Remember that phrase ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’? Well, it doesn’t apply to seniors’ communities…
“When it comes to telling us what food they want,” says Michael Maciborski, Area Chef for Langley, “our residents are not shy, and they’re good at giving us feedback!”
Part of what keeps a good line of communication open is that Michael walks the dining room every day, two seatings a day.
“I make myself available,” adds Michael. “I ask them what they think, and they tell me.” Serving staff are also good listeners, and as our servers are the first line, they get to know each resident’s likes, and dislikes, on a very personal level.
“We make time to spend a few extra moments with each table,” says Katherine, a server at Magnolia for three years. “Our residents really enjoy the meals here, and they appreciate that we make it a great experience.”
Certainly, our servers are familiar with the dietary needs of seniors — particularly for low sodium or low spice options. By focusing on building strong relationships, our servers get to know our residents’ favourite tables, their best friends (as well as how to introduce them to new friends!), as well as their allergies and food preferences.
“Bob loves cake, so he gets cake. Al loves pudding, he gets pudding.” says Crystal, a server with three years at Magnolia who makes a point of getting to know her guests better.
What about needs? If one server discovers something specific, such as leaving ice out of a resident’s water glass because it hurts their teeth, that information gets shared with everyone on the team.
Pam Murphy, Area General Manager for Bria Communities in Langley, observes “Our kitchen staff is a highly collaborative team. Word gets around about some little detail, and it gets taken care of. They are very in-sync with each other, and our residents.”
What about changes?
Residents move seats all the time: friends get invited to different tables, and if people are away and someone ends up by themselves, our servers notice and make every effort to reseat them with their neighbours.
“Each server understands that we’re a social community,” adds Michael. “Our servers stand by our ‘get to know your neighbours’ tagline every day.”
What else? We often have guests — friends, family and visitors looking to see if Magnolia is their next home. Jane Bryce, Area Marketing Manager for Bria Communities in Langley, says “We offer free lunches with our tours, just so people can break bread with us and get a feel for who we are. The more the merrier.”
Magnolia serves more than a 120 people each day, and there’s always room for one more!
Want more information about what life is like at a Bria community? Contact Jane Bryce, Area Marketing Manager for Langley at 604 514-1210.
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