Category: Food Service

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The Story of the SuzyQ Food Delivery Cart

Everyone loves a good story, and pretty much every successful business solution is rooted in one. For the SuzyQ food delivery cart, that is certainly true, as well.

What is the SuzyQ?

To quickly recap, the SuzyQ food delivery cart is a solution designed around the notion of self-determined foodservice in senior care communities. When you provide the option for residents to choose rather than having pre-plated servings placed before them, there is a wide range of benefits both for diners and for operators.

First, senior care residents get to choose, and for this demographic, choice is something that is often taken away. Giving choice at mealtimes is a great way to help maintain the all-important element of control.

Second, allowing residents to choose reduces food waste, as they only select the menu options they really desire. This helps the overall bottom line because food is not wasted, and therefore, money is not wasted.

Finally, with self-determined meal service in a SuzyQ, the food delivery cart is actually wheeled through the dining room creating points of interaction between residents and foodservice staff. These relationships are important because they make for happier seniors and more fulfilled staff.

In reality, there are many more benefits to using a SuzyQ food delivery cart, but this article isn’t about why senior care community foodservice operators should consider using one. It’s about why it was created in the first place. So, let us introduce you to Suzanne Quiring.

The SuzyQ was invented by Suzanne Quiring, a dietician and foodservice manager who worked in residential care. She saw the drawbacks of traditional service where staff cooked meals and had service staff run plated food back and forth from a pick-up window to the residents’ tables. She also knew there was a better way than serving cold food and dealing with food preference lists.

Quiring went on a journey to create a new solution, and the result is the SuzyQ. Based on the idea of a rolling service cart on an airplane where flight attendants ask what beverage you’d like, Quiring asked the question, “Why can’t we do that in the dining room?” Rooted in years of service that resulted in unhappy residents and wasted food, the SuzyQ food delivery cart rolled onto the scene and created a new way of foodservice delivery – the self-determined meal.

The SuzyQ actually began with beverages. Rather than pre-pouring drinks before guests arrive resulting in warm milk, she decided to roll a beverage cart through the dining room offering on-demand beverages. The residents loved it, and a dessert cart was included next. Finally, the idea shifted to full meal delivery, and the SuzyQ was invented, finally allowing senior care residents to hand-select the foods they want, served warm and at ideal serving conditions.

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Lakeside Helps Florida Soup Kitchen

Food insecurity impacts more than one out of every ten U.S. households. When you think about it, that’s an alarming number, and it’s something so many great non-profit organizations around the country are trying to reduce.

One of those organizations is Gracie’s Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Yulee, Florida that feeds seniors, veterans, single parents with families, the homeless, and the working poor. Before the Covid pandemic, they were serving more than 40,000 meals every year to those in need in the Yulee area, with additional branches of their organization helping to feed malnourished dogs and cats, as well as their “Socks for Souls” program that provides socks to those in need.

Their main focus is on foodservice, though, with more than $30,000 raised annually to “Nourish the Hungry and Feed Their Spirit.” Here at Lakeside, we admire their commitment to the community, so we offered to help.

Lakeside Helps to Upgrade Gracie’s Kitchen Serving Carts

A team from Lakeside learned about the Gracie’s Kitchen story and quickly discovered their serving cart situation was a challenge at best. Pictures of their existing carts showed they were being held together, quite literally, by duct tape, and that’s when Lakeside decided to step in. By replacing their old plastic carts with new Lakeside 311 series carts, their ability to serve the community in need was drastically enhanced. The Gracie’s Kitchen team could not have been more thankful.

utility cart service

Foodservice utility carts for kitchens are our specialty here at Lakeside, and we’re happy to help contribute to the great works at Gracie’s Kitchen with our 311 serving carts.

The 311 series is the first stainless steel utility cart created at Lakeside, and it was designed to last. It’s made for both front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house applications, and we hope the great crew at Gracie’s Kitchen find their work just a little bit easier with the 311. Based on the duct-taped plastic carts they had before, we can guarantee it.

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What’s the 311 on Stainless Steel Utility Carts?

You’ve come to the right place for information on utility carts, as we’re going to explore one of the classic models in the Lakeside portfolio. From a company with more than 75 years of interesting history, the advent of the 311 is one of the most important milestones in Lakeside history.

Why?

lakeside 311 stainless steel utility cartThe 311 Utility Cart is the very first stainless steel Lakeside utility cart design, and it’s still very popular today. Made for both back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house service, the 311 Utility Cart is ideal for bussing, service set-up, usage as a tray or soiled dish station, and can even serve as a light-duty transport and storage cart over even floor surfaces.

The 311 Utility Cart from Lakeside has other important benefits, as well. Its durability comes from electronically welded, 20-gauge stainless steel legs along with a reinforced, hemmed front on 22-gauge stainless steel shelves to provide added support where it’s needed.

For reduced sound and vibration, deadening panels are added under the shelving to make 311 Utility Cart usage quieter. With bumpers on the legs and handles, walls and furniture are also protected. Finally, the 311 Utility Cart from Lakeside is easy to use.

The Evolution of the Utility Cart

With more than 75 years of experience comes the recognition that one single stainless steel utility cart design will not satisfy every type of need. While we love the 311 design, we realize it’s not the perfect cart for everyone. That said, our first stainless steel utility cart has helped inspire the designs of so many other carts in the Lakeside portfolio.

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The Multifunctionality of Foodservice Utility Carts: What To Know

 

If you work in the foodservice industry, heavy-duty utility carts are a great way to transport a wide variety of items, protect valuable inventory, and is a safe storage space. Regardless of whether you’re moving boxes, retrieving supplies, or getting ready for an upcoming event, you can make life easier by relying on multifunctional utility carts, but what does multifunctional really mean? Why is it important? And what are should operators look for when considering foodservice utility carts?

Transport Supplies Seamlessly From Place to Place

Of course, one of the first ways you can use multifunctional utility carts is to transport supplies easily from place to place. For example, you might have food and beverages that you need to move to a specific room for an upcoming event. Maybe you need to move cups, plates, and napkins. Perhaps you have fragile items that deserve added protection. Heavy-duty utility carts are versatile pieces of equipment that can accommodate all of your transportation requirements.

Keep Your Supplies Organized

If you don’t keep your supplies organized, you might have a hard time efficiently carrying out your daily operations. Utility carts come with a bunch of helpful compartments that allow you to organize inventory, hardware, and other tools. That way, you make life easier for your employees and workers. They can hang their tools on the side, divide items by compartment, and make sure all fragile items have proper protection. You can also save space on storage, as you can keep some items on your utility carts if you use them regularly.

Take Advantage of Customizable Options

Different niches and industries have different needs, so you might want to customize your utility cart depending on your specific line of work. For example, you might want to choose vertical panels that provide added protection or privacy. You might want to hang pegboards on the side of your utility carts for hanging tools. You can also use shelves that have cantilevered type adjustments that create more space or make your cart easier to transport. If you want to increase the efficiency of your operations, take advantage of a personalized, customized heavy-duty utility card.

Handle Heavy Loads

Utility carts have been specifically designed to be strong and durable. If you have heavy loads that you need to transport from place to place, you can use a foodservice utility cart to help you. You do not have to worry about purchasing heavy equipment or asking your employees to manually transport heavy loads from place to place. This can significantly reduce the chances of your employees getting hurt, and you can provide your industrial equipment with the protection it requires. If you need to transport heavy loads from place to place quickly and safely, multifunctional utility carts are the way to go.

Take Advantage of Foodservice Utility Carts from Lakeside

If you work in the foodservice, catering, hospitality, or restaurant industry, you understand the importance of having heavy-duty utility carts you can use regularly. Because your utility carts can serve more than one purpose, you can reduce the equipment required by using this valuable piece of equipment to fulfill multiple roles. Furthermore, you can take advantage of added storage space while making life easier for your staff. If you want to get the most out of your utility carts, count on the foodservice professionals from Lakeside to help you.

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A Quick Look at Supply Chain Issues in School Nutrition

Like in all industries, school nutrition directors are facing far-reaching supply chain issues that are impacting their abilities to serve students. In fact, according to the School Nutrition Association’s 2021 Supply Chain Survey, more than 98 percent of districts and programs reported shortages or difficulty procuring menu items, supplies, packaging, and more.

Coupling this trend with current labor shortages (nearly 95 percent of respondents reported staff shortages as a major challenge) and financial hurdles (only half of the schools report reimbursement rates being sufficient for covering costs of service during the pandemic) lead to challenging times for school nutrition directors.

When there’s a challenge, there’s also an opportunity though. Here are several things school nutrition directors can consider to enhance service during a global supply chain shortage.

START ANEW.

No matter what, school nutrition directors will continue to serve healthy meals to our students. That’s what they do. And while scrambling to meet demands with current vendors might be a challenge, it’s also an opportunity to search for new vendors who can help provide needed ingredients, supplies, or equipment. For staff, consider ways to ease the burdens on existing employees by streamlining processes or utilizing more efficient systems and equipment.

PLAN AHEAD.

In many school districts, April and May are great times to start planning for upgrades to the 2022-23 school year. Consider new plans for cafeterias and serving lines now, and those upgrades can be demonstrated and installed in the early summer. This puts school nutrition directors on track for the first day of school later in the summer with ample time to make adjustments or to consider custom designs.

ADJUST SERVICE.

Challenging times are also the perfect times for making changes to how service is delivered. For so many districts across the country, moving meals outside or to the classroom has been a pivotal part of keeping kids as safe as possible, minimizing the risks of potential exposure during the pandemic. But serving breakfast to students in the classroom, for example, is also a great way to promote nutritional wellbeing after a global pandemic. With this, many schools are adopting mobile serving methods to deliver breakfast and lunch directly to students in the classroom.

Plan ahead with Lakeside and Multiteria to reduce or avoid supply chain delays altogether.

Lakeside can help you avoid the current supply chain shortages with systems manufactured right here in the U.S. From serving lines to mobile food carts, now is the time to start planning for the coming school year.

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The Top 2022 Trends for Hospitality and Catering

We’re only a few short weeks into the New Year, so it’s a great time to look ahead for the hospitality and catering industries, two segments that have been impacted by the last two years of challenges. But while 2020 and 2021 have been largely focused on ways to pivot to preserve relevance, 2022 will see a return to more pre-pandemic habits with weddings being a driving force.

According to Hospitality Net, hotels and catering businesses can expect a grand return to weddings as compared to previous years, with the number totaling more than 2.5 million. When comparing to previous years, 2021 saw a total of under 2 million, while The Washington Post reported that nearly half of all weddings were postponed in 2020.

The return of the wedding business is great news for caterers and hotels alike, and according to Hospitality Net, there are a few things to consider when developing packages to help entice guests and planners.

YOU STILL HAVE TO CONSIDER COVID.

Make sure guidelines are in place as they relate to masking, distancing, and vaccinations. It’s also important to refine all booking and cancellation policies that could be impacted. In terms of the event itself, outside weddings rose in popularity during the pandemic, and this will likely remain the case for the foreseeable future. Organizations that can handle this trend operationally will be better positioned for more business.

ENCOURAGE FLEXIBILITY ON ALL FRONTS.

From mid-week weddings to the time of day in which weddings are held, it’s important to provide flexibility for today’s guests and planners. As mentioned above, flexibility can also mean where on the property weddings are held. Instead of inside the ballroom, providing access to the lawn is an important option. Likewise, weddings and events are more likely than ever to be smaller, so consider a reduced headcount as part of flexibility.

CONFIRM THE SUPPLY CHAIN.

From the ingredients needed to create a great wedding menu to the equipment required to serve it, now is a great time to reach out to vendors and confirm any potential issues with the supply chain. Not only are labor and shipping interruptions causing delays, but some businesses may not have made it through the pandemic. To begin the year, it’s a great idea to confirm and shore up those relationships.

Are you prepared for the increase in weddings in 2022?

When reviewing the three areas of focus above, one way to prepare for the increase in weddings in 2022 is to ensure you’re prepared operationally. From the need to move wedding and reception locations across the property to the long lead times so many are facing in terms of foodservice equipment, consider upgrading serving solutions before the summer wedding rush is in full force.

Lakeside and our collection of brands provide mobile serving equipment for both food and beverage service, from carts to transfer food from the kitchen to the buffet line to mobile bars for cocktail hour to bussing carts for a quick dinner clean-up. We can also provide solutions with low lead times for operations needing mobile foodservice equipment sooner rather than later.

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Dissecting the Latest Healthcare Foodservice Trends

Dissecting the Latest Healthcare Foodservice Trends

From labor shortages to the impacts of Covid, it’s been a challenging few years for hospital foodservice directors. These hurdles were outlined in the latest version of the Foodservice Director’s healthcare foodservice survey, and there are some clear trends that emerged.

THE IMPACT OF THE LABOR AND STAFFING CRISIS

Much like other industries, staffing is a huge challenge for healthcare foodservice directors, particularly since staff sizes often consist of fewer than 10 employees. According to the 2021 survey, 39 percent of respondents report fewer than 10 workers with 75 percent reporting 25 or less. This can mean that staff is harder to replace, that staff’s headcount has potentially shrunk due to external circumstances, or both. Compare those data points with the beginning of the pandemic. Fifteen percent of respondents reported laying off or furloughing staff due to the pandemic.

The most important statistic, though, relates to the biggest challenges operators faced during the Covid pandemic, with 81 percent reporting staff shortages and illnesses as the biggest hurdle. Coming in second at 71 percent was difficulty in sourcing products.

THE IMPACT OF COVID ON STAFF

As we just mentioned, 15 percent of healthcare foodservice directors reported the needed to lay off or furlough members of their teams. These were some of the unwanted circumstances from the early days of the pandemic, but what about now? The vaccine has created safer work environments, but what about those workers who opt out of vaccination? According to the Foodservice Director, 57 percent of healthcare foodservice operations did not require staff to be vaccinated, while 27 percent weren’t sure yet at the time of the survey, which was in March and April of last year.

THE IMPACT OF COVID WITHIN THE OPERATION AND THE COMMUNITY

One of the biggest challenges during Covid, especially in senior care communities, was to keep residents safe but also engaged. Mental health is such a critical component in senior care operations, so foodservice directors had to do whatever they could to help residents remain part of the community. The most popular method listed by survey respondents was mobile food carts, coming in at 76 percent. Other options included virtual events (59 percent) and virtual cooking classes (12 percent).

In terms of the community, 70 percent of healthcare foodservice directors said they worked with community partners during the pandemic. Individual volunteers from the community were the most widely reported at 57 percent, with local restaurants and local farmers coming in second and third at 52 percent and 28 percent respectively.

OTHER HEALTHCARE FOODSERVICE TRENDS FROM THE PANDEMIC

As we look back over the last two years, the survey data reveals a few other important trends. The first is that waste reduction and sustainability efforts were mostly paused during the course of the last few years, with 63 percent of respondents making that claim.

In terms of menu trends that are dictating future service, there are four important ones. Surprisingly, boosting immunity is the lowest at 23 percent with global cuisines and plant-based menu items emerging more popular at 32 percent and 34 percent. The most important menu trend for the future according to healthcare foodservice directors is portability, with 64 percent stating the importance of mobility in foodservice.

2022: HEALTHCARE FOODSERVICE TRENDS IN CONCLUSION

As we’ve seen, Covid and the subsequent fallouts have had major impacts in healthcare foodservice. From menu direction to patient engagement, one of the most important solutions is a successful mobile foodservice plan that keeps foods fresh and at ideal serving temperatures.

Lakeside and our team of brands can help you find solutions for successful mobile foodservice operations.

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Inclusive Workplaces: ADA Compliant Cashier Stations

Inclusive Workplaces: ADA Compliant Cashier Stations

Today, any business owner understands the need to ensure the business remains compliant with ADA requirements. One common thing to consider is getting a convenient cashier station with the required height. In this post, we'll help you discover the ADA standards for your business. Ensuring every individual has equal access is crucial for all businesses. But what is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act affects practically all businesses with 15 or more full-time employees. The company can be online-only, public websites, or brick-and-mortar stores. Generally, the idea for these compliance rules is to ensure all public accommodations are accessible to all members of the public.

When it comes to retail and foodservice, countertops are a big consideration, as cashier counters should be long, wide, and short enough to allow employees and customers with disabilities to gain access to goods and services. It is common to find high sales and service counters that people in wheelchairs cannot reach. Therefore, modifying them to match the required standards is important.

ADA-compliant cashier stations need to be 36 inches wide and high to accommodate all shoppers and persons with disabilities. From a forward perspective, leave 12 inches of knee space below the counter to ensure anyone in it is comfortable and has easy mobility.

Equally important, locate the cashier counter in an area with a clear room with abundant space. The room space for the cashier counter should measure at least 30 inches by 48 inches. The clear floor allows for the free movement of wheelchairs and large appliances. There should be no clutter or obstructions that can present any danger in an accident.

Why Is ADA Compliance Important?

There are many reasons why a business should be ADA compliant. The top ones are:

  • The ADA is the law: the ADA is a law at the federal level and helps protect everyone with disabilities against discrimination. It helps to monitor businesses as they should comply with the typical requirements of accessible design, which means as long as you are operating a business in the US, the standards apply to you
  • You will gain and retain customers. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, one person in every five you meet has a form of disability. Thus, you will likely have some people with disabilities among your target customers.
  • Word of mouth advertising: Generally, the disability community is often tight-knit and sticks together. They are likely to encourage others to become your customers when you deliver exceptional customer service.
  • Tax write-offs and financial assistance: ADA creates standards and resources that help meet compliance goals. Being ADA compliant increases your chances of financial assistance and lowers the possibility of ADA violation.
  • It's the right thing to do. Doing whatever you can do to help a wider segment of the population is just a nice and kind way to act.

What Can Happen If A Business Is Not In Compliance?

Understanding the consequences of not complying with ADA rules will enable you to avoid penalties. They include:

  • It attracts huge fines. According to federal laws, a non-compliant business may pay up to $75,000 in fines for the first violation. Any additional ADA violations may go up to $150,000. These are direct penalties that you need to avoid by ensuring your business is ADA-approved.
  • Lawsuits by people with disabilities: If you don't offer adequate public accommodation, you expose your business to lawsuits, civil penalties, or personal injury issues from customers or employees.
  • Damage to your business reputation: This is perhaps the most financially damaging consequence if your business is not ADA compliant. You will lose reputation among your potential customers, meaning low sales and fewer customers.

It is essential to remain ADA compliant and serve your customers effectively. Here are Multiteria's ADA-compliant cashier stations that you can purchase today for your business.

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Strengthen Your Mobile Foodservice Operation with These Three Tips

Strengthen Your Mobile Foodservice Operation with These Three Tips

To run a successful mobile foodservice operation, you need to ask the right questions and select the right elements to boost your sales. Customer demands keep changing, and having the ability to move points of service can be rewarding for both customers and operators alike, especially if done correctly.

These are the top three tips to consider when building a successful mobile foodservice operation.

What Is Being Served?

The type of meals being served will almost certainly dictate how those meals are served — and what’s required to serve them. To start, it’s critical to think about menu development as an overall objective of the operation, as well as how the menu will be received by customers. Both are important and will impact mobile foodservice strategies. Consider if you will require cold or hot food, from a cashier’s station, or have ready-made meals.

  • Customers are more educated and have preferences. We live in an era where the customer is highly educated on food choices and preferences. Whether it’s an exotic cuisine type or what constitutes healthy choices, today’s diners know the difference.
  • Customers have technology. With mobile applications, the technological influence of foodservice goes well beyond delivery service. Technology is even impacting on-premise dining, as well, an this impacts menus.
  • There is no magic formula. A menu that’s successful one year might lose favor in another. Menu development and the equipment used to serve it should be fluid and changeable.

Where Is It Being Served?

Mobile equipment is designed to move around a room or a property. It’s important that serving equipment can stand up to whatever challenges are in the way, whether literally or figuratively. Make sure units can stand up to the rigors of transportation, and also make sure units can fit through any doors. Other location considerations are:

  • Can locations be moved to high-traffic areas with easy accessibility?
  • Is there enough space for equipment?
  • What type of flooring will units traverse?

What Does It Look Like?

Whether it’s a high school cafeteria or a banquet buffet in a beautiful ballroom, aesthetics matter. Considering things like color pallets, trim options, and customer wraps will help enable a harmonious appearance in the operation. This will also help boost branding. Consider the following questions when determining what mobile foodservice equipment should look like:

  • Is there an overall aesthetic or appearance that needs to be considered?
  • Can mobile serving equipment help underscore the goals of the brand?
  • Does the service area need customized décor options?

Lakeside has a wide selection of Utility Carts that allow you to find the perfect solution for your mobile foodservice operations. Contact us today to discover the perfect cart for your facility.

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Hot Debate: Which is Better, Heated or Non Heated Plate Dispensers?

Hot Debate: Which is Better, Heated or Non-Heated Plate Dispensers?

To heat or not to heat. That’s often the question foodservice operators face when they’re looking to build out banquet serving lines, upgrade corporate cafeterias, or even enhance school foodservice capabilities in K-12 settings or on college campuses. And the debate is whether to offer plates that are heated or dispense them from a non-heated plate dispenser at ambient temperatures.

So, when should you use a heated plate dispenser? There are a handful of reasons that make the most sense as it relates to using a heated plate dispenser versus a non-heated option, and we’ll walk through those one-by-one now.

Are you serving hot food?

Think about your own, personal dining experiences when plate dispensing was involved. Unless you’re going to the salad bar, grabbing a cold plate and filling it with hot meats and vegetables can decrease the perception of the service. Research shows that using a heated plate dispenser can help elevate that perception, while at the same time keeping warm foods at temperatures that are more desirable for diners. Simply put, if you’re serving hot foods, you probably don’t want to serve them on ice-cold plates.

Are you serving food in a cold environment? 

Sometimes the ambient room temperatures might be cold or potentially unstable, which can then impact the temperatures of food being served. Serving lines might also exist in outside areas or spaces exposed to the elements. By using a heated plate dispenser, the potential for external temperatures to impact the temperature of foodservice is diminished.

Are you looking to save costs?

As you might expect, heated plate dispensers costs more than those without heating elements and the ability to warm china. That being said, saving on plate dispensers could actually wind up costing more if food quality or safety leads to food waste. If there’s any potential for serving warm foods or serving foods when external temperatures could impact service, it’s almost always advisable to choose a plate dispenser with heating elements. If plates will be used only for cold food service such as salad bars, an operation could probably get away with using a non-heated plate dispenser.

Plate Dispensers: Other Considerations

Plate dispenser options can also include mobile or countertop units. Moveable food dispensers are more ideal for buffets because they can be transferred quickly to any space. Countertop dispensers are more ideal for cafeterias and restaurants as they tend to be more stationary.

Adjust-A-Fit dispensers allow for multiple plate sizes to be dispensed from the unit. Need one side for salad plates and one side for hot food dishes? No problem! Adjust-A-Fit heated double-wall cabinets allow you to adjust the height and the temperature for both dispenser tubes individually. The easy, non-stick glide design ensures smooth dispensing of your bowl or plate of choice.