Dietician dishes out gracious dining training for staff

A local dietitian consultant recently sat down with Wichita Presbyterian Manor staff and conducted “gracious dining training” in an effort to continue to improve the dining experience on campus.

“The gracious dining program is a company-wide initiative and the whole thing is geared toward resident satisfaction and enhancing their experience,” said Cecilia Foster, dining services director.

Marsha Ptacek with Health Technologies is the dietitian who conducted the training. She shared that “the most important thing that staff need to get out of the training is understanding the key components of hospitality and to hone in on the resident’s wants and needs.”

“A lot of our team is new, so they benefited from this. I learned more about the specifics of our program and the expectations and history of it—when it started and why. And probably about a third of my staff hadn’t heard what I call the ‘party line’ of why we do what we do and that was shared that day,” said Cecilia.

The training was provided for everyone who gives food to the residents, whether they work in pantries or in the dining room.

“It’s something that needs to be done every couple of years for the newer folks and for those who might need a refresher,” said Cecilia.

The training will continue to happen regularly and will be scheduled as new employees join the dining services team.

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