Just Ask Us Restaurant Program

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Just Ask Us! Restaurant Program

• Encouraging Healthier
• Eating When Dining Out

• Presented by Melissa Jacobson, MPH
• Steps to a HealthierNY Program Coordinator
• Rockland County Department of Health
• Rockland County, New York

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Todays Objectives

• To describe the achievements and challenges in
  the design, implementation and evaluation of a
  countywide program to encourage restaurants to
  offer and highlight healthier choices on their
  menus.

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Just Ask Us!Program Overview

• Based on the successful New York State Department
  of Health Just Ask Us! Program, Rockland
  Countys Just Ask Us! We Bake, Broil, or Grill
  Program began July 29, 2005.
• Collaborated with the local chapter of the state
  restaurant association to determine needs of
  restaurateurs.

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Just Ask Us!Goals and Objectives

• The goal of the program is to improve nutrition
  to reduce overweight and obesity.
• The objectives of the program are
• To empower consumers to make healthier choices
  when dining out.
• To work with restaurants to offer healthier
  choices.
• To promote restaurants that offer healthier
  options on their menus.

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Just Ask Us! Support for Program

• The average American eats at least 4 meals
  outside the home every week.
• Meals consumed outside of the home are less
  healthy and nutritious than meals prepared at
  home.
• Concerns over high rates of obesity led the
  Steps to a Healthier Rockland Collaborative to
  implement a healthy eating campaign.

National Restaurant Association Journal of
the American Dietetic Association
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Why Bake, Broil, or Grill Message

• Catchy theme.
• Applicable to most restaurants.
• Educates customers about the healthier ways to
  prepare food.
• Appropriate for adult and child menus.
• Main dish ordered at restaurants.

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Target Group

• All Licensed Food Services Establishments in
  Rockland County, 1200 facilities.
• Compliant with Sanitary Code.
• Willing to promote healthier choices for their
  customers.
• Promote program more aggressively in low-income
  areas and to restaurants of different ethnicities
  to reach a larger percentage of county residents.
  

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Initial letter mailed to food service
establishments. At least 20 restaurants called as
a result of this letter.
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Just Ask Us! Volunteers

• Members of the Steps to a Healthier Rockland
  Collaborative.
• Members received a Just Ask Us! Volunteer Kit.
• Members were trained in speaking with
  restaurateurs at a quarterly collaborative
  meeting.
• Each Member of collaborative was requested to
  promote Just Ask Us! at 2 of their favorite and
  most frequented restaurants.

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Just Ask Us! Volunteer Kit

• Included the following materials
• Support letter from Commissioner of Health
• Support letter from President of the
  Westchester/Rockland Chapter of the NYS
  Restaurant Association
• Samples of promotional materials

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Just Ask Us! Commitment

• Place Just Ask Us! decal on front door or window.
• Highlight healthier menu items with a heart,
  steps healthy choice sticker or Steps sneakers.
• Allow customers to make substitutions for
  healthier items.

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Participants Receive

• free paid advertisement in local publications
• free earned media on local and regional radio,
  television, and print publications.
• free promotional materials.
• free promotion on the Steps to a HealthierNY
  website.
• free consultation from public health
  nutritionist/culinary consultant.
• free menu review.

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Samples of Promotional Items
Window Decal
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Just Ask Us! Placemat
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Just Ask Us! Healthy Choices Tip Sheet
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Just Ask Us!Promotional Materials Order Form
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Whos Participating

• 122 food service establishments registered for
  program and received some promotional items.
• 73 are actively participating and have healthier
  choices highlighted on their menus.
• Eateries in all Rockland County municipalities.
• Fast food restaurants, take out places, fine
  dining restaurants, national chain restaurants,
  workplace cafeterias.

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List of participating food service establishments
by location.
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Just Ask Us! Restaurateur Evaluation

• July 2006
• Observations
• Is the Steps decal prominently displayed in the
  window?
• Are healthy items marked on the menu?
• It is clear that customers can ask for
  substitutions?
• Is the restaurant using any of the following? ___
  Brochure holders ___ Table tops ___ Buttons
  ___ Placemats ___ Labeled menu boards or daily
  specials ___ Other Steps materials

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Just Ask Us! Restaurateur Evaluation Continued

• Questions for Restaurateurs
• Have the changes you made as a result of this
  program impacted what the customers ordered?
• Did customers ask for more substitutions?
• Did customers order the healthy items more often?
• Did you have to order more of a particular item
  than usual? (e.g. whole wheat bread or pasta,
  skim milk, vegetables)
• Do you plan to keep the changes you made?
• What did you like about participating in this
  program?
• Is there anything we could do to improve this
  program?

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Just Ask Us! Customer Evaluation

• Began in Summer 2006
• Customer survey with free mints.
• Are you aware of a restaurant campaign in
  Rockland County that promotes healthier choices?
• Did you order an item marked with a heart or a
  sneaker on the menu at this restaurant?
• Did you ask for any healthy substitutions when
  you ordered?
• Did you choose this restaurant because it is part
  of a healthy restaurant campaign?
• Would the healthy items and substitutions
  influence your decision to return to this
  restaurant?
• Comments?
• Zip Code?

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Customer Evaluation Card
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Restaurateur Reactions

• Receptive to personal approach from HD.
• Enthusiastic about the program.
• Supportive of healthy menu options
• Willing to make adaptations to provide healthier
  options.
• Appreciate the free publicity and promotional
  materials.
• Easy program to adopt.
• Would do it even without the free materials and
  support.

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Restaurateur Quotes

• Del Arte We want to partner with the HD and the
  local Farmers Market to offer healthy cooking
  classes to the community.
• Mia Cucina This a fantastic program requests
  for whole wheat pasta have increased so that now
  I order one case of whole wheat pasta once a
  week. Prior to this program I only ordered it
  once a month.
• Priya I didnt know how many items could
  actually qualify for healthier choices. I thought
  the menu item Aloo Chola (chickpeas and spinach)
  had too many carbohydrates.

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More Restaurateur Quotes

• Ole Ole I am surprised that many parents are
  choosing to eat at my restaurant since I have
  highlighted and offer a healthier choice on the
  childrens menu.
• LeCroy Corporation I have made my signature
  dishes healthier by using reduced fat mayonnaise
  in my chicken and tuna salad and using part skim
  ricotta and mozzarella in my lasagna.

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Just Ask Us! Challenges

• Many restaurateurs dont open their mail or toss
  it aside.
• Needed to explain the program in detail to each
  restaurateur several times.
• Not all restaurateurs have access to or used
  computers CD ROM usage was limited.
• Many said yes put decal on door didnt
  modify menu or highlight their healthier choices.

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Just Ask Us! Challenges Continued

• Initial barriers included misconceptions,
  misinformation, mistrust coming from the Health
  Dept.
• Had to gain the confidence of the restaurateurs,
  that there was no hidden agenda.
• Avoidance factors-Difficult for volunteers
  scheduling visits to discuss program with owners.
• Restaurateurs were unsure as to what could be
  labeled as a healthier choice. I.e. thought a
  baked potato was not a healthier choice because
  of the number of carbohydrates.

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Response to Challenges

• Utilized Public Health Nutritionist and trained
  Public Health Educator to visit restaurants and
  personally review menus with restaurateur.
• Showed sample menus of how other restaurants
  adopted the program.
• Demonstrated good will with free professional
  advertisement in local publications.
• Gained the support of highly reputable
  restaurants as program champions.
• Sent memorandum of agreement to all participants
  to establish a uniform code of participation.

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Just Ask Us! Decal in Action
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Just Ask Us! Deli Menu Board
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Just Ask Us! Decal on Deli Case with Healthier
Selections
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A Healthier Choice
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The Troll Says Healthier Choices are Everywhere!
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Welcome Ad frame and table tent on concierge
table
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Educational table tent helps customers make
healthier choices.
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Healthier Buffet Options
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SAMPLE MENUS
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Just Ask Us! Making News

• WABC Eyewitness News coverage
• Rockland County Dineout Guide
• The Dining Times Diner Placemats
• Rockland County Times
• Rivertown

• The Journal News
• Looking Forward
• Rockland Review
• Pennysaver
• El Sol
• El Clarin

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Just Ask Us!Activities

• Continue promotional efforts.
• Promote different themes, Mayor's Healthy Choice,
  Rocklands Tasty N Healthy Pizza Contest.
• Continue to recruit new establishments.
• Work in conjunction with food safety
  re-certification course.
• Sustain program by working with local Restaurant
  Association to adopt and assume oversight of the
  program.

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Just Ask Us! Conclusions

• All participating restaurateurs have been
  educated about healthier menu options for their
  customers in order to sustain the program over
  time.
• Many restaurateurs have embraced this program
  especially since the media has highlighted the
  obesity epidemic and the effect of Americans
  eating out on our waistlines.

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Just Ask Us!Contact Information

• Michelle Kleinman, RD
• Public Health Nutritionist
• Rockland County Department
• of Health
• 50 Sanatorium Road
• Building J
• Pomona, NY 10970
• 845-364-3612
• Kleinmam_at_co.rockland.ny.us