Advantages of Cambro Meal Delivery Carts for Hospital Foodservice
One of the biggest challenges that healthcare foodservice professionals face is keeping their hot meals hot during room service. The food and delivery process can directly influence whether a patient is completely satisfied with their stay. Transporting food quickly and inside a cart that promotes air circulation helps maintain food quality up until delivery.
Improving Efficiency at South Shore University Hospital
Nick McElroy, Food Service Manager at South Shore University Hospital, noticed their stainless steel carts weren’t meeting their standards. He set out to find smaller meal delivery carts that were insulated and would make service faster. “We looked at the Cambro carts and we decided to go with [the 10 Tray Meal Delivery Cart] because they were more durable,” said McElroy. They’re easy to clean and maintain, a lot easier than the bigger, bulky trucks.
Regarding the daily workload, McElroy noted: “Pushing them around in the hallway is easier on my staff, it’s not a strain on their backs or anything.” In addition to being bulky, their old stainless steel carts weren’t keeping their food hot enough. “When we would do the 24 trays [in the stainless steel carts], the first tray went in and the mashed potatoes were 160°F,” McElroy explained. Compared to the old system, the food stayed a lot hotter when it was in the Cambro carts because it was less trays going up and the confinement of the doors and everything was sealed.
Key Features of Cambro Meal Delivery Carts
Cambro Meal Delivery Carts have major features that help hospitals complete their goals daily:
- Quiet Operation: Cambro Meal Delivery Carts are extremely quiet thanks to nylon casters, a polyethylene exterior and molded in shelf rails. Stainless steel carts are often noisy and rattle because their shelf rails aren’t permanently connected.
- Food Quality: Cambro’s 16, 20 and 30 Tray Meal Delivery Carts have louvered vents on the back to promote air circulation, optimizing food quality. For Cambro’s 10 Tray model, there is a center opening inside the cart that promotes airflow.
- Maneuverability: With Cambro’s Meal Delivery Carts, staff members can easily wheel meals around corners and through hallways. The carts’ polyethylene material and nylon casters make them especially light and mobile.
Enhancing Patient Satisfaction and Comfort
Hospital food is becoming more and more important to improving patient satisfaction scores. Patient satisfaction inevitably goes up when they’re not constantly listening to loud carts rolling down the hallways while trying to rest. John Starks, QA Manager of Food Nutrition Services at AnMed, says his employees saw a major difference in reduced noise when using the Cambro carts. When hospital staff are transporting carts up to three miles a day, the absence of rattling metal is a huge benefit for all parties involved.
In addition to hot food, the patients at South Shore University Hospital enjoy hot coffee too. McElroy added the Cambro Airpot and Condiment Station for its functionality and professional look. “The coffee airpot organizer really helps because when we started putting the coffees on top and we didn’t have the organizer, [the staff] would hit something and they would fall off,” said McElroy. All meal delivery carts have molded-in, ergonomic handles to keep carts compact and easy to steer.
Comparative Performance Data
- Stainless Steel Carts: Noisy, rattle, hard to maintain shine, heavy strain on staff.
- Cambro 10-Tray Carts: Durable, easy to clean, insulated, lightweight, and quiet.
- Temperature Retention: Potatoes stayed significantly hotter in Cambro carts compared to the 20-degree decrease often seen in stainless steel models during a 10-minute transport.
- Daily Use: Staff transport carts up to three miles a day per meal service.
