Meals were assembled on a tray assembly line three times a day at established times. Patients received their meals according to their location within the facility. At each scheduled mealtime, salad makers, food production staff, dishwashers and other key staff assisted with the assembly process. This system worked fairly well, but common problems occurred when patients moved within the facility, when diets changed or when patients were out of their rooms for surgery or tests. Traditional hospital food service requires that foods are prepared in bulk in advance and held at high temperatures during service periods.
Food continues to cook which sometimes affects how it tastes.
Room service allows cooks to make the meals to order, which means the food looks and tastes better. Finally, the program gives dietitians the opportunity to do more patient education. With the old system, patients with special dietary needs who ordered something they weren't allowed to have didn't get the food they ordered. But they also may not have gotten an explanation for why something else came in its place. With room service, the dietitian they talk to when they order explains why they can't have it.