Special Customer Service Issues Cultural/Religious DiningPreferences
Definition
Cultural or religious preferences can include special dietary restrictions in accordance with religious codes and customs as well as dining choices made as a result of a person’s culture, or ethnicity.
Examples include dietary restrictions during holy days (e.g. Yom Kippur, Passover, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Orthodox Holy week, Ramadan), dietary restrictions that encompass daily eating (e.g. pork restrictions for Jews and Muslims), and cultural, ethical and health dining preferences (e.g. vegetariansand people that prefer the foods of their particular cultures).
First response to a customer
Special requests should be handled with courtesy and respect. Often the customer simply wishes to be sure of the ingredients of an item that may not be well labeled. Does it contain animal products, pork, flour, etc? Is the nutritional content or the ingredient list of the product available for the customer to look at? Servers, cashiers, managers, and supervisors need to take the request seriously and go to the best source for that information so that the customer gets the correct information. The container that the food item comes in often contains the needed information. Nutrition information for many of our food items are available in the dining facilities. The people that prepare the recipe can also be good sources of the correct information.
Sometimes the customer may request that a modification be made in the ingredients or the cooking method of the food item. Examples would be using clean gloves, separate knifes, cooking utensils or equipment for their food preparation instead of our usual equipment which might be cross-contaminated with food which they wish to avoid. Others might request that meat or other ingredients be left out of their dish or that an ingredient be added (like hot sauce) that would more closely match the flavor that they are used to. Honor the person’s request whenever possible, but when more extensive modifications need to be made, contact the Dining Director for further assistance with the process.
ASC employees need to understand that customers can feel very strongly about their food choices. Many religious dietary restrictions have been in place for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Strong preferences based on ethical, or cultural needs also deserve our respect and accommodation.
Who to contact for more assistance
If the customer has cultural or religious preferences, direct them to the ASC Dining Director for further assistance. The Dining Director can co-ordinate menu changes that will accommodate that customer as well as others that may share their dietary restrictions or preferences.
If the customer has health issues or is a vegetarian/vegan, direct them to the ASC Registered Dietitian who can help them design a healthy eating program using the dining facilities.
If the customer is a short-term visitor to the campus, accommodate them when possible, and for advice on more extensive accommodation, refer them to the Dining Director.
If the customer will be involved in a catered event, direct them to the ASC Catering Office which can customize prepared dishes to accommodate their needs.
Guidelines for long-term accommodation of service:
Residential students will be encouraged to meet with the Dining Director and the appropriate dining manager to make a plan for long-term accommodation of their needs. Dining Services will continue to provide the special foods agreed upon for as long as the student is utilizing the services. When the student fails to use the accommodations for 3 days, without notice, services will be suspended until the student again contacts the dining manager.
Documentation
A special Customer Issue Report should be completed when a customer presents a future request for an accommodation. This form should be completed at any point of contact. If needed a copy should be sent to the appropriate person as designated in the Who to Contact Section of this document.
Training
ASC employees will be trained on a periodic basis on how to serve customers with dietary preferences. Such training could include:
Respect for special needsPreparation procedures
Ingredients and recipesCustomer Issue Reports
Cross contamination issues
Managers and supervisors should provide training to employees as specific situations arise.
Special Customer Service Issues Foodborne Illness/Contamination
Definition
A foodborne illness is a disease carried or transmitted to people by food. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines a foodborne-illness outbreak as an incident in which two or more people experience the same illness after eating the same food. A foodborne illness is confirmed when laboratory analysis shows that a specific food is the source of the illness. Examples of foodborne illnesses are salmonellosis, listeriosis, hepatitis, hemorrhagic colitis (e-coli), and trichinosis.
Contamination is the presence of harmful substances in the food. Some food safety hazards occur naturally, while others are introduced by humans or the environment. Contamination can be in the form of biological, physical, or chemical substances in the food. Examples of biological contaminants are bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and biological toxins. Examples of physical contaminants are foreign objects such as glass, hair, jewelry, or dirt. Examples of chemical contaminants are cleaning products, pesticides, toxic metals, and lubricants.
First response to a customer
All cases of suspected foodborne illness or contamination need to be taken seriously and responded to immediately. The incident must be handled by a manager or supervisor. Reports of a foodborne outbreak must be handled following a strict protocol. The dining manager will gather all necessary information using the Foodborne Illness Complaint/Report. It is important to get as much information from the customer as possible at the time of the first report, with an open mind, but without openly or inadvertently admitting any responsibility.
Student customers should be urged to go to Student Health Services as soon as possible for evaluation and testing. Non-student customers should seek outside medical evaluation. A copy of the Foodborne Illness Complaint/Report should be provided to the customer to aid in the medical evaluation.
In the case of contamination, the customer should be urged to turn over the contaminated food to ASC personnel so that it can be properly evaluated and the source of the contaminant discovered as soon as possible. This could insure that no other customers are affected by the contaminant. If the contaminant has caused an internal or external injury or illness, the customer should be urged to seek medical evaluation immediately. A written description of the contaminant (if known) should be provided to the customer to aid in the medical evaluation.
Who to contact for more assistance
In the case of a foodborne illness report, the manager or supervisor of the dining unitmust be notified immediately and they should handle any conversations with the customer, in order that the proper protocol is followed. All personnel who have been involved in the handling, production, or serving of the food item should be notified and interviewed. If possible, samples of the suspected food should be packaged, refrigerated, and saved for testing. The rest of the food should be properly labeled “do not use” until an evaluation can take place. HACCP reports for that period of time and menu item should also be gathered.
In the case of a foodborne outbreak,the manager of the dining unit and the ASC Dining Director must be notified immediately and they (or a designated spokesperson) should handle any conversations with the customer or authorities, in order that the proper protocol is followed. *The Dining Director will designate a spokesperson to handle any and all media inquiries. Confirmation by medical authorities and/or lab analysis will be sought, an Foodborne Illness Complaint/Report will be filled out, samples of the suspected food should be packaged, refrigerated, and saved for testing and any remaining food should be safely discarded immediately.Gather all related HACCP reports. The Cortland County Health Dept., Student Health Services (if applicable) must be notified of the outbreak immediately as well as the manager of the dining unit and the ASC foodservice director.
In the case ofcontamination, if the contamination is determined to have affected more than one serving of the food item, samples of the food must be taken so that further testing can be done. Depending on the kind of contamination and the pervasiveness of the contamination, outside authorities such as the Cortland County Health Dept. or University Police may be called in to do an investigation. If it is suspected that the contamination occurred before it reached our facilities, the foodservice supplier of that item must be informed immediately so that they can determine the source and cause of the contamination. Always keep samples and other physical evidence in order to aid the investigation. Manufacturer’s recalls should be reported to our Dining Director by our suppliers immediately, so that corrective action can be taken to remove suspected food from our menus.
Documentation
For a suspected foodborne illness, manager or supervisor should fill out a Foodborne Illness Complaint/Report and any related documents such as lab analysis, medical records, and HACCP reports.
For suspected cases of foodborne outbreak, in addition to the above, an Outbreak Investigation Sheet must also be kept on file. The Dining Director should also keep a written record of conversations held with the College Health Services, County Health Dept., or other agencies, as well as any media reports.
For contamination issues, the Special Customer Issue Report must be kept on file as well as any University Police or Judicial Affairs reports. There may also be lab or other testing results.
Training
All ASC employees who are involved in the receiving, preparation, or serving of food as well as all management and supervisory staff and the foodservice director are currently required to attend the Serv Safe Essentials course which we offer yearly. This is a food safety course and exam designed and administered by the NationalRestaurantAssoc.This course thoroughly covers all aspects of food safety including foodborne illness and contamination. Recertification is required after 5 years.
All student employees are given training by their managers and supervisors depending on the tasks which they perform in ASC dining.
Special Customer Service Issues Dietary Needs-Medical and Other Dietary Preferences
Definition
A customer discloses having a disease, food intolerance or food allergy for which they modify their food choices for their health maintenance. The health condition may alter their food choice process in one or more of the following ways when using their Cortland Dining meal plan:
A customer chooses to follow alternative food choice pattern that may differ from the food choices regularly provided by Cortland Dining (e.g. - vegetarian – lacto, ovo, vegan, other diners with dislikes or desires for foods not offered through usual menuing.)
Note: All Cortland students will be informed of methods for identifying themselves for alternative nutrition needs/preferences if they are going to seek accommodations with their meal plan. (Orientation program and handouts, handout material at point of service, Food for Thought centers.) Special needs for which the customer requests ongoing modifications beyond foods and preparation customarily available shall be presented to ASC Nutrition Services RD .A needs assessment and plan of service will be completed and appropriate arrangement made.
First Response to a customer
In all cases, special dietary requests should be handled with courtesy and respect.
Some foodallergies are life threatening and requests need to be handled accordingly. Serve only clearly labeled, packaged foods on hand thatmeet with customer’s approval. Most customers with food allergies are well aware of their conditions and what foods to avoid. If the ingredients of an item are not 100% certain, choose, with the customer, an item that is. Simple foods like fresh fruit are often an option. Honor requests for separate handling (change gloves, separate utensils, separate cutting boards and cooking pans) for foods allergy customers. Contact the Food Service Manager or supervisor if more specific requests are made. Student customers should be referred to the ASC Nutrition Services Registered Dietitian (RD) for more complete information and more extensive accommodation within our dining facilities. Student will be responsible for making and keeping the appointment to discuss and plan for continuing needs (Wed – Friday office hours).
Some medical conditionssuch as diabetes, Krohn’s disease,Celiac disease etc. also require special dietary accommodations. Handle these customers as you would a person with food allergies.
For other customer needs and preferences, Often the customer simply wishes to be sure of the ingredients of an item that may not be well labeled. Does it contain animal products, pork, fat or sodium,sugar,flour, etc? Is the nutritional content or the ingredient list of the product available for the customer to look at? Servers, cashiers, managers, and supervisors need to take the request seriously and go to the best source for that information so that the customer gets the correct information. The container that the food item comes in often contains the needed information. Nutrition informations for many of our food items are available in many dining facilities. The people that prepare the recipe can also be good sources of the correct information.
Sometimes the customer may request that a modification be made in the ingredients or the cooking method of the food item. Examples would be using clean gloves, separate knifes, cooking utensils or equipment for their food preparation instead of our usual equipment which might be cross-contaminated with food which they wish to avoid. Others might request that meat or other ingredients be left out of their dish or that an ingredient be added (like hot sauce) that would more closely match the flavor that they are used to. Honor the person’s request whenever possible, but when more extensive modifications need to be made, contact the Dining Director for further assistance with the process. Contact the Food Service Manager or supervisor if more specific requests are made. Student customers should be referred to the ASC Nutrition Services Registered Dietitian (RD) for more complete information and more extensive accommodation within our dining facilities. Student will be responsible for making and keeping the appointment to discuss and plan for continuing needs (Wed – Friday office hours).
ASC employees need to understand that customers can feel very strongly about their food choices. Strong preferences based on medical, ethical, or cultural need deserve our respect and accommodation.
Guidelines for Long-Term Meal Plan Service to Student Customers
Student will be encouraged to meet the manager and supervisors in dining centers where accommodation for their needs will be met. They may be referred to the Dining Director or the RD to further facilitate their request. Periodic contact with ASC Nutrition Services RD and/or dining management will be suggested to assess and adjust services.Cortland Dining Services will continue to provide special foods/ services agreed upon as long as student utilizes the services. When student fails to use the accommodations for three days without notice, services will be suspended until student contacts RD or Dining Service FS Mgr at the site of service.
Who to Contact for more assistance
Student customer with special dietary needs that are medical or food allergy related should be directed to ASC Nutrition Services with contact information(business card). Student customer will be asked to appropriately identify the nutrition exceptions with the RD. Additional documentation may be requested. Food choice guidelines will be developed together with customer and RD upon assessment of needs.As appropriate and possible, accommodationof services will be discussed. Where necessary, RD will contact the Dining Director or dining manager(s) about special needs, a plan for on-going food service will be developed and appropriate staff educated to meet the needs daily.
Vegetarians and customers with specialized food preferences will be directed to the Dining Director for a full discussion of their requests.
If the customer is a visitor, SUNY staff or other members of the public the customer should be directed to the Dining Director for more assistance. If the customer will be attending a catered event, they should be directed to the Catering Department.
Documentation