{"id":25597,"date":"2018-10-04T07:10:18","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T11:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/using-food-to-form-community-connections\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T11:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T15:33:09","slug":"using-food-to-form-community-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/using-food-to-form-community-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Food to Form Community Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone eats, and using a food program can help your operation expand its reach and visibility.<\/h2>\n

Every business wants to create a stronger bond with its customers and expand its reach to potential customers. Foodservice can play an important role in helping healthcare operators accomplish this. A change of perspective may facilitate the process. <\/p>\n

\u201cRetirement communities have traditionally looked inward,\u201d observes Neil Prashad, President & CEO of Toronto-based Origin Active Lifestyle Communities Inc. He says this has resulted in self-contained environments that limit opportunities for broader community interaction for both operators and residents. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut what if we looked outward as well?\u201d he asks. \u201cWhat if we opened our service platform to customers outside of our real estate?\u201d<\/p>\n

Prashad is one of a growing number of healthcare operators exploring new ways to connect with their customers and their local communities and, in the process, earn additional revenue, generate valuable goodwill and position themselves as a service provider of choice.<\/p>\n

Many of the new approaches revolve around food. After all, dining is something people look forward to several times a day, and the increasing presence of trained chefs in healthcare kitchens allows a greater degree of culinary creativity.<\/p>\n

A focus on food also helps operators capitalize on three social trends valued across all age groups, but particularly among the younger people at the core of your workforce:<\/p>\n

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  1. Transparency. <\/strong>Customers and employees alike want to know as much as possible about the culture and business practices of organizations they interact with. Being transparent about how you source, prepare and present your food can bolster your reputation for openness and honesty. <\/li>\n
  2. Social responsibility<\/a>. <\/strong> A 2016 study by Cone Communications found 76 percent of millennials consider a company\u2019s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work\u2014and 75 percent say they would take a pay cut to work for a responsible company. Food provides numerous opportunities to positively impact the community beyond your four walls. <\/li>\n
  3. Sustainability.<\/strong> The ubiquity of environmental news coverage is proof of the passion that surrounds this issue. Demonstrating sustainable food sourcing and waste reduction efforts can position you as a \u201cdo-the-right-thing\u201d operator. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    One other reason to let foodservice lead the way in engaging customers and community: food is just plain fun.  <\/p>\n

    Here are some engaging ways you can you use food to add value to your organization.<\/p>\n

    Highlight local products<\/h3>\n

    If you use local ingredients<\/a>, call attention to them. Fairview Lodge, a long-term care community in Whitby, Ontario, identifies dishes made with local ingredients by highlighting them in green on menus. The foodservice department also hosts food expos inviting residents, families and staff to engage with local food suppliers and sample their goods. <\/p>\n

    Other ideas:<\/p>\n