With a comprehensive menu planning program, creating delicious, dietitian-approved meals for adult care facility residents is much quicker and easier.
Beyond simplifying meal development, however, an automated menu system also brings down facility food service costs. Here are three ways assisted living centers and senior care facilities can save money with meal planning software.
No. 1: Menu Planning Programs Reduce Labor Costs
Developing menus for an adult care facility is no easy task. Nutrition is of key importance, and meeting everyone’s individual dietary needs can be challenging. Budget is also a factor, of course, and meals must be designed to appeal to the tastes of senior residents.
At many assisted living and senior care facilities, menu planning is a full-time job for at least one staff member. Others employ a full-time dietitian to ensure that meals and snacks meet the nutritional needs of the residents.
Meal planning software cuts the time needed for menu development, reducing labor costs. And, as the recipes are already dietitian-approved, facilities don’t need to hire an outside dietitian to design or review the menus.
No. 2: Menu Planning Software Controls Food Costs
Food waste is a pressing problem for adult care facilities. Tracking and rotating the inventory and making sure stored ingredients are used before they go bad is difficult, particularly for larger senior care and assisted living centers.
A meal planning program maintains an up-to-date, organized list of all food products in the inventory, automatically deducting ingredients as they are used in facility menus.
As a result, food waste is kept to a minimum. And less waste means lower overall facility food costs.
No. 3: Menu Planning Programs Build In Flexibility
Food distributors sometimes offer sales or bulk discounts on certain ingredients. The savings can be tempting, but facilities often have difficulty adapting their current menus to incorporate a last-minute, low-cost ingredient.
With meal planning software, this is no longer a problem. Senior care centers and assisted living facilities can easily take advantage of spur-of-the-moment sales and discounts to maximize the food budget. Facility menus are planned in advance, but changing meal ingredients in the software requires just a few clicks of the mouse.
This flexibility also allows for the use of seasonal fruits and vegetables in facility menus. Ingredients harvested from local farms are typically more nutritious than those grown elsewhere and seniors appreciate their fresher taste. Plus, buying local, seasonal foods is often less expensive.
The Grove Menus software system can help lower the food service operations costs at any assisted living facility or senior care center. To learn more about how your adult care facility can save money with our menu planning program, or to schedule a complimentary demonstration, contact us today.