French toast, sausage, bacon, yogurt with a fruit cup and cranberry juice. That’s just one of the many orders received in the room service office each day. For 10 years, the room service program has been delivering delicious meals to patients here at Primary Children’s.

“When you look at the children, they are out of their homes. They have a lot of tests going on,” says Jen Willahan, administrative dietitian,
Patient Care Food and Nutrition Services. “So we strive for as much flexibility as we can give to the patient and the most options possible.”

The program is simple. Once the doctor gives approval to a patient, an operator hand delivers a menu to the room. The children or their parents then call a dietary tech to place the order. “It’s really fun. You get to play with the kids and their families,” says Jon Darger, a room service operator. “It’s so important that we keep them smiling, because many are dealing with a lot. We try to be efficient and reassuring.”

The children can order as much as they’d like, whenever they’d like. The chefs in the kitchen prepare the meal, a staff member organizes the food onto a tray and a runner then delivers the food to the patient’s room. If a child orders in the morning, they get something a little extra…a bendy guy and a joke.

“We started that as a ‘that’s fun, why not.’ And it’s been really positive,” says Jen. “It’s those things that are the human touch. Kids love the toys and it’s become a discussion point with different team members, ‘what’s the joke today?’ It becomes a way to connect.”

Each menu is full of items ranging from pancakes, smoothies, mac & cheese and the very popular chicken nuggets. There are also more than a dozen different menus to ensure patient safety and fullfill their special needs.

“One of the things that we’ve been happy to do is to offer the room service model for all patients, whether they are on a restricted carb count diet or gluten free diet,” said Jen. The menus are about to change. The hospital’s dietitians have worked with a focus group, as well as the Youth Advisory Council to figure out what food items should stay and which ones should be added, like crepes. The new menus are based on the My Plate national program, which offers more options for fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

The room service program also has an option for parents. It’s not widely used, but Jen says it provides the children and the parents an opportunity to eat meals together like they would at home. Parents do need to purchase a card from the cafeteria. After that, it’s the same process as for the children.

Room Service at a Children’s Hospital Infographic: