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Sodexo team at ProMedica Toledo Hospital stage wow-worthy outdoor pop-ups

Using a cooler cart, a grill and a lot of imagination, the food service crew at ProMedica made a splash during summer on the hospital’s patio and are riding into fall with creative, fun pop-ups that allow for safe distancing and fresh air.

Tara Fitzpatrick, Senior Editor

September 11, 2020

8 Slides
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Last winter in Toledo, a city in Ohio’s northwestern corner, the Sodexo foodservice staff at ProMedica Hospital were looking forward to spring weather and made a plan for a series of summer cookout-style outdoor pop-ups. Then came coronavirus and the pandemic and all the changes and challenges that brought for hospitals and those who feed them. Retail sales for the Sodexo-run program at ProMedica immediately plummeted, but a sudden bright spot has been those outdoor pop-ups, which turned out to be a much-needed escape during a tough season.

“We had originally planned so many fun events but with the pandemic, we had to trim it down and slim it down and just do what we can,” says Steve Fogle, director of nutrition at ProMedica.

With a slightly delayed start (after July 4), the pop-up cookouts emerged, full of style and flavor, with menus developed by Hannah Robertson, senior executive chef with Sodexo at ProMedica, who also organized fun giveaways and dress-up days to coincide with the cookouts.

Contact Tara at [email protected]

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About the Author

Tara Fitzpatrick

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group

Tara Fitzpatrick is Food Management’s senior editor and a contributor to Restaurant Hospitality and Nation’s Restaurant News, creating editorial content for digital, print and events. Tara holds a bachelor of science degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kent State University. Before joining Food Management in 2008, Tara was associate editor at National Association of College Stores in Oberlin, Ohio. Prior to that, Tara worked as a newspaper reporter in her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, where she lives now. Tara is a fan of food history, legends, lore, ghost stories, urban farming and old cookbooks. 

Tara Fitzpatrick’s areas of expertise include the onsite foodservice industry (K-12 schools, colleges and universities, healthcare and B&I), menu trends, sustainability in foodservice, senior dining, farm-to-table and innovation.

Tara Fitzpatrick is a frequent webinar and podcast host and has served on the board of directors for IFEC (International Food Editors Consortium).

Tara Fitzpatrick’s experience:

Senior Editor, Food Management (Feb 2008-present)

Associate Editor, National Association of College Stores (2005-2008)

Reporter, The Morning Journal (2002-2005)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-fitzpatrick-4a08451/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tara_Fitzie

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tarafitzie/

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