Strong Memorial Opens New Hospital Cafeteria

Rochester, N.Y. - Fresh pasta made to order, rotisserie chickens ready for pick-up. Strong Memorial's new Cafe 601 is focusing on healthy eating.

“Now the food options are great, you can get rotisserie chicken, salads,” said Hazel Pugh, an administrative assistant at the Hospital. “The salad bar is great and it gives you a wider option.”
Pugh has worked at the hospital for eleven years; she never thought the cafeteria would ever look like this.

“I think its motivation for people who may be dieting,” said Pugh, “for people who may be considering going on a diet.”

Encouraging healthy eating begins before people walk into the door, every day a different dietitian chooses a different healthy option for people to try and puts on an electronic board.

“They designed the facility to be open,” said Kathy Parrinello, Chief Operating Officer at Strong.

“To have lots of people in the serving area, find the meal that they want, and then quickly get through the cashiers to get into the dining area.”

The cafeteria feeds about a million people every year.
And after 40 years without updates, the change is quite drastic. It's an eatery employees are even proud of.

“I think it's a beautiful establishment now that they've made the changes,” said Pugh.