Menu Analysis/Planning – “Set the Stage for Your Show!”
The menu is the guiding force in all food service operations. It sets the stage for your show and is a major factor in customer satisfaction and food service staff moral. The “sizzle sells the steak”, but it’s hard to put “sizzle” into some of the unnecessarily boring, drab items found on institutional menus. We analyze your menu and make practical suggestions so your menu provides the platform for performance improvement within the constraints of your budget, staffing and production/service capabilities.

Procurement – R.E.A.P. (Reduce Expenses Audit Process)
We recommend you utilize this module first because the cost savings will pay for the other modules. R.E.A.P. has an unblemished record of accomplishment in uncovering and documenting savings opportunities in food and supplies’ product selection above and beyond what your staff, GPO (Group Purchasing Organization), and distributor have identified. It examines all aspects of the procurement process to make sure you are buying the optimal item - in terms of quality and price - given its intended use on your menu, your production capabilities, your service facilities and your vendor/supplier contracts. R.E.A.P. bridges gaps in purchasing by uniting culinary, procurement, and production knowledge into the decision-making process. Typical annual cost savings average $50K to $500K depending on the size of facility. We will guarantee a minimum annual savings, based on your annual food and supply budget.

Food Production – The Culinary Academy for Institutions
Conducted in your kitchen, this school teaches techniques important to cooking successfully in institutions. It is conducted in a classroom setting and followed up in your food production center. It has been designed to work within your busy schedules. Actual class time is only 50 minutes per day, but students must then put the lessons into practice and demonstrate proper food handling techniques and a good attitude in order to receive a diploma. This school helps build culinary skills, teamwork, and self-esteem. A graduation ceremony and diploma is awarded upon completion of the school.

Café/Dining Facility and Catering – Re-imaging & Merchandising Process
This hands-on process will transform the look and ambiance of your café/dining facility and catering service. We help re-position equipment and fixtures and, with your approval, make minor purchases of items (usually < $2,000) to “jazz it up”. With your approval, we also implement concepts such as the “Coffee/Muffin Bar”, the “Healthy Selections Bar” and other merchandising innovations that have proven to increase sales (typically a 10%+ increase in the initial three months), improve service efficiency and dazzle your clientele.

Patient/Resident Tray Service Transformation – “Take it up a notch!”
This module will transform the “look and feel” of your patient/resident tray service. Without purchasing costly new trays and delivery systems, and without increasing labor, we will exceed your patient and resident expectations using proven culinary and service/presentation techniques. Client studies have shown that our techniques 1) increase patient tray consumption, thereby reducing the need for costly supplementation products, and 2) significantly increase customer satisfaction scores through Press Ganey, Parkside, and Gallup up to 99 percentile.

If you wish to go beyond the steps above and implement new tray delivery systems and concepts such as “Room Service”, we have the expertise and experience to help plan, evaluate, select and implement to ensure achievement of your objectives within time and budget constraints.

Management Development – Manager/Supervisor Training Academy
Motivation and teamwork are critical to the success of Destination 10 and every D10 Module has a component focused on creating winning attitudes, pride of accomplishment and job satisfaction. Developing these factors builds teamwork and provides each employee with positive motivation. Recognizing the importance of managers and supervisors in this process, the Manager/Supervisor Training Academy goes beyond the other modules and provides intensive analysis, critiquing and coaching to improve management team focus, commitment and performance. Conducted on-site, the Academy can be a one-on-one project, or conducted in group settings. Staff retention is a significant outcome of this module. As in all Destination 10 Modules, this process has demonstrated its prowess in putting the focus on quality and customer satisfaction. 

Staff Development – Customer Service Academy
This module is specifically geared to staff members who come in direct contact with the customer, be it the patient/resident, or the café patron. This module focuses on putting the “service” in food service by creating customer-oriented attitudes and providing techniques for satisfying customers and handling the unique challenges they often present when suffering from illness, or just having a bad day. 

Specialized Modules

C.E.T.M.  (Contract Elimination & Transitional Management)
When a facility makes the decision to return to in-house management, but lacks the skills to replace the entrenched management company, we will develop a transition plan and provide the tools and support, including temporary staffing, to make the transition smooth and effective. Using components of our proven Destination 10 Performance Improvement Process, we will help ensure you achieve your goals in returning your facility to in-house management and control. 

C.M.A.  (Contract Management Alternative)
There are many reasons (poor performance, management burden, staffing issues, etc.) why your organization may want to turn your food service operation over to the control of a Contract Management Firm. Unfortunately, the organization will find it is exchanging one set of problems for another. Don Miller & Associates offers an alternative to Contract Management, using components of our proven Destination 10 Performance Improvement Process to get the most out of what you already have. Our approach will achieve the same objectives, but with far less cost and trauma and without the intricacies of a long-term, complex management contract that limits the organization’s control and is difficult to reverse.