WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
other floor, there as well. Since Haymarket Bistro opened in April 2017, business has been booming. Three full-time employees work there and additional help is called in for events or large meetings outside of regular bistro business. Watson and her team have also made some important findings. “One of the most important things we’ve
learned [since relocating] is how to be more efficient with our time while maintaining the same high quality of food and service. To deliver both really requires our bistro staff to serve in a dual role, and they do a great job,” Watson said. “With the uptick in business, we’ve also had to keep a close eye on making sure we’re staffing appropri- ately and continuing to keep food fresh and stocked. We have also been able to experi- ment with new equipment such as vacuum sealers, blast chillers, sous vide, and other technologies that can help optimize food production in our kitchens. Many more people are using the bistro now as a place to congregate and have informal meetings.” And what’s been the public’s response? “Amazing! Our building is on the for-
mer site of a well-known produce market, and the bistro’s interior design reflects the location’s historic significance. One day a member of a prominent local family that runs an orchard and winery came in, had a great meal, and recalled bringing produce to the market long ago. So aside from the food we serve, the location itself occupies an important place in our city’s history, and it’s a special thing to see people’s attachment to it,” Watson said. “It’s also been really fun to hear people’s
reactions when they fully grasp that we’re a senior living company with a public-facing bistro. They’re always pleasantly surprised.” Along with serving the public and testing
new recipes, the bistro also serves as train- ing ground for Atria employees. Watson routinely brings in Atria culinary directors from across the United States and Canada so they can learn how to better manage their restaurants and culinary programs, from the food and business side. “We recently hosted a cooking challenge
24 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017
Atria Senior Living's Haymarket Bistro
with about 20 chefs to create a family-style meal. They were split into pairs, and each pair was responsible for a different part of the dinner—cocktails, table settings, entrée, sides, desserts, and so on. It was a way to as- sess their creativity and use of the products they were given, as well as an opportunity to learn new equipment and just enjoy some time with colleagues,” Watson said. “We’ve also spent some time lately train- ing our culinary and leadership staff, at a local and regional level, along with our employees, about the importance of taste and the way our residents’ tastes change as they age. It’s really important that we’re always keeping top of mind the unique circumstances of the older adults we serve.” Part of those unique circumstances in-
clude working with residents with Alzhei- mer’s or other forms of dementia. “[We’ve conducted] recent trainings on the unique challenges faced by our Alzhei-
mer’s and dementia residents when it comes to something as simple as eating a meal, which many of us may take for granted. We’ve partnered with our Care Team to talk about food presentation and plate ware, along with other aspects of food prep and service,” she said. For Atria, the information they’ve gath-
ered about what senior living residents want regarding cuisine and service has been invaluable. “We continue to design our communities
with multiple dining options and amenities that will encourage participation from all generations of the family. We'd like our bistros to be a place that the grandchildren and great grandchildren ask to be taken to. And we want to dispel the assumptions people make about the food that’s served in a senior living community,” Watson said. “This learning will only continue as we test new products, recipes, and processes.”
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