MAKE YOUR MARK: 

ENHANCE HOSPITALITY

MARCH 10, 2020
INTRODUCTIONS

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SPEAKER INTRODUCTION

Chef Matthew Campbell

• Corporate Executive Chef with

the Culinary Services Group

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MAKE YOUR MARK

By Matt Campbell - Corporate Executive Chef of CSG 

ENHANCING HOSPITALITY IN THE

CONGREGATE NUTRITION PROGRAM SECTOR
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WHAT IS HOSPITALITY? 

• Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and

a host, wherein the host receives the guest with

goodwill, including the reception and

entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: YOUR FIRST CHANCE FOR IMPACT 

Assign a host or greeter 

welcome and help seat 

anyone and everyone 

who enters your facility

This person should have 

a great smile and 

natural sociability 

You are also looking for 

this person to have good

multi tasking skills as 

they will have to have a 

“head on a swivel”

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CREATING THE PROPER STATION 

• Move a small podium or desk near the front entrance and

keep a ledger or notebook to take down names and times

to help get people familiar

• Create Name Tags for the guests so everyone can see the

names of their peers

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Lighting Matters 

-Holiday lights

and batteryoperated lights 

are affordable 

and can be 

tastefully used to 

create ambiance 

Centerpieces 

on tables with 

artificial flowers 

that can be 

purchased at a 

local craft store

THE ATMOSPHERE OF HOSPITALITY 

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THE LANGUAGE OF HOSPITALITY 

•Greet the guests with a friendly hello and a

smile. Eye contact is imperative. Remember,

you are the guest’s first impression that sets

the tone for the experience to come.

Pull out chairs for the women. Pull napkins

and place on each guest lap if not too busy.

Some men might need assistance too so be

aware when they too might need a bit of

help.

Always depart with a pleasant “enjoy your

meal” and a smile.

•

•

“It has been, and continues to be, our 

responsibility to fill the earth with the light 

and warmth of hospitality.”- J.W. Marriot

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CREATING A BETTER SETTING

• Is this a possibility? Resources and labor at many senior

centers are limited. The reality of plate ware and flatware

is that it creates a new task in the cleaning process. With

the addition of doing all the dishes this creates another

labor role for any facility. Is this a resource that you have?

• At special events inquire with a local rental company to

see if they can provide china and flatware for special

occasions. This might be an affordable option that does

not require a steady stream of costly labor.

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HOLIDAY AND FOOD 

CENTERED EVENTS 

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SCREEN SHARE:

CSG CULINARY EDGE CALENDAR 

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These events don’t have to be on 

the actual days that they fall

Create a special event around a 

holiday especially if your facility is 

closed on holidays 

Everyone likes to celebrate!!!

Decorations can be fun activities to 

get seniors involved with helping

HOLIDAY EVENTS BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER 

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SERVICE PROVIDERS HAVE OPTIONS 

Brunch Initiative: Brunch is a 

very cost-effective meal to 

prepare and people love it 

Encourage open lines of 

communication between senior 

centers and meal providers to 

coordinate what time of day 

best suits meal services 

Educate your clients on the 

importance of the nutrientdense meal options (i.e., DASH 

Diet) - encourage meals that 

deliver stealth health.

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PROMISING PRACTICE: SOCIALIZATION OPENS UP AROUND THE MEAL

• Meals on Wheels People in Vancouver

Washington have opened The Diner

Vancouver that serves breakfast all

day and a small lunch menu to seniors

in a warm retro diner style

environment

• The Diner encourages

intergenerational social interaction by

welcoming a diverse crowd of people

– business professionals, families,

individuals and older adults alike.

• Learn about the Diner and other

innovative nutrition programs in the

NRCNA Sustainability and Revenue

Generation Issue Brief! Available at: https://nutritionandaging.org/briefs/

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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO ENHANCE YOUR OWN OPERATION?

Continue to 

educate your 

staff and bring 

the hospitality 

mind set into the 

senior center 

setting

Create an event 

schedule to 

stimulate 

interest and 

coordinate 

thematic meals 

Try varying your 

service styles -

coordinate 

ideas with food 

providers

Create an activity 

that will help 

decorate the 

center; i.e. 

making battery lit 

lanterns and floral 

arrangements for 

center pieces on 

tables 

Engage, engage, 

engage - listen 

to the guests

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THANKS FOR LOGGING INTO THE 

WEBINAR TODAY!!

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DISCUSSION QUESTION

In what ways does your organization create a 

welcoming atmosphere for your congregate 

nutrition program participants?

Please enter a brief description of these efforts into

the Chat box on your screen. Let us know!

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SENIOR PANEL DISCUSSION

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SENIOR PANELISTS & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Bonnie

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Bessie Burt

Questions

1. What made you decide to come to your congregate nutrition site?

2. What do you enjoy most about your time at your congregate site?

3. What advice would you give to a director who is trying to create a

much more inviting atmosphere at your congregate nutrition site?
Q&A
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CELEBRATE THE SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM

• Help ACL celebrate the Older Americans Act National

Senior Nutrition Program congregate services.

By the end of March, please send photos, videos, audio

clips, or testimonials from seniors about your meal site,

program activities, or nutrition education to

healthpromotion@acl.hhs.gov.

Please include your contact information and permission to

use the material.

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KEEP ON CELEBRATING: JOIN US NEXT WEEK

For the rest of the month, the Administration for Community Living 

has prepared a series of weekly webinars.

Webinar #3

Title: Make Your Mark: Offer More Choice

Date: Thursday March 10

Time: 3:30pm – 5pm ET

Register: 

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5958901528403610893

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CONNECT WITH YOUR PEERS VIA NRCNAengage

NRCNAengage is an online venue for senior nutrition program staff, nutrition 

and aging professionals across the country to connect, share best practices, 

resources, recipes and ideas for action!

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Signing up is easy! 

Visit www.nrcna.mn.co

and click ‘Invite’!
• Title Text

– Body Level Five

THANK YOU