Comparison of conventional, cook-chill, and cook-freeze foodservice systems

Although the conventional system remains the predominant choice for hospital foodservice, alternative systems such as cook-chill and cook-freeze are prevalent as well. Many foodservice directors have reported improvements in operational and financial indicators when switching from a conventional to one of the alternative systems. Objectives for this research included determination of parameters of operating costs in conventional, cook-chill, and cook-freeze systems and comparison of costs for the three foodservice systems. Operational and financial data were collected for 33 conventional, 22 cook-chill, and 11 cook-freeze hospital foodservice systems. Results indicated little difference among the three systems for most operational and financial variables, suggesting that, in general, managers of conventional, cook-chill, and cook-freeze systems are employing similar resources to achieve their objectives. The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) was found to be the strongest predictor of operating costs in all three systems. Data suggest that installation of a ready-food system may not lead to savings in costs.