08/12/2026
On a previous episode of the dm&a Podcast, John Herzog sat with Erika Rosendahl to discuss an important room service transformation of a veterans' dining facility.
Here are a few of the best moments plus the unique insights Erika had to share:
Room Service Reinvigorates the Kitchen Team: “There was barely any cooking going on, not a lot of movement in the kitchen… now I see that a lot of the staff is interacting with patients and they feel a lot more fulfilled. There’s a lot more teamwork going on... there’s a lot more pep in their step.”
Choice Drives Intake and Healing: “We’ve had patients call us down and say they think this is a five-star hotel, that they wanna have one last meal before they leave, and that’s awesome to hear... a lot of complications are due to patients not even eating… If their bodies aren’t fueled enough for these treatments, then it’s pretty pointless to be having food that they’re just not even gonna be eating. If they’re picking their food, what they actually want, they’ll eat it… They’re actually fueling their bodies in order to get better and get out of the acute care hospital.”
Creating a Meaningful Patient Connection: “It’s another level of giving customer service, being able to talk to somebody while you’re placing your order... especially with our veterans, they wanna talk to someone if they’re not talking to their nurse or if they don’t have a lot of people visiting them, somebody at the call center is there to listen to them and have a conversation with them, three times a day. So it’s a really awesome experience being able to speak to the patients... Being able to receive that feedback directly from the patient has been a great way to not only find errors, ’cause the patients could tell us directly what happened."
If you haven't listened yet, the full conversation is packed with more practical wisdom and career stories:
Listen in as I, John Herzog, have candid, casual conversations with healthcare foodservice people from all areas of the spectrum. Foodservice directors, vendors, executive chefs, cooks, dietitians, managers, inspirational leaders, anyone in my con...
