Basics & Beyond: Rise & Shine and Grab & Go

Tara Fitzpatrick

SOUTHWEST BREAKFAST BURGER. Low-fat sour cream and lean beef make this breakfast sandwich a more healthful portable option.

Anthony Patricelli, RD, CDN
Director Food & Nutrition/Environmental Services
St. Joseph's Hospital
Elmira, NY

“We serve three kinds of breakfast sandwiches in our cafeteria: English muffin, bagel and croissant sandwiches. They are all made with egg, cheese and either bacon, sausage or ham. We make them every morning, then wrap and label them, and use a pizza warmer to keep them warm. They're a great grab-and-go item.

“A good thing about breakfast sandwiches is the fact that ingredients are pretty basic. We use a frozen fried egg patty and a fully cooked sausage patty.

“Breakfast can be tricky with customers. We receive numerous requests and it's difficult to please everyone. We try to balance having enough while trying to limit waste. It can be tough at times, trying to predict what people will buy. Recently, we tried cheesy eggs, which went over really well — it is basically scrambled eggs topped with American cheese.”

Anthony Patricelli

Timothy L. Bauman DHCFA, CDM
Director of Food & Nutrition
Wood County Hospital
Bowling Green, OH

“Since opening last summer, the Wood County Hospital Coffee Shop has built quite a trade. Financially, it's carrying itself already, even though we give coffee away in the main lobby.

“We have baristas who know how to make a heart and a tree in the foam of a latte; we use a local micro-roaster for the freshest beans possible (roasted same-day). We see the coffee shop as a second stop between home and the office each morning for employees.

Timothy L. Bauman

“Grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches go hand-in-hand with the coffee. We rotate various meats and breads. The chef makes different spreads, like chipotle spread, or tomato-basil. We use high-end frozen buns. For food-cost it's great — we only thaw what we need.

“Almost every time someone gets a sandwich, they get a beverage. We have a combo deal (sandwich, chips and beverage) that has been popular. There are many people who want to grab coffee and a breakfast sandwich and go right to their desk.”

Kristen Hennessey
Director of Food & Nutrition Service
Plymouth-Canton (MI) Community Schools

Kristen Hennessey

“Breakfast sandwiches with chicken patties helped increase our breakfast participation. We have only a 17 percent free-and-reduced rate, but most families in the district have both parents working, so breakfast is more of a convenience issue that we wanted to offer, rather than something need-based. Still, with all the rushing around in the morning, how many students were getting a hot meal?

“We worked with principals on the timing, and now students can grab their breakfast, get to their desks, and during the first five minutes in the classroom, students eat while teachers take care of attendance and announcements are going on. We've gotten an extremely positive response from students and teachers. In eight schools, we increased participation on an average of 53 percent.”