, a good manager will have the right people trained to do the right job for their personality and skills. They will also provide proper training and corrective action as needed.

Looking Toward the Future

Are you the kind of person who enjoys managing not only people but also daily operations, have a strong attention to detail and an understanding of how to prioritize your tasks? Do you enjoy successfully budgeting and balancing finances, ensuring all needs are met within monetary boundaries? Do you believe that you can develop a team of employees to be their very best in their job, to strive for excellence in the service they provide?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then perhaps you should consider a career in food service management. Contact ECPI University today for more information about earning your Bachelor of Science in Food Management. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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