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9 Ways to Boost Dining Services Revenue in Senior Living, Part 2: Staff Dining Programs
In the dynamic environment of senior living communities, the well-being and satisfaction of staff are paramount. As foodservice leaders, implementing opportunities for staff to enjoy meals from your own dining venues not only provides a significant perk but also captures valuable revenue opportunities. This blog explores how a well-designed staff dining program can drive more revenue and even improve employee morale, especially when deployed with a Point of Sale (POS) solution tailored to the unique needs of senior living communities.
The big benefits of staff dining programs
- Capture opportunities for income: By offering convenient, reasonably priced, delicious staff dining options within your community, you encourage them to dine onsite instead of seeking meals from a nearby restaurant or using food delivery apps. This keeps things easy for them, while keeping spending within your organization.
- Convenient for busy staff: Your team members are often busy with their daily tasks and on-the-go. Providing accessible and convenient dining options right where they work ensures they can enjoy nutritious meals without the hassle of packing it themselves or going offsite.
- A valuable perk for team retention and attraction: In a competitive job market, perks matter. Offering a staff dining program can be a key factor in retaining your current employees and attracting new talent. It's a tangible way to show appreciation and support for your team.
Tips for implementing a successful staff dining program
- Make payments seamless:
- Allow staff to pay for meals by scanning their employee badge.
- Offer options to deduct the balance from their paycheck or charge to their specific department.
- Provide flexible payment options that cater to different preferences and make transactions smooth and easy.
- Customize employee discounts:
- Encourage staff to dine onsite by offering exclusive discounts, making your dining options more appealing than offsite alternatives.
- Try programming instant 10-15% employee discounts into your POS system for seamless checkouts.
- Offer flexibility and variety:
- Provide a range of dining options, including grab-and-go meals to accommodate varying schedules.
- Implement Self-Service Kiosks for ultimate convenience and to reduce the need for additional staffing during off-hours.
- Enable mobile ordering and payments:
- Empower your team members to order and pay for their meals from anywhere using an in-house Mobile Ordering App.
- This convenience aligns with their busy schedules and ensures they can access meals effortlessly on-the-go.
- Promote take-home options:
- Offer easy-to-transport meals such as pizzas, salads, and tacos that staff can take home after their shifts. Or, perhaps offer large discounts on leftovers from that day, so you can avoid food waste.
Enhancing Employee Morale
A thoughtfully implemented staff dining program is more than just a revenue stream; it can be a morale booster. When employees feel valued and supported, their job satisfaction and loyalty are bound to increase. Here’s how your staff dining program can make a positive impact:
Providing healthy meal options on-site ensures your team has access to nutritious food, contributing to their overall well-being.
Sharing meals can foster a sense of camaraderie among staff, enhancing teamwork and collaboration.
By removing the need to plan and prepare meals, you reduce stress and help your staff focus on their core responsibilities.
Using MealSuite’s Point of Sale system to implement a standout Staff Dining Program
- Convenient badge scanning: Employees can effortlessly pay by scanning their badges, with options to deduct the balance directly from their paycheck or charge it to their specific department, streamlining the payment process and reducing administrative overhead.
- Flexible payment options: MealSuite's POS system supports various other payment methods including points and declining balance plans, charge accounts with caps and other controls, credit cards, gift cards and cash, catering to diverse staff needs and preferences.
- Enhanced convenience: Through our Mobile Ordering Portal App or Self-Service Kiosks, employees can order meals at their own convenience, improving their dining experience and ensuring they have easy access to nutritious meals even during busy work shifts.
- Automatic discounts: Discounts can be automatically applied to diners in specific categories (i.e. Staff, Guests or Residents) when they go to checkout.
Embrace the potential of staff dining programs and watch as your revenue grows and your team thrives. After all, a happy and well-fed team is a productive team!
Want to dive into more ways a flexible Point of Sale system can help you drive revenue? Download our free e-book: 9 Ways to Capture More Dining Revenue in Your Senior Living Community with a Flexible Point of Sale System
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