Hospital Cafeteria

Have you looked at hospital staff lately? I don't know what came first, fat healthcare workers or the shitty cafeteria food. I'm always amazed to see so many unhealthy healthcare employees.

They have to sell food people will actually eat. What do you want them to sell, tofu, kale, and broccoli?

I understand both sides of this: most people don't want steamed chicken and veggies but eating pizza and french fries while waiting for your mom's coronary surgery to end is a bit insane. Yes, I've experienced this.

Hospital cafeterias truly serve awful food. I think they mostly exist for the staff to grab something quick. Still, its nearly impossible to eat a healthy, balanced meal in one.

Who eats food in the cafeteria? I only go there to gossip, get the scoop on that hot new EMT, and glare at my arch nemesis.

R1

I agree. In many urban hospitals, the cafeterias cater to the demographics of who is employed. Open your eyes.

Lake trout anyone ?

I love hospital cafeteria food, cheap and tasty. I live with walking distance of the University of Colorado hospital and have been telling myself I need to tryout their cafeteria.

It really is sad that places that should set an example of healthy living do not do so. They even serve patients unhealthy food in hospitals. Diet is critical to living healthy.

Ours had a salad bar. Lots of greens, carrots, onions, croutons, tortellini, corkscrew pasta, tomatoes. You could eat all vegetables or throw on some pasta. A little bit of pasta won't hurt on top of a big bowl of greens. The thing that was missing -- cucumber. Don't know why tgere weren't any, but I really missed cucumber.

Sounds like lousy hospitals to me.

I work at a maor research university. The associated hospital has good food for guests, patients and staff. The cafeteria provides a variety of food. You can eat healthy or get high fat high sodium food. I was visiting a friend and was surprised by the patient menu. It had a great variety and you actually phoned in your order - selecting the items you wanted. The meal was delivered in about twenty minutes.

Are you at Rockefeller U, R9?

That has nothing to do with what we are talking about R5. Just trying to stir drama.

I work in a major medical center, and our cafeteria has very unhealthy and very healthy options. There is enough variety to eat the way you want to eat which I appreciate.

None of the food is that great of course, but you never expect good food in a cafeteria.

@LosFelizDaycare 2 hours ago

We only lunch shame because some parents don't realize that sending processed food in their child's lunch can tear apart a whole community.

I worked in a hospital where a relative of mine was one of the chefs. They actually peeled real potatoes and cooked them, made their own soups, cut beef info slabs, cooked and cut it. He'd make special foods for doctors and nurses who were nice and complimented his cooking.

Now that hospital uses 100% pre made or dehydrated or frozen stuff. The people who work in the kitchen aren't chefs, they're just guys who can "just add water and stir" or "place in oven for x number of minutes."

The Cleveland Clinic---one of the premier health care facilities in the world---closed it's McDonalds in September. The Clinic was trying for years to get rid of Mickey D, but there was an iron clad lease agreement.

McDonald's shoehorned itself into many medical complexes via the Ronald McDonald Houses that support the families of sick kids admitted for care.

McDonald's at a medical clinic!!!

Yeah, McDonalds was inside Harlem Hospital in the 1990s. But you wouldn't find McDonalds at NYUMC, Lenox Hill, Mt Sinai or other hospitals below 96th St and above 14th St. Mickey D always sought out hospitals with a majority black clientele.

My father was a doctor and I grew up in hospitals. The food has always been bad.

For the longest time, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) had a McDonald's in their lobby. I think after some pressure, the hospital finally broke the lease and told Mickey D to leave.

Don't get me started. Last week I did a 12 hour round trip to visit my friend on a stroke ward. The cafeteria was full of confectionary, chips, sad-looking sandwiches, everything full of fat.

[quote]McDonalds sought out hospitals with a majority black clientele.

(And) then McDonalds and lots of evil white people made the black clientele eat eat eat it.

Many years ago, my first job in high school was in a nursing home cafeteria.

We made the best meals ever. In 1982, nursing home folks were fed pureed crap. My group always made them pureed but delicious meals. And those who could chew got great food. I bonded with many and to this day I realize that just because half your audience (back then, the senile ones) didn't understand that you made a good meal, the rest of them appreciated it.

I agree. Hospitals should model healthy food by only offering health food and drinks. If people want to eat toxic, they should do so off hospital grounds.

I’ve been at my local hospital more times than I care to remember lately, and I’ve gotten salads from their rather good salad bar. Their other food looks decent as well. They’ve also got at Wendy’s, Subway, Chick-Fil-A, and an Au Bon Pain, for the visiting fatties. I do admit I have a weakness for broccoli cheese soup and a nice croissant at Au Bon Pain, though.

No sodas at many hospitals. Instead, sugary tea beverages.

you guys are assholes! always complaining about shit. its there because its fucking delicious!

The county hospital in Houston (Ben Taub) has a food court in the basement. McDonald's is one of the options. There are healthier restaurant offerings during regular business hours. But if you ever have to be Ben Taub at 3 a.m. with friend in the ER, you'll be grateful for a burger and fries from the 24-hour McDonald's.

Healthy choices are always available if you care to look. The UNhealthy choices are also there for people who crave fat and empty calories in the food items that makes the interminable waiting, worrying, and grieving about hospitalized loved-ones somehow more bearable.

Most of the hospitals, I come across outsource the cafeteria. That is, they give the space and a company comes in and does all the work and provides its own employees who don't work for the hospital.

Was recently in hospital for a week not in America and the the food they served was very healthy and tasty .

The regional hospital cafeteria in my small town has the best salad bar in the area. I often partake if I'm nearby. Plenty of healthy options there and on the regular menu.

Their bakery items are also excellent.

St Luke's Hospital cafeteria has the BEST egg rolls. We go there on date night !

Oh wow

I agree with the posters saying there is variety. I have a lot of experience with two different hospital cafeterias and while there are unhealthy options, there are also plenty of healthy options available as well.

If they only served helsthy options, they'd have allot of pissed off people who "couldn't find anything to eat"

The hospital where I volunteer has pretty gross healthy food. Healthy or fried, hospital food is terrible. Almost everyone on the ward where I work has people bring food from home or restaurants. We throw away a ton of hospital food.

Novant has good food

And hospital staff aren’t much better.

When I was in nursing school, I did my clinical training for obstetrics three weekends in a row in the labor and delivery ward of a big Phoenix hospital. The regular weekend staff there were mostly obese women. Their favorite treat for themselves was a huge bowl, filled with a mixture of buttered popcorn and M&M’s!

I’ve never even fantasized about making something like that.

Small wonder they looked like brontosauruses.