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Tips, Tricks & Ideas

to save you money!

Cost Savings Tips

Table of Contents

1. Dining Program Cost Control 44. Convenience Foods 2. Cost Effective Snacks 45. Save Money on Coffee 3. Avoiding Overproduction 46. Returning Product 4. Portion Control 47. Supply and Demand 5. Consolidating Deliveries 48. Unnecessary Inventory 6. Descending Dollar Report 49. Dining Enhancements 7. Proper Pureeing Procedure 50. Meal Planning 8. Controlling Food Costs—Food Cost Checklist 9. Using the Correct Can Liner Size 10. Save Money with Coupons 11. Thickened Liquids 12. Costs Associated with Local Grocery Shopping 13. Managing Produce Costs 14. Advantages of Dessert Carts 15. Dispensing Equipment 16. “Always Available” Menu 17. Free CEU’s from Martin Bros. 18. Standardized Recipes 19. Revenue Generating Ideas 20. Inventory Control 21. Nutritional Supplements 22. Fortifying Foods 23. Controlling Food Costs—Serving Tips 24. Cooking Techniques 25. Keeping it Clean 26. Proper Selection and Care of Knives 27. Slow Moving Inventory 28. Managing Labor Costs 29. Preventing Food –Bourne IIllness 30. Mattings 31. Combating Theft 32. Reducing Labor Costs 33. Searching for Recipes by Cost 34. Save on Energy Costs 35. Direct Debit Program 36. Bulk Purchases vs. Individual 37. Improving Quality of Life and Reducing Costs 38. Food Prices and Inflation 39. Food and Special Events 40. Snack Time! 41. In-Service in a Box 42. Save Money in the Dishroom 43. Online Order System

Cost Savings Tip #1 Page 1

It all starts with setting budgetary goals. Most of our customers utilize the per patient or resident day food costs as a benchmark.

Step # 1: Determine resident or patient days per month

(# of days/month) x (# of residents)

= Resident days/month Step # 2: Calculate food cost per patient or per resident day Raw food cost Resident days/month = food cost PPD (per patient day) Example: Step # 1: 50 residents x 31 days in January = 1550 resident days/January Step # 2: $7550 food costs in January 1550 resident days in January

= $5.00 ppd These goals vary most commonly between $4.50 - $6.50 from customer to

customer. Once the goals are set, make sure that the administrator and dietary manager

communicate and regularly evaluate whether the goals are on target to be met.


Snacks are a part of everyone’s dining program. We are always looking for something new and different for our residents. Fol-lowing is a list of “cost effective” snacks for you to consider for your facility. I have highlighted the softer snacks so you can identify them more easily. Our most recent addition to our snack line-up are the Fieldstone snacks. They are the old “Little Debbie” snacks and are smaller in size and also a softer snack. Give them a try if you haven’t al-ready!

Cost Savings Tip #2 - Cost Effective Snacks Page 3

Cost Effective Snacks 02/10 Item # Brand Pack Description BARS

400290 GENERAL MI 96/1.4 OZ BAR CEREAL CINN TOAST

416040 GENERAL MI 96/1.4 OZ BAR CEREAL COCOA PUFFS

413728 QUAKER 12/10 CT BAR GRANOLA CHEWY CHOC CHIP 9

410340 GENERAL MI 144/0.74 OZ BAR GRANOLA OATS'N HONEY NV 1

414270 FIELDSTONE 128/.84 OZ BAR RICE CRISPY

414280 FIELDSTONE 192/1.38 OZ BAR STRAWBERRY FRUIT

413690 NATURE VAL 120/1 OZ. BAR GRANOLA VARIETY CHEWY

COOKIES

413620 ANDES 100/1.00 OZ COOKIE ANDES CHOC MINT

411670 AZAR 100/1 OZ COOKIE ANIMAL SNACKERS

414190 FIELDSTONE 96/1.41 OZ COOKIE APPLE DELIGHT

413760 KELLOGG'S 12/26 CT COOKIE ASST -CHOC CHIP SUG

981130 BEST MAID 144/1 OZ COOKIE BAKED CHOC CHIP RF

987680 BEST MAID 144/1 OZ COOKIE BAKED CHOCOLATE CHIP IW 2

987630 BEST MAID 144/1 OZ COOKIE BAKED OATMEAL RAI-

413600 BIG TOP 100/1.00 OZ COOKIE BIG TOP ANIMAL

987900 BEST MAID 6/12 CT COOKIE CHOC CHIP 1 OZ

410830 KELLOGG'S 12/14 OZ COOKIE CHOC CHIP O.F. (324/

414170 FIELDSTONE 144/1.19 OZ COOKIE CREME FILLED FUDGE

413140 NABISCO 120/2CT/.85 COOKIE CREME SANDWICH SNACKWEL 1

413450 KELLOGG'S 300/2 CT COOKIE KRISP KREEM 2 414460 KELLOGG'S 120/4 CT COOKIE LEMON OHS] 2

988070 BEST MAID 6/12 CT COOKIE M&M CHOC CHIP 1 OZ

413610 MUSSELMANS 100/1.00 OZ COOKIE MUSSELMANS APPSAU/OATME 9

987930 BEST MAID 6/12 CT COOKIE OATMEAL RAISIN 1 OZ

414160 FIELDSTONE 144/1.34 OZ COOKIE OATMEAL WITH CREME 413210 NABISCO 120/2 CT COOKIE OREO 1

413340 NABISCO 24/5 OZ COOKIE OREO CREME SAND 336CT 1

413430 NABISCO 120/4CT/1.4 COOKIE OREO CREME SAND 4 CT. 1

411130 GRANDMA'S 60/2.50 OZ COOKIE PEANUT BUTTER

Cost Savings Tip #2 - Cost Effective Snacks (cont) Page 4

Cost Effective Snacks 02/10

Item # Brand Pack Description COOKIES

987920 BEST MAID 6/12 CT COOKIE PEANUT BUTTER 1 OZ THAW 2

988190 BEST MAID 6/12 CT COOKIE SNICKERDOODLE 1 OZ THAW 2

987910 BEST MAID 6/12 CT COOKIE SUGAR 1 OZ THAWNSERVE 2

413420 NABISCO 150/.5 OZ COOKIE TEDDY GRAHAM CUBS CINN 1

413298 NABISCO 1/5# COOKIE VANILLA WAFERS BULK 1

414310 GRANDMA'S 72/1.22 OZ COOKIE CHOCOLATE CHIP SOFT BAK

389910 PRODUCE 1/7 LB COOKIES FORTUNE IND WRAP 350CT 9

COOKIES SUGAR FREE 413640 MURRAY 1/120 CT COOKIE SF VARIETY CRACKERS 411630 KELLOGG'S 1/10# CRACKER ANIMAL BULK 10# 2 410678 KELLOGG'S 60/1.5 OZ CRACKER CHEEZ-IT 2

414498 KELLOGG'S 100/.9 OZ CRACKER DOLPHIN & FRIEND SNACK 2

411880 CAMPBELLS 300/.75 OZ CRACKER GOLDFISH 4

411890 PEPPERIDGE 6/31 OZ CRACKER GOLDFISH CHEESE 4

414408 AUSTIN 216/6 CT CRACKER SNACK CHEESE/P. BUTTER

414428 AUSTIN 216/6 CT CRACKER SNACK CHEESE ON CHEESE

SNACKS

600620 RACHEL'S 60/1 OZ SNACK PUFFED APPLE CINNAMON 7

600630 RACHEL'S 60/1 OZ SNACK PUFFED CARAMEL MULTI-GRA 7

600690 RACHEL'S 60/1 OZ SNACK PUFFED CHEDDAR CHEESE 7

BULK CHIPS

603740 FRITO-LAY 12/8.5 OZ CHIPS CHEETOS JUMBO PUFFED

603880 FRITO LAY 8/16 OZ. CHIPS SANTITAS REST SYTLE

603898 FRITO LAY 8/16 OZ CHIPS TORTILLA TOSTITOS BRAND

603900 FRITO LAY 4/32 OZ. SNACK MIX CHEESE MUNCHIES

603920 FRITO LAY 8/16 OZ CHIPS FRITOS BRAND CORN REG

603930 FRITO LAY 8/16 OZ. CHIPS SUN ORIGINAL MULTIGRAIN 603940 FRITO LAY 6/16 OZ CHIPS LAYS REGULAR 603970 FRITO LAY 8/16 OZ. CHIPS RUFFLES REGULAR 605180 FRITO-LAY 7/12 OZ CHIPS DORITO NACHO

605190 FRITO-LAY 6/13.75OZ CHIPS DORITO TACO LATE NIGHT

606128 FRITO-LAY 10/10.5 OZ CHIPS POTATO BBQ 606170 FRITO-LAY 10/10.5 CHIPS SOUR CR & ONION

Highlighted denotes a softer snack to chew.


In many healthcare communities, the #1 reason for high food costs is due to overpro-duction. If a 100 bed facility overproduces by 10% daily, (making just 10 extra serv-ings per day) it can cost them over $18,000 per year. To avoid overproduction:

1. Consider using a production guide from Simply Menus, Martin Bros’ web-based menu program. This tool minimizes leftovers as it communicates the number of servings of each item to prepare and adjust for future refer-ence. Use this guide as a forecasting tool for the next cycle of the menu. Check out the sample guide on the following page.

2. Quantify recipes based on the number of servings needed. (See the Simply Menus online recipe file.)

3. Evaluate whether you are feeding your customers too much food and adjust as indicated. ( Are they only eating part of the meal? Does your general diet greatly exceed their calculated energy needs? If so, you and your dietitian may discuss smaller meals or servings, etc.)

4. Conduct a study to determine what food is being thrown away or wasted. If you want more information on Simply Menus and the cost saving features, please contact Chris Timmons at [email protected] or for further ideas on avoiding overproduction, contact Julie Halfpop at [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]


Cost Savings Tip #3 - Production Guide Page 6


Does your staff know using the wrong portioning utensil can cost a lot of money in your food budget? If your staff serves the green beans with an 8 oz spoodle instead of a #8 scoop, they are serving twice as much food as needed, doubling your food cost for that item. Frequently train your staff on scoop sizes and conversions. Check which scoops staff are actually using at service time. Make sure staff are using the portioning utensil as specified on the planned menus which have already been audited for cost control and nutritional adequacy. Are they using a scale to weigh meat such as roast beef or ham as they slice? Stock your kitchen with plenty of all the necessary serving utensils, so staff don’t just grab anything to serve with. Commonly used scoop conversion are #6 scoop = 6 oz spoodle = 2/3 cup # 8 scoop = 4 oz spoodle = ½ cup #10 scoop = 3 to 4 ounces = 3/8 cup #12 scoop = 2.5 to 3 ounces = 1/3 cup #16 scoop = 2 to 2.25 ounces = ½ cup #20 scoop = 1.75 to 2 ounces = 3 tbsp + ¾ tsp #24 scoop = 1.5 to 1.75 ounces = 2 tbsp + 2 tsp #30 scoop = 1 to 1.5 ounces = 2 tbsp + ¾ tsp #40 scoop = .75 ounce = 1 tbsp + 1.5 tsp A training activity you may use to help you staff become more familiar with measuring conversions is “Go Measure,” available in the Martin Brothers Inservice in a Box kit, Item #100902.

Cost Savings Tip #4 - Portion Control Page 8


Save money and time when you consolidate deliveries. When you put more items on one delivery from Martin Brothers, you save money and Martin Bros. saves money. This allows Martin Brothers to keep our bottom line lower and, in turn, our prices. How does this save you money?

1. When you get one delivery a week instead of two, your staff only has to meet the truck once to check in an order and put items in storage. This saves you time, and time is money.

2. There are fewer paper invoices to receive, file, and reconcile which means fewer bills to pay. Save your accountant time and money.

3. By increasing the dollar value of your order, you may be reaching drop sizes that increase your rebate if you participate in a group purchasing organization that provides rebates. Look at adding janitorial supplies, chemicals, or medical supplies to your delivery as a way to save more by consolidating more.

4. It costs Martin Brothers money each time we make a delivery in staff wages and fuel costs. The more we can streamline our deliveries to just the absolutely nec-essary stops, the more savings we can pass on to you.


The descending dollar report is a great tool to use if your facility food costs are running higher than

the established goal. This report organizes the purchases from highest to lowest dollar value. Martin

Bros. customers can access this report at www.martinsmart.com or by asking your sales rep. Click on

“Reports”, “Other”, then “Descending Dollar Report”. Next, enter the date range you desire to evalu-

ate.

The 80/20 rule tells us that 80% of your total dollar purchases are in the top 20% of the items you buy. By reviewing the top 20% of the items you are purchasing, you can make an impact on your bot-tom line. Here’s a sample of what the report looks like for a 60-bed facility over a 4 month period.

ITEM PACK SIZE DESCRIPTION BRAND ORDERED

SHIPPED

965618 2 128 OZ JUICE CONC 4+1 ORANGE 100% FLORIDA FIRST 26 26

915580 1 15# BACON LAYOUT 18/22 CT HORMEL FOODS CORP. 33 33

706120 64 2 OZ COFFEE WB BLEND DECAF FILTER ESSENTIAL 31 31

965678 2 128 OZ JUICE CONC 4+1 CRANBER-RY25% FLORIDA FIRST 14 14

349194 2 8-10# BEEF POT ROAST SELECT ROUND SARA LEE CORP (meat) 15 15

965668 2 128 OZ JUICE CONC 5+1 APPLE 100% FLORIDA FIRST 18 18

975098 12 2# CTN EGGS LIQUID WHOLE W/CITRIC ACI

SUNNY FRESH FOODS/CARGILL KITCHEN 28 28

914448 200 .8 OZ SAUSAGE LINK MAPLE SYRUP FC CN SARA LEE CORP (meat) 28 28

970040 2 9-10 LB TURKEY ROAST BNLS WH/DK FOIL SARA LEE CORP (meat) 10 10

991010 2 24/4 OZ NOVELTY ICE CREAMCUP VA-NILLA WELLS DAIRY, INCL 50 50

Here are some thoughts for exploration regarding the above report.

Juices are 3 of the top 10 items. This facility is spending more money on juice than any other food item. Does 100% juice need to be served at all meals? Would a beverage cart allow you to avoid the cost of pre-pouring? Could you serve lemon-ade, fruit drink mixes, or iced tea on the snack cart?

Over 2 cases of bacon are purchased weekly or 600 slices. Is it offered daily? That is a large expense for minimal nutrition value.

Check the price on bulk coffee and bulk ice cream. Train the staff on proper cooking and slicing of a raw roast? Are the same amount of liquid eggs prepared daily and thrown away daily? Cut back to

avoid overproduction.

If you have any questions about accessing or evaluating this report, contact your Martin Bros. Sales Consultant or

Marketing Dietitian.

http://www.martinsmart.com


Don’t throw away money when you puree foods. Train staff to follow a pureeing procedure using the

right equipment to ensure adequate nutrition for your customers and maximum use of your food dol-

lar. Use the following puree method to minimize overproduction of pureed product.

Puree Process

1. Measure out desired number of servings into food processor or blender for pureeing.

2. Puree the food.

3. Add necessary thickener and/or liquid of appropriate nutritive value, flavor, and temperature to

obtain desired consistency.

4. Measure the total volume of the food after it is pureed in a graduated measuring container.

5. Divide the total volume of the pureed food by the original number of portions using the puree

scoop chart which is attached.

6. Heat or chill the pureed food to safe serving temperature.

You can obtain additional copies of the puree scoop chart and puree procedure to post in your

work stations at www.martinsmart.com, “Resources” then “Downloads.”

A video demonstrating the volume method of pureeing can also be accessed at www.martinsmart.com, “Resources” then “Media.” Click on the 3rd video option, “Dietitian Kitchen.”

http://www.martinsmart.com/



It takes a team to control costs associated with your dining program. Involve your ad-ministration, nursing staff, activity department, consulting dietitian, cooks, aides, uni-versal workers, dishwashers, Martin Bros. Sales Consultant, and more….. Below is an excerpt from the Food Cost Checklist and is a good place to start. You can find the complete checklist on www.martinsmart.com under “Tools,” “Food Cost-ing,” and “Costing Checklist.” It addresses various cost centers in a healthcare food-service operation that might need further exploration.

MENUS: Yes No Notes Are pre-planned menus followed? Are menus changes based on fluctuating facility needs? Are market trends and seasonal items incorporated?

Are there a large number of therapeutic diets? Are menu changes of similar cost? Are there a large number of large portions? Has the menu been costed? Is a purchase guide that ties into the menu utilized? Are convenience options priced & used wisely? Is milk sent to residents who do not drink milk? SUPPLEMENTS/SNACKS: Are supplements served with meals? Are supplements consumed? Is the supplement list regularly reviewed? Is it reviewed with the nursing staff?

Is there an opportunity to increase enhanced items such as super cereal or increasing calorie intake through added fats/sugars?

Could punches or fruit drinks be served for snack time vs. 100% juice?

Are bulk nourishments and snacks used? Are some residents on multiple supplements? Is a “med-pass” program in place? Would efforts to enhance dining improve meal intake? Have other options to increase food intake been reviewed before automati-cally implementing a supplement?

How many thickened liquids are ordered? Can they be evaluated?

Can mechanically altered diets be upgraded or therapeutic diets liberal-ized?

Can snacks be served in conjunction with activity programs? ORDERING: Is an inventory taken before ordering? Are census records considered before ordering? Are items ordered on contract? Are coupons redeemed? Are the coupons useful? Are volume purchase incentives met? Could you consolidate deliveries for cost incentives?

Do sales personnel determine the order? Are credits, mis-shipments, and damaged items handled appropriately?



Are you throwing money away in your trash? Improper sizing of can liners could be costing you a lot of money. Do you have to tie a knot in the bag or put a band around it to keep it from falling in your trash recepta-cle? If so, you are using too much bag for the job and obviously the larger the bag, the more it is going to cost. A perfect fitting can liner should hang 3”-4” over the top of the container and fit snugly. Many trash containers will have the gallon capacity printed somewhere on it. But if not, here is a formula to meas-ure for the correct can liner size needed. Bag width: On a circular container, use ½ of the circumference (distance around the largest part of the container divided by 2). On a square or rectangular container, use ½ of the total of all four sides. Bag length: On a circular container, use the height of the container plus ½ of the diameter (distance straight across the circle divided by 2) of the container bottom plus 3 inches for overhang. On a square or rectangular container, use the height of the container plus the diagonal of the container bottom plus 3 inches for overhang.

Besides wasting money on too large of can liners, you may be using too thick of a can liner. You could try going down to the next lowest thickness and see if the liner is strong enough for the type of garbage you have. On the other hand, if you find you are “double” bagging because the liner tears too easily, you need to try a thicker bag which will save you money in the long run because using 2 thinner bags are going to cost you more than 1 thicker bag. High density can liners can save you money also. High density bags tend to be less expensive than linear low den-sity liners. But they can only be used for certain applications. They are ideal for disposal of wet and bulky trash (food scraps, coffee grounds, paper). They are also great for carrying heavy loads of wet linens. Restrooms and office environments are perfect places for high density liners. Do NOT use a high density liner if you have a lot of garbage that has sharp or jagged edges. So stop throwing your money in the trash. Reevaluate your can liner inventory and determine if you are using the proper size of liner and the best thickness for your situation. Also think about if there are some areas in your fa-cility that could be using a high density liner instead of a low density liner. If you need assistance in finding the proper can liner size, please call your local Martin Bros representative and they would be happy to assist you!


Take advantage of coupons and free case offers to save money. At any time, you can access the many coupons that Martin Bros. is tracking for you at www.martinsmart.com, “Products,” and “Coupons.”

We automatically track many of these coupons for you through our ACRS (Automatic Coupon Retrieval) program. There’s no invoice shuffling or bunches of paper-work. You just need to sign your name and send it off in the mail. Visit with your Martin Bros. Sales Consultant on a regular basis in order to maximize these offers.



Do you have any idea how much more it costs to serve a resident on thickened liquids?

Per the example below, it can be almost double. Thickened liquids are necessary when a resident has difficulty swallowing and may risk choking on thin liquids. A study published in the August 2004 ADA Journal indicates an average of 8% of residents in SNFs are on thickened liquids. Here are some things to think about when trying to get a handle on the costs associated with thickened liquids:

1. Conference regularly with your Speech Therapist and Consulting Dietitian for the appropriate-ness of upgrading residents to regular liquids.

2. Orient and train staff on a regular basis regarding the procedures in place to provide correct service of liquid consistencies.

3. Bulk pre-thickened liquids are generally less expensive than the individual servings. 4. If there are issues using the powder thickeners such as lumping, incorrect thicknesses, trouble

with various temperatures, etc., contact the thickener company for a staff inservice. 5. Price out liquid thickeners such as Hydra Aid, item #738040. 6. Serve fruit nectars to those on nectar-thick diets: Peach, item #730950, Pear, item #730960,

Apricot, item # 730970. 7. Involve the Speech Therapist on the cost control team for other creative measures to meet resi-

dent needs and manage costs.


Buying food items from your local grocery store could be costing your facility valuable time and money! Often foodservice managers believe advertised specials are a cost effective way to manage their facility. When facilities purchase from local grocery stores rather than the approved foodservice vendor, they fail to consider the costs of buying from several different vendors/stores:

Cost of gas to drive to the store and back Cost of time an employee or yourself must take to drive to the store, shop, possibly

visit with people, drive back, etc? Cost of Accounting to complete bookkeeping on another vendor for bill paying pur-

poses? (Some sources say that it costs over $15 just to process each check written.) In addition, consider the cost of a recall on a particular product that you purchased

from the store. The store has no way of knowing who bought the product. Reputable foodservice companies track what items are shipped to each location and they can immediately see which customers are affected by a product recall. The customers are contacted immediately and the product can be disposed of before potential negative impacts and costs are incurred.

There is something to be said about a one-stop shop and saving money! On occasion grocery store shopping cannot be avoided. There is certainly a time and situation when grocery shopping locally is needed and beneficial to your facility. Consider how often you travel out to the grocery store. Can you organize your purchasing needs better by perhaps using a purchase guide (see below for a sample) that is tied to your menu ingredients? Ask your foodservice distributor for more help, that is what we are here to do!


Purchasing and handling produce wisely can save you money. As a general rule, produce costs you least when it is at peak season and best qual-ity. Below you will find a sample of Martin Bros. weekly Meat & Produce flyer which highlights special prices and also offers insight into market conditions and pric-ing. What is up with strawberries for Mother’s Day weekend? Access this weekly re-source on martinsmart.com, “Products” and then “Flyers.” Also find a useful guide on produce care and handling. Find information that will as-sist you in maximizing the dollars you spend on fresh produce such as temperature regulation, product rotation, storage conditions, and proper handling. This guide can be found at www.martinsmart.com, “Resources” then “Downloads.”



Have you considered using a dessert cart in the dining room?

Not only will your customers enjoy having a choice, it is a great way to control costs: Use dessert items that are leftover instead of throwing them away.

o Trifle made from leftover cake

o Pudding with crushed cookies, canned fruit, or pie filling

o Gelatin or yogurt parfaits

o Fruit cups with a variety of fresh, canned, and even frozen fruit

Offer an option for smaller serving sizes which many residents prefer and can help control carbohydrate intake

Avoid serving 2 desserts because your customer doesn’t care for the dessert listed on the menu

When utilizing the dessert cart, do keep the day’s nutrition in mind; consider using the liberalized diet approach so you are not bogged down with diet restrictions; and train your staff how to market choices to your customers. Here is an example of how a utility cart can be transformed into a dessert cart with minimal effort:

There are also options for purchase. See your Sales Consultant for other ideas.


When working with cleaning and sanitation chemicals, dispensing equip-ment can save you money. Martin Bros. offers this equipment at no charge to customers.

With dispensing equipment, chemicals are diluted accurately which elimi-nates waste and unnecessary hazards associated with human er-ror. Sometimes we think that if a little works good then more will work better ( the glug-glug method ). That’s simply not the case with concen-trated chemicals.

These systems are offered for dispensing dishwasher, laundry, sanitation, floor cleaners, and housekeeping cleaners & disinfectants.

Martin Bros. has a staff of experienced and qualified Janitorial Sales Con-sultants who can evaluate your chemical program in order to consolidate products, offer insight into procedural efficiencies, provide inservices, and support your safety program. Contact your Sales Rep to schedule a time to meet with your qualified professional.


Always Available as a Second Choice The “Always Available” menu is a way to trim costs while still offering choice in your dining program. This menu offers options that you “always” have on hand that can be prepared & served in a matter of minutes. Because these items are not prepared or cooked until ordered, you don’t have any waste. It is a step towards a restaurant style menu when you have only been used to offering one selection. Instead of stress-ing about an alternate, utilize what you already have on hand! You can vary the items offered on a weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis and include food items that your cus-tomers frequently request. There are several templates that you can customize and use in displaying your menu offerings including this beautiful spring sample on our website. Go to Tools Menu TemplatesAlways Available, from here you can choose between contemporary, sea-sonal, and several holiday options! For more information, contact one of the dietitians at Martin Bros.

Do you want free, easy, and quick continuing education units? Nutrition professionals, administrators, nurses and other staff must earn credits to maintain credentials as a professional, and to meet facility licensure requirements. Attending conferences can be an expensive way to earn CEUs when you factor in meeting registration fees, the daily wage of all that attend, and mileage your employer may pay you to drive to and from a meeting. And you are still paying additional staff to stay at your facility and get the work done while others are gone! Martin Brothers has a solution to greatly reduce the expenses associated with obtain-ing continuing education. Martin Brothers offers monthly webinars which allow you to earn 1 education unit at a time while sitting at your desk or home office. Example to travel 2 hours for a 6 hour program: Meeting Registration Fee: $75 10 Hours of Salary at $15/hour (includes 4 hours of travel time): $150 Mileage: $120 Total: $345 6 hours CEU through Martin Bros.’ Webinars: $90 (staff time) Savings: $255


To learn more about upcoming webinar topics and to sign up, log on to www.martinsmart.com, “Resources”, then “Webinar Schedule.” Note that there are 3 educational offerings under “Webinars on Demand.”



How would you make a turkey sandwich? Would you use white bread, wheat bread or a bun? Would you use 2 oz, 3 oz, or 4 oz of turkey? Would you put cheese on it? How about butter or mayonnaise or mustard? Would you add tomato, lettuce or pickle? Would your staff remember to wear gloves when assembling? Do they know the serving size? It is important that your foodservice operation use standardized recipes. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a standardized recipe as one that “has been tried, adapted, and retried several times for use by a given foodservice operation and has been found to produce the same good results and yield every time when the exact procedures are used with the same type of equipment and the same quantity and quality of ingredients.” Standardized recipes save you money:

1. Achieve a consistent product quality 2. Know the food/labor cost 3. Know how much time is needed to prepare 4. Food purchasing is more efficient because menu items and quantities are specified 5. Offer a predictable yield to avoid overproduction 6. Increased customer satisfaction with consistent product 7. Reduced regulatory citations as nutrition yields and food safety procedures are provided

If McDonald’s employees veer from the standardized recipe for cheeseburgers which indicate 1 pickle slice per burger and use 2, the cost of pickles for the year will double for this fast food giant. Martin Bros.’ Simply Menus program boasts over 7000 quantity recipes. See the sample of a turkey sandwich below. These recipes become standardized for your facility when you prepare them in your kitchen, by your staff, with your equipment, and serve to your customers. To learn more about the Sim-ply Menus program, contact one of the Martin Bros.’ dietitians at 1-800-847-2404.


Instead of decreasing costs, increase revenue….

There are many creative ways to generate revenue.

1. Martin Bros. has several customers that provide meals to day cares, jails, senior meal centers and schools. In many smaller communi-ties, the local healthcare facility is a logical partner because of your operational, food safety, and modified diet expertise.

2. Try catering. Market your catering services to construction sites and other businesses. Offer one take out meal per month to local businesses. Take orders and deliver if possible. Contact your Mar-tin Bros. DSR for some starter equipment.

3. Offer take out dinners and other food items to your employees. Let employees purchase cookies, take & bake pizzas, pies, homemade breads, etc to take home to their families.

4. Charge for employee meals. Advertise daily specials in the dining room. Consider a punch card for coffee.

5. Operate your own vending program & reap the revenues. For more information on leasing the vending machines, contact Todd Hitten-miller with All Brand Vending at 800-548-1982 Ext.8388. Contact your Martin Bros. DSR with ideas on how to fill it.

6. Market in-house meal events. Consider offering theme meals to d raw the crowd. Charge your guests to enjoy Lucille Ball’s favorite meal. Offer dinner & excitement on the Orient Express or take them to Hawaii through Theme Meal Magic, an online event resource available on www.martinsmart.com. There are over 80 different ideas to inspire.

As with any new project, check for special licensing needs. We would love to hear of your ideas to generate revenue. Please contact Julie Half-pop, Director of Healthcare Services with Martin Bros. at [email protected] if you would be willing to share.




What are your purchasing habits? Over-purchasing ties up money, increases the chances of food spoilage, increases the risk of theft, and increases the cost of space to store the food. Under-purchasing causes unplanned trips to the store, increases labor costs, and leads to the use of unintended items. To control inventory:

1. Peruse the storage area frequently for items that are not used (removed from menu etc.) – put on a designated shelf so staff know they can be used for an activity, special event, or when the menu is flexible.

2. Rotate stock to protect your investment. Use FIFO (First In First Out) method: use oldest items first. Always place newly received items behind cur-rent inventory.

3. Organize your online or paper order guide to coincide with the way your storage areas are organized. – If you need assistance with this you may contact Sue Schell at 800-847-2404 or [email protected]. This can save much time and effort.

4. Label storage shelving to save labor time. 5. Complete a physical inventory of your storage areas prior to placing your food

order so you know what you need. Simply Menus, the Martin Bros. web-based menu program, is capable of generating a Grocery List for you. The Grocery List will specify the items needed in order to prepare the menu as written. Us-ing this will assist you in only purchasing what is needed and it gives you a list to check your current inventory to see if you already have the needed items on hand.

6. Avoid cooking off of the delivery truck, meaning order enough to ensure you have food to cover the next day’s menu after your scheduled delivery. In in-clement weather, the delivery truck may be delayed. This gives you time for plan b to be implemented.

7. If you would like to put a dollar value to your inventory, see the Inventory Man ager at www.martinsmart.com, Tools, Inventory. You still need to count every thing in your storage areas but you can easily put a dollar value on it with this great resource. Visit with your Sales Consultant for more information.




Nutritional supplements are a major cost source for long term care and skilled nurs-ing facilities. Supplement costs can vary from $.35 to $1.00 ppd. Although many residents benefit from a nutritional supplement, there is an opportunity to control costs.

1. Have other interventions such as liberalizing the diet, providing feeding assis-tance, assessing for favorite foods, completing a medication review, etc. been attempted?

2. Has an audit of the amount of supplement that is not consumed been com-pleted? If the supplement is consumed but meals are not, is the supplement diminishing your customer’s appetite? Could you cut back on meal portions?

3. Do you work with the dietitian and care plan team to evaluate the consumption and effectiveness of supplements? Is there an opportunity to discontinue with-out negative outcome?

4. Could you consider a supplement formulary in which you limit the options to control inventory and simplify communications?

5. How about utilizing a Med-Pass program? A 2 oz serving of 2 calorie/ml formula is given by Nursing at each medication pass. This ensures the supplement is offered/consumed and is recorded. Due to the smaller amount given between meals, it may be less likely that the resident’s appetite is negatively affected.

6. Can you increase calories and protein through added fats and/or sugars? See Tip #23 for more ideas.

7. Have you seen the recently updated Supplement Guide which compares the nu-trients and cost of the supplements that Martin Bros. stocks as well as provides a listing of the flavor options and item numbers? This can be found at www.martinsmart.com, “Resources” then “Downloads.”

If you have any questions regarding your supplement program, contact your DSR or a Martin Bros. dietitian.



Evaluate the costs of nutrition interventions…. If your residents are already consum-ing the foods that they are eating, consider fortifying those foods to provide extra calories and protein. By making “homemade” fortified foods, you can enhance common foods such as hot cereals, mashed potatoes, cookies, puddings or juice. You can also avoid overwhelm-ing the resident with large volumes of supplements or extra foods. Plus, many of these homemade fortified foods are well accepted because they add ingredients such as butter, nonfat dry milk and cream, and don’t have the medicinal taste of many sup-plements. Take advantage of breakfast if that is well-consumed by serving an extra egg, a larger bowl of hot cereal, a cup of heated chocolate milk, etc. 2 TBSP butter provides 204 calories, costs approximately 11 cents 1/2 cup cream half & half provides 167 calories and 4 grams protein, costs approxi mately 19 cents 1/2 cup whole milk provides 75 calories and 4 grams protein, costs approximately 12 cents 1/2 cup dry milk provides 318 calories and 16 grams protein , costs approximately 15 cents 1 pasteurized egg provides 80 calories and 7 grams protein, costs approximately 19 cents 1 cup chocolate milk provides 180 calories and 8 grams of protein, costs approximately 27 cents Work with your dietitian to determine which residents and which fortified foods would work best for your facility. Check out the recipes available in Simply Menus. They could save you money! Feel free to contact your DSR or Martin Bros. dietitian with questions.

If you work in healthcare with older adults, you have probably heard residents tell you that they receive too much food. You may also notice a lot of food being thrown away which equates to money being lost. Many managers believe that this is just the way it has to be be-cause they are required to serve that amount of food to meet the resident’s nutritional needs. But have you ever really compared what you are serving to the actual needs of your residents? Consider what the requirements are for an elderly male or female. A sedentary elderly female requires about 1600-1800 calories each day and a sedentary eld-erly male needs about 2000-2200 calories each day according to the estimated daily calorie needs from the USDA. Most healthcare menus average about 2400 calories for the day. That leaves about 200-600 calories daily that you may be able to decrease from your menus.

Serve smaller portions of baked desserts. Check out the cakes and pies diagram on the next page for ways to cut your pies and cakes to get the maximum servings out of the pan.

Can you decrease the serving size of the hot vegetables to 1/3 cup instead of ½ cup and still meet the vitamin and mineral requirements? Or could you serve 2 oz of meat/poultry/fish at the noon and evening meal instead of 3 oz and still meet the protein requirement?

Know the nutritive equivalents of your recipes and the products you purchase. Does each serving of fruited gelatin offer ½ cup fruit? Is there more than a ½ cup of pasta in each serving of tuna and noodles? Are you making a cheeseburger with a 4 x 1 beef patty and 1 slice of 120 count American cheese? (providing 3 2/3 oz of protein) An egg bake at breakfast can provide up to 24 grams or 3 oz protein. Each 100 count potato provides 2.5 (½ cup) servings including the skin.

Although bacon is a tasty food, it offers little nutritional value other than calo-ries. How often is it on your menu?

Offer vs automatically serving…..offer your customers 1 cup of milk per meal, don’t automatically serve if they are not going to drink it. Consult with your dietitian for other approaches to meet your customer’s calcium needs.

Consider the nutritive value of your snacks. Such items as crackers, 100% juice, chocolate milk, cheese cubes, etc. can count as menu servings. If that is the case, can you cut back on items offered at meal times?

Include a small serving column on your therapeutic spreadsheet so staff are aware of the portioning utensils to use and to ensure nutritional goals are met.

Please check your State’s guidelines on requirements for meeting the nutritional needs of the residents in your type of facility. Simply Menus, Martin Bros menu program, can help you evaluate the nutritional content of your menu and the changes you make and a Martin Bros dietitian is available to help you as well.


Cost Savings Tip #23– Cake Serving Guide Page 28


Serving poorly prepared foods will lead to waste. Educate & empower your staff to utilize sound cooking techniques. Common mistakes cooks make when preparing vegetables include using the wrong cooking equipment, cooking at the wrong temperature or pressure, or cooking and holding for too long. Canned vegetables need to be heated a shorter amount of time than fresh or frozen vegetables for optimal texture. Vegetables just need to be cooked to 160 degrees. Batch cooking is ideal so product can be served soon after it is pre-pared. Don’t forget to season either! See the following guide for tips on preparing fresh, frozen and canned vegetables with different types of equipment. Post in your kitchen for quick reference.

Cost Savings Tip #24– Vegetable Cookery Page 30


It might be hard to believe, but keeping your department clean can you save you money (labor and supplies), stress and the inevitable inspection headaches. Keeping it clean is easier said than done. Compare your department to your home. Do you clean everything in your home every day? Bet not. So how can you make it manage-able? Spend the time up front and set up a cleaning program. Here are the basics steps:

1. Inventory everything that needs to be cleaned.

2. Determine how often each item needs to be cleaned…. daily, weekly,

monthly, etc.

3. Establish how long each item takes to clean. This will help budget your la-

bor.

4. List what supplies and chemicals are needed to clean each item. This helps

you on budgeting for cleaning supplies.

5. Break your items into routes. Routing helps with assigning who gets to

clean what. For example, route “A” might have floors, reach-in cooler and

walls. Route “B” might be carts, oven & hoods, and mixer. Make sure the

routes are balanced and then you can rotate who gets which route monthly

or quarterly.

The time you put into this on the front end will save you big time on the back end. If you would like more information on how to set up your cleaning program, con-tact Rob Fiori or Tom Eastman at Martin Brothers.

Proper selection and care of knives is cost effective. The French Cook’s Knife and Cook’s Style Paring Knife are versatile tools. Using the right knife for the job is very important: Paring Knife: peeling fruits & vegetables and breaking down lettuce/cabbage Utility Knife: slicing non-solid fruits/vegetables such as tomatoes & melon as well as halving citrus fruits Cook’s Knife: dicing or mincing fruits/vegetables or carving hot roasts Slicers & Carvers: The roast slicer is used to cut a variety of roasts. The narrow cold meat slicer or ham slicer is used to carve ham or cold roasts. Caring properly for your knives will extend their life and keep you safest:

Hand-wash in mild to medium strength detergent and towel-dry

Do not place in automatic dishwashers

Avoid soaking knives

Knives of carbon steel should be washed and dried immediately to prevent rusting

Do not use to open cans, remove jar/bottle tops, cut string, metal or paper

Always use a cutting board or proper cutting surface when chopping, slicing or mincing. Never cut on metal, glass or porcelain

Keep knives sharp o Ordinary slicing of meat will dull a good edge. However that doesn’t mean

that the knife requires re-sharpening. A few light strokes on a butcher’s steel will reset the edge and restore the knife’s keenness. Eventually this keen edge wears off and the use of a steel will not restore it. The knife must then be reground.

o See attached handout from Dexter Russell, a Martin Bros. preferred vendor for directions on sharpening knives yourself. Some folks have a knife sharpening company to regularly care for their knives or consider partnering with your local butcher or grocery meat department for any resources.

o The Robot Coupe blade can also be sharpened. A special honing steel, part #501579 is available.

Share a video on knife handling skills presented by Chef Don Hensley, Corporate Chef with Martin Bros. with your staff. Access it at www.martinsmart.com, “Resources,” then “Videos”




Slow moving inventory costs you money. Why not try to minimize what you have in storage and use products in multiple applications. Following are a variety of ways to use white, chocolate and yellow cake mixes. With these basic mixes, flavors can be changed with a few added ingredients without having to carry many other flavored mixes. Consider indicating a cake dessert on your menu and shaking it up through the cy-cles. Find many other inspirations at General Mills: http://www.generalmillsfoodservice.com/Culinary.aspx

When cycle items such as canned pumpkin or pistachio pudding are no longer fea-tured on your current menu, dedicate a shelf in your storage area so staff can easily identify and use them up in menu items that allow flexibility.

http://www.generalmillsfoodservice.com/Culinary.aspx




Labor is the highest cost center in a residential healthcare facility. As more communi-ties are enhancing dining programs, expanding choices, and focusing on service, it can be difficult to determine labor costs. The following standards are from Food Ser-vice Manual for Health Care Institutions, American Hospital Publishing, Inc. 1994, pg 139, Byers, B., et al: Facility Type: Meals per Labor Hour Minutes per Meal Cafeteria 5.5 meals 11.4 minutes Acute Care Facility 3.5 meals 17.4 minutes Extended Care Facility 5.0 meals 12 minutes Modified Table Service 22-24 residents to 1 service staff (Dining room service where Residents may serve Themselves items such as Salad or buffet.) Full Dining Service 16-18 residents to 1 service staff (Fine dining, Select menu) Banquet Service 20 residents to 1 service staff (Full table service, Pre-set items, select Menu.) If your expenditures are high, evaluate for the following culprits: Employees standing around and waiting Extended lunch and coffee breaks Overproduction Low productivity Poor work methods Job assignments that are too specialized Guessing the amounts needed Absenteeism High turnover Poor training or no training

Using expensive skilled labor for unskilled jobs


According to the USA Today, March 2010, food-borne illnesses cost the US over 152 billion dollars per year which averages $1850 per individual affected. A sound food safety program will save you money and keep your customers/employees well. Part of that program should include education on hand hygiene. The following link from Foodhandler addresses proper hand washing and offers videos and posters to educate your staff. http://www.foodhandler.com/training_videos.cfm

Proper glove usage is also important and is addressed in the link. But misuse of gloves can be costly. The least expensive glove is typically a poly glove which costs about 2.7 cents per glove. Vinyl gloves cost about 3.5 cents each and a nitrile glove can cost over 10 cents per glove. If a facility has 8 staff members who wear an aver-age of 10 pairs of gloves per day, the costs will quickly total over $2000 per year. To effectively utilize gloves, educate staff on the appropriate glove to use for the job and when gloves are necessary & when they are not. Gloves should be worn when handling READY-TO-EAT FOODS such as:

- Prepared fresh fruits and vegetables served raw - Salads and salad ingredients - Cooked, cold meats and sandwiches - Bread, toast, rolls and baked goods - Garnishes such as, parsley, lemon wedges, or pickles on plates - Ice served to the customer - Any food that will not be thoroughly cooked or reheated after it is prepared

Alternatives to handling READY-TO-EAT FOODS with bare hands:

- Deli Paper (cost just over ½ cent per paper) - Forks & Spoons - Napkins - Spatulas - Tongs (butter bread ahead with gloved hands) - Wax Paper - Ice Scoops

Monitor and educate staff when gloves may not be necessary:

- Serving line if not handling ready to eat foods - Peeling potatoes if they are going to be cooked - Putting away groceries - Passing snacks - Pouring beverages or serving meals

Educate, Empower, and Enforce-it will save you money!

http://www.foodhandler.com/training_videos.cfm


Minimize the dirt that is tracked in to your facility by having the appropriate amount and type of matting at the entryways. According to ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association), it costs roughly $500 to remove a pound of dirt from a facility and 80% of the dirt found in a building comes in through the front door. Stop the dirt at the entryway with matting. It will reduce wear and tear on your floors by keeping them looking nicer longer, provide a safe surface that is slip resistant, and reduce labor costs in the long run. It is recommended that you have a scraper mat outside (6 ft of scraper matting) and then 12-15 ft of carpet matting inside the door-way.

Talk to your Sales Consultant about the options shared on the flyer below.


Pilferage costs American businesses in excess of $50 billion annually according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that 75% of all employees steal at least once, and that half of these steal again. After overproduc-tion, theft is the next costliest to a dietary operation

We don’t want to think that theft is occurring in our healthcare facilities but the reality exists. It can happen when a taste of ham is sampled while slicing, or a plate of cook-ies disappears to an inservice, or when a box of beef goes out the back door. Combat Theft:

Lock storage areas when not in use (who has the key?)

Know what is and what should be in your storage areas

Check resident drawers for cocoa packets and other unneeded snacks

Monitor accessibility to coffee packets, toilet paper, and other items useful in our own homes

Use clear trash bags

Install video cameras

Ensure adequate lighting or motion sensors in the parking lots

Be present in your food service operation

Offer employee meals

Require a “supervisor”- authorized receipt for any product leaving the building

Involve your employees and offer rewards for reporting & ideas on eliminating theft

If you suspect theft, involve your local police


Simplify the work that you are doing in the kitchen to reduce labor costs. Start with duties that require most of your time or are monotonous such as working in the dish-room, setting or bussing tables, shuffling menu paper, making sandwiches, mopping floors, assembling snacks, etc. Study the duty and break it down into steps. Question each step for necessity:

Can unnecessary steps be removed? o (Could a spoken menu be utilized where staff verbally share the options

vs. individual paper menus?) Can it be combined with other steps?

o (Could silverware be put directly into presoak containers while bussing in the dining room?)

Can equipment or supplies be rearranged? o (Is the grocery order guide in the order of the storage areas?)

Are both hands being useful? o (Are both hands used to place frozen cookie dough on sheet pans or

make sandwiches?) Use “short transport” and few movements

o (Could dish racks be stored on a rack or shelf near the “dirty” dish ta-ble?)

Provide for sequence & rhythm o (Is a figure 8 motion used to wipe tables or mop floors?)

Consider the worker’s comfort & health o (Evaluate the height of work tables?) o (Are floor surfaces comfortable to minimize fatigue?)

Weighing ingredients will save time over measuring. Cleaning brushes will make eas-ier work. Do you have plenty of carts? Are there wheels on your mop bucket? Is the butter softened before buttering bread? Could you melt the butter to pour on potatoes at the service line? Are staff double dipping for the same serving? Can you prepare the planned snacks for the whole day at one time? Have you used the Pan Pal Liners from Foodhandler to line preparation pans to save on clean up time? Ask your employees for their ideas and reward them for their input.


One of the features of Simply Menus, the Martin Bros.’ web-based menu management program is the ability to search for recipes by cost. The ex-ample below lists several coleslaw recipes. From the description you can compare the cost of the convenience coleslaw (conv) at 31 cents per serv-ing with the homemade (creamy) at 15 cents per serving. This is for raw food costs only, no labor. The homemade recipe is only five ingredients and is attached. It should-n’t take staff long to make this recipe, maybe 10 minutes. If you are pay-ing a cook $10 per hour that is $2.00 of labor. 50 servings will cost you $7.50 more to buy convenience.


Potato salad is listed below. The cost of the homemade recipe is 26 cents while the convenience is 45 cents per serving. Fresh potato salad takes some time to prepare, maybe 1 hour to peel and slice potatoes and pre-pare/mix the other ingredients. 50 servings will cost you $10 more to buy convenience. Will that $10 cover your staff time plus the raw ingredi-ents? Of course, it is always important to compare the quality/taste and determine which product best meets your needs.

We hope this valuable tool allows you to make an informed decision dur-ing the menu development & purchasing processes.


Look for ways to save on energy costs in your kitchen: Buy energy-efficient equipment. ENERGY STAR® awards energy-efficient qualifica-tions to a variety of commercial kitchen equipment. If in the market for new equip-ment, consider purchasing ENERGY STAR® qualified and save substantially. Maintain equipment. Save big by regularly cleaning your equipment, fans, and changing air filters. Replace refrigerator door gaskets as needed. Monitor heating & cooling. Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees to warm and 76 degrees to cool. Every 1 degree difference can cost 4-5% more in energy. Use a pro-grammable thermostat for night temperatures. Switch to energy-efficient lighting. Consider fluorescent bulbs. By replacing stan-dard incandescent bulbs, a kitchen will save $34/year per lamp. Plus they do not emit as much heat. Encourage employees to conserve. Turn off equipment when not in use such as fans, lights, burners, etc. Turn on equipment only 20 minutes prior to using. Close the refrigerator doors. Fully load the dishwasher. Evaluate the hot water usage. Consider using a low temperature dishwasher that uses chemical sanitation. Take a look at old equipment. Modify current equipment. Hang refrigerator strip curtains, install pre-rinse spray valves, put in motion sensor lights in the coolers, etc. Get an energy assessment. Many utility companies offer free energy assessments. Take advantage of this service and save even more. Source:Washington State Extension: http://www.energyideas.org/documents/factsheets/03_022_Rest_Tips_fct.pdf

http://www.energyideas.org/documents/factsheets/03_022_Rest_Tips_fct.pdf





Save with Martin Bros.’ Direct Debit Program (ACH)! This is a free service in which payment for your Martin Bros.’ purchases are automatically with-drawn from your facility bank account.

No need to pay a staff member to process a check. No need for a stamp. No late charges. We will only initiate an ACH transaction for the amount due from your

previous week’s purchases. Your account with Martin Bros. will always be current.

Please be assured that your bank account is completely protected from illegal access by an outside party. Save time, energy, and money. To sign up or for more information, con-tact Chuck Schaefer at 319-553-0455 or [email protected].



Compare bulk purchases vs individuals: Cost/Serving

There is a cost to packaging. Make an informed pricing decision. **note that these are approximate costs

Milk (4/1 gallons)

24 cents/8 oz

Milk (48/.5 pints)

30 cents/8 oz

Milk (4/1 gallons)

24 cents/8 oz

Milk (48/.5 pints)

30 cents/8 oz

Coffee (12/2 lb)

42 cents/pot plus 4 cent filter

Coffee (128/1.5 oz filter pack)

50 cents/pot

Corn Flakes (4/26 oz)

18 cents/.8 oz serving

Corn Flakes (70/.81 oz)

47 cents/individual box

Ruffles Potato Chips (8/16 oz)

13 cents/ 1 oz serving

Ruffles Potato Chips (104/1 oz)

31 cents/1 oz bag

Ketchup (6/#10 cans)

4 cents/1 oz

Ketchup (200/1 oz cups)

13 cents/cup


Hot news….. the October 2010 Journal of the American Dietetic Association an-nounces new position paper with the following press release: “It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that the quality of life and nutri-tional status of older adults residing in health care communities can be enhanced by individualization to less-restrictive diets. The American Dietetic Association advocates for registered dietitians to assess and evaluate the need for nutrition interventions tai-lored to each person’s medical condition, needs, desires and rights.” Obviously, this has a huge impact on our customer’s quality of life but this approach also saves bucks:

Reduced need to purchase sugar-free, fat-free, low sodium foods which can cost you more

Staff can prepare one pot vs making a sugar free or low sodium version. Fewer special diets mean less time needed in planning and monitoring diet spread-

sheets and organizing special recipes….and potentially less survey issues. Happy residents means fewer complaints that cost time and money. Happy residents with full stomachs mean less need for special supplements. Fewer diets allow for more flexibility when offering choices in your dining pro-

gram. The more restrictive diets you serve, the more paperwork, monitoring, and diet enforcement is needed.

Can lessen risk of weight loss & under-nutrition and the negative impact on health and resulting costs

May lessen need for medications

It does take a team of healthcare professionals to implement a liberalized diet philoso-phy, starting with the medical director, and including administration, nursing, dieti-tian, dietary, and activity staff. To view a Video-on demand regarding this topic as well as sample policies and a letter to the physician, visit www.martinsmart.com, Re-sources, Webinars-on Demand, scroll to the bottom. Many healthcare communities have been able to limit their diet offerings to general, mechanical soft, and pureed and have been very successful at meeting the health needs of their customers. For more information, contact one of the Martin Bros. Dietitians at 1-800-847-2404. If you are offering several therapeutic diets, please take the time to read through this paper. Access at: http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8373


http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8373


The crystal balls and soothsayers are all being employed to determine what the inflation outlook for 2011 may be. So far, the numbers appear to be pretty much standard for the USDA in that they usually project 2-3 ½% inflation on a year to year basis. Food prices no longer operate in a vacuum as they are tied not only to supply and demand but addition-ally the global market and the Chicago Board of Trade. Many times the Board can bid prices up that eventually do not reflect supply and demand and create an artificial costing formula that will not hold up over time. We saw some of this in 2008. We are seeing some renewed strength in crops and corn and beans are leading the way. Here are a couple of recent trend graphs:

CORN


BEANS These charts only reflect the trends that we are seeing in cash crops. But what do they mean? Soybeans are a major ingredient in many products and the rise in pricing will effect shortening, salad dressings, margarine and numerous other products. It will also affect the price at the pump as ethanol will rise as well. The corn prices will affect proteins like beef, pork and lamb as corn is a large ingredient in feed prod-ucts for livestock. This in turn could increase protein prices. We are also seeing some increases in the cost of diesel fuel which will cause an additional food cost increase as the freight to get products to our distribution site will increase. Currently the price is up over 40 cents a gallon from the same time a year ago to $3.06 gal. We are already seeing fuel sur-charges from our manufacturers as they pass on this increased cost on their freight bills. Some recent cost changes are noted below. “Wheat prices soared in early August when a drought in Russia knocked its farmers out of the export market. Livestock prices are climbing because the recession forced many ranchers and hog farmers to shrink their operations. Compared with a year ago, the farm-level price of soft red wheat grown in the Midwest is up 91%, the price of hogs in Iowa and southern Minnesota is up 52%, the price of eggs is up 32%, and the price of corn in central Illinois is up 15%. “ So the end game is that the USDA is projecting 2-3 ½% food inflation for 2011. The variables are nu-merous and we encourage all of our customers to monitor food costs and food inflation regularly to make sure that revenues are in line with your needs and that you are current with inflation in 2011.


Food and special events go together. Partner with your Activities Dept. and save money.

Meet regularly to plan and organize together. Set a monthly budget for activities and stick to it. Check out the 90 different Theme Meal Magic events on

www.martinsmart.com where you can download invitations, discus-sion ideas, decorations, centerpieces, puzzles, and more.

Plan ahead to avoid last minute runs to the grocery store. When a dessert or snack item is requested for an event, use up in-

ventory items that are not on the cycle menu. Take advantage of free case offers as appropriate. See the “buy

one, get one free” coupon for the new Sara Lee presliced lattice pies on www.martinsmart.com. How about having a pie social?

Consider hosting food events on certain days such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons and then adjust the snack list/cart on those days. Do your residents really need to get a snack when they have just enjoyed an ice cream sundae?

Talk to your Sales Consultant about coding your invoices to include Activities so you don’t have to worry about manually coding later.

And just have fun!




Snack time should be fun. Instead of using a pre-determined snack list where the same snack item is served to the same resident every day, as-semble a cart with a variety of options. The snack cart approach can also save you money.

Include easy-to-chew snacks, low calorie/sugar choices, finger food snacks (see list on martinsmart under Resources), pureed options, and favorite items. Organize the snacks in colored containers so staff can easily identify.

By offering a choice, flavor fatigue is minimized because your cus-tomer is not getting the same package of graham crackers every day. This should minimize waste.

Less supplements may be needed if your customers are enjoying snack options. (Have you tried cheese puffs, yogurt, donut holes, dry roasted peanuts, or chocolate bars?)

Staff can save time by not having to assemble pre-determined snacks for each customer.

If you are using a pre-determined list, review periodically and change items that are not consumed.

Offer items that might otherwise go to waste such as leftover desserts, fruits, muffins, punches made with a variety of juices and juice bev-erages, etc.

Monitor access to snacks. Are staff enjoying them more than your cus-tomers? Share snack costs with staff.

Gain a marketing edge with a fun approach. Feature themes, a color-ful approach, and friendly staff.

Dress up a utility cart or consider purchasing a dedicated cart such as the Mart’n Cart offered by Martin Bros. It includes a bell to let your cus-tomers know it is snack time, a freezable cold pan to keep ice cream & beverages cold, chip clips for pre-packaged snacks, a colorful awning, and free product from our manufacturer partners. See the following flyer. For more information, contact Julie Halfpop, Director of Nutrition Services at 515.238.7295 or [email protected].




It takes time & energy to provide meaningful monthly inservices & other educational experiences to staff and meet the regulatory requirements. Purchase Martin Bros.’ Inservices in a Box which offers fun options that your staff will remember:

Food Safety Update DVD/Test/Certificate-use this to orient all new dietary staff - a requirement in many states. This saves much time & money compared to the “home study” courses. Put the certificate in your employee’s files once suc-cessfully completed. (This doesn’t replace ServSafe.)

Customer Service Pyramid-based on the popular game show Modified Diet Jeopardy-great for a nursing/dietary inservice Matter of Taste-a tasting exercise in flavors Food Safety Skills Fair-set up 6 different stations Go Measure-back to kitchen basics

Order item#100902 for $50 (that’s only $8.34/each game or activity) to arrive on

the next Martin Bros.’ truck.

Save money in the dishroom: Decrease time by using a bussing system to clear dishes in the dining room &

organize in the dishroom. Sort so that like items are together and can easily be racked or ready for the next step. See picture below.

Scrape and pre-soak to remove heavy soil. Use a specific product such as a silverware pre-soak.

Do not soak stained cups in bleach as it removes the glaze which can make the cup more susceptible to staining.

Be careful of using heavy scratch pads as well, as they can also remove the glaze on dishes.

Use appropriate racks for the dishes such as a cup rack, glass rack, etc. Store dishes in racks to avoid breakage.

Do not underfill racks. It costs an estimated 50 cents to run each rack through a dishwasher (cost of chemical, labor, utilities).

Do not overfill racks. The dirty dishes will have to be rerun and breakage risk increases.

Train staff on dishwashing procedures. Use a low-temperature dishmachine to save on hot water and ventilation costs. Consider having more than 1 staff member assigned to dishwashing during

peak washing periods. One can run the dirty side and the other the clean. This can decrease food safety risks.

Use a silverware magnet around the garbage container to catch silverware that accidentally gets thrown away.

Consider posting a chart with the prices of dishes, bowls, etc. Keep records of the costs of broken dishes. Give incentives to employees for minimizing these costs.

Regularly clean and delime your dishmachine, paying close attention to clean-ing sprayheads and filters.

Make sure staff are tracking temperatures and sanitizer concentrations before running dishes through the machine. The following page has examples for a high temperature and low temperature machine. It is expensive to deal with widespread illness which can happen when dishes/utensils aren’t sanitized properly.

Involve your dishwashing staff in monitoring plate waste. They see what is thrown away…Was the recipe not good or ill-prepared? Was the portion too big? Does the item need to come off the menu?

Avoid keeping large inventories of chemicals on hand. Order for your weekly needs from Martin Bros and your supplies will arrive with your food delivery.




Are you placing your orders with Martin Brothers online? Check out our new online order system, HQ Orders, at www.martinsmart.com. Cost-saving features:

Save Time – The new HQ Orders system cuts steps to get into the ordering page and displays the summary of your order on the same screen. The order guide is listed on one scrolling page instead of individual pages that have to be loaded.

Identify Promotions – Promotional items are flagged with a dollar sign allowing

you to stock up and take advantage of savings.

View Your Usage - View a 13 week total usage and ordering trend on any item in the Master Order Guide. Set up orders that coincide with your cycle menu rota-tion.

Compare Cost – See pricing on any item in the entire Master Catalog of items of-

fered by Martin Bros.

Customize Your Order Guide – Sequence your order guide to match your storage areas, making inventory and ordering much quicker.

Achieve Weekly Expenditure Goals- View the dollar value of your order before sub-

mitting. Adjust the order to meet your goal. (If your goal is $6.00 ppd and you serve 50 residents per day, your total weekly food expenditures should be $2100 per week.)

Spend More Valuable Time with Your Martin Bros.’ Sales Consultant- Online order-

ing isn’t meant to replace your Sales Consultant but rather allow you more time to problem-solve, discuss solutions, and inspire great ideas.

If you would like more information on online ordering, see the tutorial under the Or-der option on www.martinsmart.com or talk with your Sales Consultant.




Convenience foods are not going away. Since most of us are using more of these at home, they are more familiar to us and our employ-ees. Convenience foods provide a consistent product and savings on la-bor costs. But can you really save money using them? Consider the raw food costs and the labor involved. Take a look at the examples below: (Note that the raw food and labor costs are estimates only.)

Other considerations:

When dipping, account for the costs of putting a cover on the ice cream and washing the dish.

Does the disposable container in the cups deter from the dining experi-ence?

Ice Cream Cups

$14.00/48ea 4 oz

$.29 each

Dipping Ice Cream

$21.00/3 gal

96 servings

Labor‐60 min at $8.00

Total cost: 29.00

$.30 /serving



How do your customers rate the quality of the homemade vs conven-ience?

Do you get the same pleasant aromas when preparing the frozen as you do the homemade?

Aunt Jemima: $25.00/144 ea 15 min labor$8.00/hour

Total: $27.00 $.19 each

Homemade: 6 lv bread‐$9.00 3 doz eggs(.92) $3.35 3 qt milk‐$1.94 ½ c sugar‐$.10 1 ½ tsp salt‐$.01 ½ c Marg‐.20 45 min labor @ $8/hr$6.00

$.14 each



The homemade recipe is a speed scratch which features convenience items such as canned spaghetti sauce and frozen lasagna sheets.

Nutrition values may not compare. There is no clean up involved with the convenience as it is in a dispos-

able tin. Save $28 for each 100 portions and $14 for 50 portions. (Staff must

go through many of the same motions whether preparing for 50 or 100 in most cases.)

Many folks love the precooked roasts as they are very tasty & tender, there is less challenge with slicing, and they don’t need to be cooked the day prior and cooled which decreases the food safety risks. Others like the frozen creamed soups as they are less likely to curdle. As you can see, it is not a simple decision. You must consider several as-pects including costs, acceptability by your customers, staffing knowledge & challenges, food safety, and goals of your dining program. It might be that you use more convenience foods when staffing is short or when you need to allow time to clean or when a more consistent product is de-sired. Unfortunately, convenience foods aren’t a savings if staff have more “down-time.” Please contact your Sales Consultant and discuss the best products for you!


Coffee is usually one of the top costs in a healthcare community. Al-though a cup of coffee is still less than a nickel, to get a handle on the program, investigate the following:

Is coffee accessible all day long? Is it free to employees? Are you filling pots of coffee for service and throwing much of it away? Can you offer to residents first vs just automatically serving them cof-

fee? Are filter packs accessible to anyone who might walk off with

them? How about cream and sugar packets? Decaffeinated coffee does cost more than regular. Does everyone need

decaffeinated? To maximize flavor and equipment operation, have you cleaned your

equipment regularly? Share the attached cleaning procedure with your staff.


Returning product is expensive for you & for Martin Bros. Our goal is perfect deliveries. But it doesn’t always happen that way. Partner with us to minimize errors & resulting costs:

Double check the order before submitting. If you are placing online orders, click the VIEW ENTIRE ORDER link before submitting to review for accuracy. See red arrow be-low.

Before ordering a Virtual Item (identified above with the orange box) or a Special Order item (identified with a red box), consult with your Martin Bros.’ Sales Representative to make sure there isn’t a better product for you. Virtual and Special Order items are not stored in our warehouse & require more time to get to you.

Work with your Sales Representative to delete items you don’t want from your order guide. (See Remove option above on left side.)

Whomever is placing the order should be the one that checks in the delivery. If something was mis-ordered or mis-sent, send it back with the driver.

Not all dented cans are non-usable.

Supply & Demand determines market prices. Here’s a few examples: The potato market will be in tight supply due to decreased global & North American production, complicated

by weather conditions, increased exports, & increased demand for product. Coffee prices will remain high related to a shortage of Arabica beans due to floods & mudslides in Columbia. Sugar market is volatile thanks to extreme weather conditions, governmental policies in such countries as

India, and increased demand due to a decreased use of high-fructose corn syrup. Fuel remains about $.50/gallon higher than a year ago. This remains due in part to an increase in world-

wide demand, transition to less-pollutants in diesel, & increased taxes. Cost of delivery is affected as well as plastics & other packaging costs.

Fresh produce varies weekly. Currently grapes are costly as we are buying away from the West Coast to the Chilean market which is a smaller crop and in high demand. Broccoli Bob is predicting that strawberries will be in tight supply for Valentine’s Day. See attachment for a summary of the markets on fresh fruits/vegetables.

These factors are outside of your control but being aware of the trends and markets is extremely important in budget management. Can you make adjustments in your menus and purchasing practices to control costs during these fluctuations?

Fresh fruit can be pricey to offer this time of year. Check out what Broccoli Bob suggests each week on martinsmart.com, under Products, and Flyers.

Consider offering frozen fruit options such as Sunrise Blend Item #965200 which is a mix of peaches, strawberries, honeydew, pineapple and blueber-ries.

Check out the Oregon Frozen Berry Blend #965090 which includes straw-berries, blackberries, blueberries & raspberries

Slice up a banana or fresh apple/pear into canned fruit to give it a fresh flair. For just pennies, offer more hot tea. Price out other options such as Herbal Tea,

#722080, & Earl Grey, #709980 How about including more rice & pasta dishes? Look at Simply Menus for some exciting

options.

Consult with your Sales Representative to stay abreast of these market trends & conditions and discuss the best options for you.



Unnecessary inventory costs you money. Sometimes you don’t need a full case of product be-cause you can’t go through it before it outdates or spoils. Maybe you are limited on storage space? Or if you are on a monthly budget spend down, the full case will put you over your dol-lars allotted? Below you will find a partial list of items that Martin Bros. breaks cases and offers them by the each such as many salad dressings, spices, sauces, pickles, olives, gelatin, some frozen vege-tables, and more. Ask your Martin Bros. rep for a full listing. Buying by the case typically saves over the cost of individual items, but sometimes the indi-viduals just make more sense.


Many of you have implemented dining enhancements such as expanded food choices, open meal times, new china/dinnerware, dining room makeovers, various dining styles such as restaurant/buffet, having food accessible all day long, and more! You have probably experienced benefits of these enhancements as well, such as improved client satisfaction, enhanced nutrition status & quality of life, positive marketing, decreased survey issues, invigorated staff, and even an improved bottom line.

Want to take it a step further? Consider the following:

Transition away from tray service as each tray is typically handled several times and requires several pieces to be washed. If your dining room is a distance from the kitchen, consider bringing the food to the remote dining areas and serve from there via a steamtable or tabletop warmers. Take a look at having a soup kettle available-monitor access for safety.

Have you used cloth napkins? They can reduce the cost of disposables. See the following napkin folding resource for ideas. Have residents fold napkins as a weekly activity. Bread baskets allow crackers and breads to be offered rather than just automatically served. Put the bread/

rolls in plastic bags or use tongs to avoid bare-hand contact. Rotate regularly for freshness. Maybe a staff member can offer bread “Fazoli-style.”

A condiment holder offers your customer’s favorite seasonings at the table and is easy to pick up and clean under.

A menu board can save on having paper selective menus at the tables and the time & efforts to print and keep

those organized. Let your patrons know the choices via the board and have staff reinforce the options verbally at the table.

Salad & dessert carts offer a choice and use up leftovers.

Open breakfast requires staff to prepare items as ordered which decreases waste. Many communities who

have implemented open dining report that other facility efficiencies related to medication pass, room cleaning, readying residents, etc. also are created.

Beverage service vs pre-poured beverages saves on disposable lids, re-handling of beverages, and having to

throw away undesired drinks.

Stock floor pantries with easy to prepare items that can be accessible all hours such as individual cans of

soups, instant hot cereal, containers of cold cereal, frozen omelets, etc. These can be cooked in a micro-wave for in-between meal times to save on trips to the main kitchen.

Time spent on plate presentation should stimulate appetite and hopefully consumption. More to come next

week. Don’t forget, teams make things happen. Put together a dining team that includes a variety of staff from a variety of disciplines that meet regularly to discuss ways that you can enhance the dining experience for the folks you serve. Visit other facilities for ideas. Create your unique dining program. The time spent will pay off! Contact your Sales Consultant or Martin Bros.’ dietitian for more information, ideas or how to get started!



If the food looks and smells good, we will take our first bite. If it is tasty, we will continue to eat. Time spent in presentation is well worth the investment. When planning meals and presenting plates:

Incorporate a variety of colors (Use the new menu report from Simply Menus to evaluate a menu for color)

Vary the shapes (visit www.norpac.com for a list of the many frozen vegetable blends that

can add color and shape to a drab plate.) Include different textures such as fruit crisp, chewy oatmeal bar, crunchy tater crusted

fish Evaluate the portion sizes so the plate is not crowded and meets your client needs Arrange food on the plate to build height from the back to the front or the left to the right;

separate foods of similar colors; have a focus; keep food items within the rim of the plate.

Evaluate for the need of a garnish. Not all plates need a garnish if the above principles are incorporated.

Train your staff on plate presentation principles and communicate a plan to imple-ment. Take pictures of how you want your plates to look for each meal, specify the garnish to be incorporated and plan to have the supplies on hand.

Formally evaluate the plates leaving your kitchen through a QA analysis. Contact a member of the Culinary Team at Martin Bros. for resources & advice.

http://www.norpac.com

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