PKC began a review of the existing operations of this 550-bed medical center in Fall 2011 by touring the facilities including the New Hospital Pavilion. This venue, which was under construction at the time, features a first-floor retail concept and a seventh-floor retail food court as well as patient feeding operations. PKC spent time in each of the existing foodservice venues including two cafeterias, two coffee kiosks, a c-store, vending areas and patient feed kitchens, observing the traffic flow, menu variety, food preparation methods and general customer trends. Meetings were held on-site with key stakeholders to determine areas needing improvement as well as issues related to the future of the hospital and its unique relationship with the adjacent University of Chicago.
Using the information gathered on site, our team created a customized a web-based survey to test the consensus heard on campus, current customer trends and future opportunities. The survey received approximately 2,000 responses from staff, nurses, administrators, residents and fellows, students, physicians, visitors and patients. PKC returned to campus and presented recommendations to improve in-patient feeding, catering, vending and retail sales and services.
The recommendations were then put into a comprehensive Request for Proposal document and sent out to qualified bidders. Multiple bids were received and PKC used its comprehensive evaluation process to identify the top bidders. PKC provided the detailed evaluations to UCMC and assisted with finalist interviews. Once an awardee was selected, PKC drafted a contract and facilitated the negotiation process, resulting in a new contract that came online in 2013.
