In addition to medical care, food and nutrition are a key part of general well-being and have a big impact on the overall healthcare experience. In fact, 42% of long-term care/senior-living residents say they considered food options early in the selection process. At healthcare cafeterias, including hospitals, nursing/retirement homes and other long-term care facilities where the target customers being mainly hospital staff, visitors, and patients, 70% said they would visit those spaces more frequently, and 92% would return to an avoided location if premium and fresh food items were menued per Hospital Food, Reimagined: Emerging Trends in Healthcare Foodservice
According to MarketsandMarkets, the US healthcare/hospital food services market is projected to reach $22.8B by 2026. With contributing factors including the growing focus on the improved food experience, restrictions on outside food items, and the cost effectiveness of foodservice outsourcing, Structural Concepts is poised to continue to support the mission of health and wellness by providing the most attractive, reliable, temperature-controlled display cases in the industry, when and where healthcare foodservice operators need them.
Designing and building merchandisers with the shortest industry lead times that last longer, save energy, and minimize operating costs, while driving a return on investment, Structural Concepts has long been recognized by the healthcare industry as one of the most dependable and advanced foodservice equipment suppliers.
One of the key drivers in healthcare foodservice is to have multi-purpose equipment and efficient design to make the best use of limited space to address customer needs and flow. Structural Concepts can create a destination for fresh food by utilizing space-saving innovative display options with its combination cases that optimize floor space with multiple display areas in a single piece of equipment, providing flexibility to offer a variety of fresh foods and chilled beverages within different methods for serving the customer.
By enhancing convenience and speed of service to time-starved staff and visitors, the manufacturer offers a multitude of space-saving, self-service merchandisers that can be displayed independently or integrated within existing serving lines to stimulate sales by offering a variety of grab & go options to accommodate the desire to make speedy selections and transactions while combating the limited serving space found in some healthcare facilities that make it challenging to accommodate large numbers of meal goers creating bottle necks and inefficiencies.
Per AHF State of the Industry Report, 71% of healthcare foodservice operators indicate that they are likely to invest in replacing equipment. Structural Concepts can help increase ROI by generating demand with a wide range of heated and refrigerated foodservice solutions designed to fit any configuration.
The company just recently enlisted two independent labs to determine the total costs of ownership associated with its own and other heated and refrigerated food merchandisers. Structural Concepts outperformed the competition in the measured costs associated with starting up the equipment, ongoing operation, and upkeep of the equipment, as well as safely displaying fresh food over extended periods. These are all critical considerations in the total evaluation of the overall lifespan of a fresh food merchandiser.
The new Automonois Retail Merchandiser (ARM) is the perfect solution for those 68% who said they are likely to invest in technology within the next 24 months. By holding 23% more food, having the ability to operate seamlessly 24/7 in remote locations, and providing 100% security and 100% inventory management control, Structural Concepts is the only refrigerated merchandiser manufacturer to design and offer a complete smart solution for autonomous shopping.
Offsetting labor and operational challenges with a cashier-less transactional system, a merchandising format with increased capacity, an easy payment acceptance and integration system, and the ability to streamline inventory management, the ARM delivers on meeting the needs of those 22% of healthcare operators who say that automation and technology is the biggest trend in healthcare dining right now who say they’re using it to help them with their labor shortage issues per FSD’s Healthcare Survey.
In conducting similar Total Cost of Ownership evaluations for the ARM unit, the merchandiser had the lowest energy consumption, lowest fees, and lowest labor costs, while generating the most profitability as compared to similar autonomous models in the market.
By leveraging self-serving displays and flexible merchandisers, Structural Concepts helps promote increases in onsite patronage without the requirements of additional space or additional labor by offering guests the added accessibility to fresh food selections that helps streamline our healthcare customers’ operations, improve their productivity, and increase their revenue to ensure their on-going success.
To learn more about how Structural Concepts can lower the total cost of ownership, including preventing food waste and shrinkage, please contact Danielle McMiller, Vice President of Marketing, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive the full Total Cost of Ownership reports.
