“It’s fabulous,” Garden said. “We really appreciate that, this will help us so much.”
A Suzy Q is a rolling cart, with different inserts. It holds large amounts of food, keeping it warm as it is being taken from table to table for serving. Garden said the idea came from a health care facility conference where they were able to see the equipment. The carts are being used in more and more facilities for a variety of positive reasons.
She said one was it allowed more portion control. Unlike taking out separate plates or trays to each of their residents individually, they can take out the entire meal or meal options to each table. It allows residents to pick what they want there, and to say how much they want. It is sort of like a rolling buffet, in which the service comes to where you sit.
This portion control allows residents to choose the amount they want, so there will be less excess, and therefore less food waste.
“You push it out, it has warming drawers. You ask ‘what would you like, how much would you like?’ There is that cost savings because when it is on a plate taken out to them, there is that wastage.”
In a time of rising food costs, this is very important. As well, staff gets to know the residents’ likes and dislikes, as well as how much they normally eat. This is all helpful.
Because of the way the food is rolled out, it allows residents more interaction with the kitchen staff, as they spend more time out there with them.
The Suzy Q has so much value, Garden said. Because of all of the separate inserts, they can easily fit in some more food if they are running low. It keeps the food hot longer. Conversely, it can be turned into a cooling unit, which is helpful for the cold plate meals in the summer. It can feed up to 40 people in one loading.
It also allows for the use of a central kitchen area. In some health care places, where there are different pods, this can be a challenge. However, with a cart of this type keeping food warm longer, it can be rolled out to different floors or buildings as needed. This could be very useful for Cherry Creek, as they are planning an expansion in the future.
“This is what everyone is going to right now,” Garden explained. “Everyone should really be going this way and try to keep costs in line.”
Overall, things are going well at Cherry Creek. They are full now, with all 35 suites occupied, with a long waiting list. There is changeover as people have to move to a higher level of care, but their suites are filled within a couple of weeks. It shows the need for an expansion.
The entertainment side is also doing well. Garden said the partnership with Senior Services of Turtle Mountain is working well, as Cherry Creek has the space for concerts and other activities. Many attending live in the facility, but others come to participate as well. Right now, they are working out the 2026 schedule.
The Suzy Q cart, which is made in Winnipeg, should arrive by the end of the year. The plan is for staff to participate in online learning about its use, and then be added into service in the New Year. With Cherry Creek Place being used for meetings and banquets, it will certainly see great use. The number one beneficiaries will be the residents.
“This should do what it is intended to do,” Garden stated. “It will help with interaction between kitchen staff and residents, cut down on the cost of food. This generation of the residents does not like wasting food. That’s the last thing they want to do. This way the residents will not feel like good food is being wasted.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff