Running Head: EQUIPMENT PROJECT 1

Equipment Project

Project Partner

Jessica Kozlosky

Food Systems Management I: Production

3 October 2019
EQUIPMENT PROJECT 2

Although the safety, appearance, taste, smell, and texture of food must be given great

care, so must the delivery of it to a customer or patient. Tray service equipment serves this

purpose in a variety of settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities,

airlines, and hotels (Gregoire 2017). While it cannot be used to actually prepare any food, tray

service equipment can be used to move virtually any kind of food or beverage. Trays allow

utensils, cups, bowls, and plates of food to be moved all at the same time while carts permit the

transportation of trays en masse. Insulated covers for bowls, plates, and cups help maintain the

temperature of food and beverages, however, the utility of these accessories is limited (Toutner,

Gregoire, Lafferty, and Stone 2012). Items to be served should still be held hot or cold as close

to assembly time as possible; assembly and delivery should also be conducted in a timely

manner.

In an effort to maintain food and beverage temperatures more effectively than insulated

covers, special variants of carts also exist. For example, certain carts contain refrigeration or

heating units used to hold entire trays at cold or hot temperatures (Jackson 1996). Some contain

less comprehensive systems, such as heated drawers into which individual hot items are placed

or conduction units designed to heat up specific areas of trays. Yet others may not contain any

temperature control systems but instead are designed to fit inside refrigeration units (Jackson

1996).

While every facility’s system for assembling and transporting trays is different, the

centralized tray assembly process is most commonly used. In nearly all food service operations

in hospitals (97% of conventional systems, and 96% of cook-chill systems; Nettles & Gregoire,

1993), trays are assembled in a central location where the food is produced before being
EQUIPMENT PROJECT 3

transported out to the patients. The tray assembly process is assessed based on its accuracy and

efficiency. The accuracy is most often checked by a designated person, or checker, who is

“responsible for ensuring that the food items on the patient tray are what the patient selected

and/or are what should be served for that patient’s diet,” (Jackson, 1996). Efficiency is checked

and measured by calculating the ratio of the amount of time that is spent making the trays to the

number of trays assembled in that time (Jackson, 1996). Many factors play a role in this process

including the appearance and format of the menu slip, the number of employees at hand, and the

number of modifications available.

Once trays have been checked for accuracy, and are in the proper temperature-regulating

containers and carts, trays are delivered then most often directly to the room themselves, or to the

nurse’s station nearby. Most facilities use insulated trays, which do not generate any additional

heating or cooling, but are designed to maintain the hot or cold temperature for a period of time

(Gregorie, 2017). Challenges of the food service director include purchasing the proper

equipment to maintain the needed temperatures of the food depending on travel time, mapping

out the best route to each room, and scheduling out time needed to send the trays to the location.

The process then ends with the delivery of the tray to the patient, usually paired with scripting,

which is the employee’s use of predetermined text designed for the particular situation of

delivery (Gregorie, 2017). After the deliveries, carts should be cleaned and sanitized, ready for

their next round of deliveries.

The price of tray service equipment varies widely; much of the cost can be traced to carts,

the amount of trays they hold, the material they are made from, and any special features they

offer. For example, a stainless steel cart with a six tray capacity and no temperature regulation
EQUIPMENT PROJECT 4

retails for $728.50 (Lakeside). Meanwhile, an insulated polyethylene cart with a 16 tray capacity

costs approximately $1,915 (Cambro). Electrical temperature regulation increases the price of

carts significantly; a stainless steel cart with capacity for sixteen trays and systems for

maintaining hot and cold temperatures can cost in excess of $10,000; a particular example retails

for $10,089.50 (Alluserv). Given these prices, the cost of a single cart can be expected to be

above $1,000 for most facilities, with the exception of small operations and facilities where the

time between meal assembly and delivery to the patient is relatively short.

The cost of bowls, plates, cups, and utensils can also vary. For example, sets of 48

insulated mugs and 48 insulated bowls from Dinex.com both cost $198.58, while 1000 lids for

the bowls cost $121.78 (Turnbury Insulated Pedestal Based Mug; Turnbury Insulated Pedestal

Based Bowl; Turnbury Translucent Lid). The same amount of lids for the mugs are priced at

$99.32 (Turnbury EZ Sip Lid). Trays can be somewhat expensive; on Dinex, a set of 12 retails

for $314.18 (Glasteel Flat Tray). Insulated domes also share this quality; $469.98 is the cost for a

set of 12 (Turnbury Insulated Dome). Dinner plates can be found for much cheaper. A set of 12

is priced at $26.99 on Amazon, while 20 dinner utensils for the service of 4 people cost $16.98

(10 Strawberry Street; ENLOY 20 Pieces Flatware Set). Note that these prices are possible

examples; the cost of equipment will vary between retailers and brands.

Tray service equipment is extremely important for facilities that deliver meals to their

clients. A plethora of options exist, especially for carts, demonstrating features such as cold and

hot-holding abilities. While this kind of equipment can be expensive and incur significant costs,

it is nonetheless vital for the function of facilities such as hospitals, airlines, nursing homes, and

hotels.
EQUIPMENT PROJECT 5

References

10 Strawberry Street CATERING-12-DINNER-W Catering Pack 10.5", Set of 12 Dinner Plates,

White. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.amazon.com/10-Strawberry-Street-CATERING-12-DINNER-W-Catering/d

p/B002LAAFYS/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=dinner+plates&qid=1570071730&s=gateway&

sr=8-10

Alluserv AHCTC Stainless Steel 16 Tray Hot / Cold Meal Delivery Cart. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/alluserv-ahctc-stainless-steel-16-tray-hot-cold-meal-d

elivery-cart/480AHCTC.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Sh

opping HP&utm_term=1100404859873&utm_content=Equipment.

Cambro MDC1520T16401 Slate Blue 2 Compartment Meal Delivery Cart 16 Tray. (n.d.).

Retrieved from

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/cambro-mdc1520t16401-slate-blue-2-compartment-m

eal-delivery-cart-16-tray/214MDC1520SB.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&u

tm_campaign=Shopping HP&utm_term=1100404859873&utm_content=Equipment.

ENLOY 20 Pieces Flatware Set, 18/0 Stainless Steel Utensils, Service for 4, Heavy Duty

Silverware Gift, Heavyweight Cutlery, Dishwasher Safe, Mirror Polished Dinner Knife,

Fork, Spoon for Restaurant. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.amazon.com/ENLOY-Silverware-Gift-Heavyweight-Dishwasher-Restaurant

/dp/B07VVBWKCK/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=silverware&qid=1570067717&s=gateway

&sr=8-19
EQUIPMENT PROJECT 6

Glasteel™ Flat Tray 14" x 18" (12/cs) - Onyx. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.carlislefsp.com/traytops-and-accessories/patient-trays/DX1089I03.

Gregoire, M. (2017). ​Foodservice Organizations: A Managerial and Systems Approach.​ Pearson.

Jackson, R. (1996). ​Nutrition and Food Services for Integrated Health Care: A Handbook for

Leaders​. Jones and Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Lakeside 437 Stainless Steel Economy Tray Cart with Blue Cover - 6 Tray Capacity. (n.d.).

Retrieved from

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/lakeside-437-stainless-steel-economy-tray-cart-with-b

lue-cover-6-tray-capacity/480437.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_cam

paign=Shopping HP&utm_term=1100404859887&utm_content=Equipment.

Nettles, M. F., Gregoire, M. B. (1993). Operational Characteristics of Hospital Foodservice  

Departments with Conventional, Cook-Chill, and Cook-Freeze Systems. ​Journal of the 

American Dietetic Association, 93(​ 10), 1161-1163. Available at: 

https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/6673 

Troutner, M., Gregoire, M., Lafferty, L., & Stone, M. (2012). Analysis of Temperature of Patient

Meals. ​Journal of Foodservice Management and Education​, ​6​(2), 1–5. Retrieved from

https://www.fsmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/6-2-Gregoire.pdf

Turnbury® EZ Sip Lid- Fits DX 3000 8 oz Mug, DX3200 5 oz Bowl (1000/cs) - White. (n.d.).

Retrieved from

https://www.carlislefsp.com/traytops-and-accessories/turnbury/DX30008775.

Turnbury® Insulated Dome 10"Dia (12/cs) - Onyx. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.carlislefsp.com/traytops-and-accessories/turnbury/DX340003.
EQUIPMENT PROJECT 7

Turnbury® Insulated Pedestal Based Bowl 9 oz (48/cs) - Onyx. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.carlislefsp.com/traytops-and-accessories/turnbury/DX330003.

Turnbury® Insulated Pedestal Base Mug 8 oz (48/cs) - Onyx. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.carlislefsp.com/traytops-and-accessories/turnbury/DX300003.

Turnbury® Translucent Lid- Fits DX3300 9 oz. Bowl (1000/cs) - Translucent. (n.d.). Retrieved

from https://www.carlislefsp.com/traytops-and-accessories/turnbury/DX33008714.