Eat Well Program Toolkit - New Mexico State University

Eat Well Program Toolkit Revised: June 30, 2020

i

EAT WELL

PROGRAM TOOLKIT

Otero County Cooperative Extension Service 401 Fairgrounds Rd

Alamogordo, NM 88310 575-437-0231

[email protected]

Developed by the Eat Well Otero Program Team New Mexico County Cooperative Extension Service


ii

Contributors Kelly Knight, NMSU Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Otero County Extension Service M aureen S chmittle , Health Promotions Specialist NM Department of Health-Southwest Region Lee Ann Loney, MS , Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Holly Mata , PhD , MCHES, CPH, Public Health Specialist C li fford Kinnear , M S , NMSU Program Coordinator Kim D arnold , NMSU Program Coordinator


iii

Introduction

This toolkit brings together the insights, methods and experience the Eat Well Otero Team used to successfully launch the Eat Well Otero program in 2017 by partnering with local restaurants, community groups, and volunteers. The mission of the Eat Well Otero program is to promote access to healthy food when dining out in Otero County by partnering with locally-owned restaurants to increase healthier food options. The National Restaurant Association reports 70 percent of adults say the availability of healthy menu options would make them choose one restaurant over another. The program goals are to assist restaurants in promoting healthy food choices, educating our community on the benefits of eating healthier and making the choice to eat healthy when dining out an easy one.


iv

Contents E

Overview…………………………

1

Program Goals and Objectives...

3

Restaurant Partners……………..

4

Recruitment and Support…… 4

Eat Well Menu Items………... 7

Training………………………..

13

Marketing and Promotion………

15

Customer and Partner Feedback

18

Closing…………………………..

22

Appendix…………………………

23


1

Overview Mobilizing Community Partnerships for Healthy Eating Eat Well Otero (EWO) works with restaurants in Otero County, New Mexico, to revise menus so patrons can order meals with appropriate portion sizes and with increased vegetable and fruit content. Since 2018, nine locally-owned restaurant partners have been supported in offering healthier food choices, cutting overall costs, and reducing food waste through the EWO initiative. EWO was developed by the Otero HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) committee as a result of exploring evidence-based strategies and promising practices for restaurant outreach. EWO actions are determined by Otero HEAL committee participants, comprised of several registered nurses, a registered dietitian nutritionist, a certified diabetes educator, an epidemiologist, nutrition educators, student interns (including dietetic), public health specialists and a county extension service family and consumer sciences agent. Dining out is a popular activity that also offers strong potential to encourage people to make healthier choices. Sixty-one percent of Americans eat out at least once per week (Gallup Poll, 2016). With such a large percentage of the population eating out regularly, restaurants that make healthier menu options available and promote them to customers, can play a critical role in increasing fruit/vegetable consumption, and reducing portion sizes. According to the National Restaurant Association (2017) seventy percent of consumers say availability of healthy menu items influences where they eat out. This toolkit has been developed to assist other counties with establishing an Eat Well program for their communities. The following five sections contained in the toolkit contain ideas, strategies, lists, memos, and more to help other counties develop and launch Eat Well programs: ● Program Goals and Objectives ● Restaurant Partners ● Eat Well Menu Items ● Marketing and Promotion ● Customer and Partner Feedback


2

For questions or additional information, please contact: Kelly Knight, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Otero County Cooperative Extension Service 401 Fairgrounds Rd [email protected] 575-437-0231


3

Program Goals and Objectives EWO team members consist of Otero HEAL committee participants (see program overview for a description of participants). Contributions consist of Otero HEAL committee participants (see program overview for a description of participants). Contributions by EWO team members include recruitment of locally-owned restaurant partners, reviewing/revising printed menus, training kitchen staff on appropriate portion sizes, surveying restaurant partners and consumers at each restaurant, conducting quality assurance checks of EWO menu items, and implementing community campaigns to promote EWO partners and the benefits of healthy eating. EWO restaurant partners have added healthy menu options, agreed to serve portion sizes as approved by a registered dietitian nutritionist, participate in site visits with EWO team members to receive tailored technical assistance, and assist in tracking sales of EWO menu item to help evaluate the effectiveness of the EWO initiative for their restaurant. EWO prioritizes all people who dine out in Otero County. The county population is estimated at 65,817 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Dining out is a convenient part of our culture, but often presents an obstacle to making healthy choices. Restaurant meals are often high in sodium (Centers for Disease Control, 2017), high in calories (Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016), and high in fat – but low on fruit and vegetable content (National Institutes of Health, 2012). Since 2018, the EWO team has assisted nine locally-owned restaurants add over 50 new menu items providing healthy food choices for Otero County residents. Our Eat Well Otero Logic Model (Appendix A) depicts the shared relationships between the resources, goals, expected results, outcomes, and impacts of the EWO program. The goals developed by the EWO team for the initiative are as follows:

• increase vegetable, fruit, and whole grain intake by restaurant consumers, • implement reduced portion options at local restaurants, and • promote EWO restaurant partners and the benefits of healthy eating to the public.

To accomplish these goals, the EWO team develops objectives and action items annually. Appendix B outlines some of the key objectives and actions accomplished to deliver the EWO program.


4

Restaurant Partners

Recruitment and Support

Eat Well Otero works with local restaurants to increase access to and visibility of healthier food options in Otero County. Restaurants that partner with the Eat Well program and meet one of the levels of participation (see Table 1) can qualify as an "Eat Well Otero Restaurant Partner." Benefits and support include:

● Help business meets today’s consumer requests for nutritious and delicious menu items

● Highlight healthier items on menus using the Eat Well Otero marketing materials ● Free menu consultation and nutritional analysis with a Registered Dietitian

Nutritionist (RDN) ● Menu changes (with restaurant coordination and approval) featuring Eat Well

Nutritionist Picks. ● Promotion of your business through the Eat Well Otero program and material

support ● Staff training on tenets of the Eat Well program

Recruitment Initially, Otero HEAL’s Eat Well Otero Council (EWOC) conducted a survey to gain insight to the perceptions about eating healthy and children’s menu options and to gauge support for healthier options at restaurants in our community. Results substantiated the need for healthy choices in local restaurants. Following the research focus shifted to developing in-person style questionnaires and supporting program documents to identify needs and concerns of those who may be interested in participating in the Eat Well program. The questionnaire provided bulleted talking points so restaurants would be approached consistently with a focused message, and allowed for reliable feedback. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) (See Appendix C) and list defining the levels of participation and program details (See Appendix D) were identified and included in


5

information packets used to discuss with and then leave with the restaurant owner/manager. (See levels of restaurant participation below.) An in-house checklist was designed to streamline the process from program recruitment to rolling out a modified menu with healthier options. Introduction letters detailing the programs goals and our interest in partnering with them were mailed to locally-owned area restaurants. A sample introduction letter can be found at Appendix E. Phone calls, scheduled appointments, and walk-in visits were used to approach area restaurants. If interested, the team determined level of participation and secured signed Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs). Table 1. Levels of Participation- Restaurant Participation

BRONZE LEVEL SILVER LEVEL GOLD LEVEL

Serve portion sizes

recommended by the RDN for EWO menu items

No sugar sweetened

beverages offered with an EWO “meal deal” (adult/

children)

Offer at least one EWO fruit or non-fried vegetable side

dish option on both adult and children’s menus

Minimum of three EWO items

on the menu

Meet all Bronze requirements

Offer at least one non-

starchy, non-fried vegetable as an EWO side option on both adult and children’s

menus

Offer at least one whole grain as an option to substitute for

refined grains

Meet all Bronze and Silver

requirements

Offer at least two non-starchy, non-fried vegetables

as an EWO side option on both adult and children’s

menus

Offer a smaller portion for two or more entrées

Benefits of participating in the Eat Well program were developed based on local resources. A sample handout summarizing the levels of participation and benefits used in the Eat Well Otero Program can be found at Appendix D.


6

Outline of Steps to Complete Partnership First Meeting

● Discuss Eat Well Program ● Review the 'Levels of Participation ● Outline partner” incentives” and tasks ● Consider questions/barriers/concerns ● Ready to join? Complete Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

Next Steps:

● Preliminary menu review ● Determine EWO 'Level of Participation' ● Nutritional analysis by Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) ● Brainstorm menu and recipe ideas ● Finalize Nutritionist Picks and identify menu changes

Finalize Details

● Clarify restaurant's requirements ● Finalize menu modifications ● Project EWO Partner "launch” date ● Develop marketing plan ● Identify material support

Partner Launch

● Design, produce, and deliver materials ● Confirm menu modifications ready for serving ● Conduct staff training and education on Eat Well program ● Promote new options to community

Follow-up

● Collect customer feedback ● Conduct site visits ● Provide feedback to restaurant


7

Support

Eat Well Menu Items – Nutritionist Picks Steps to identify, analyze and include Eat Well Nutritionist Picks

1. Preliminary menu review 2. Identify the healthy items on existing menu 3. Nutritional analysis by Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) 4. Brainstorm menu and recipe ideas and using Menu Mix 5. Identify menu changes based on 'Level of Participation' 6. Finalize Eat Well Nutritionist Picks to be added and/or highlighted on menu 7. Menu development: Insert, standalone, or full menu design 8. Design produce and deliver menus

Cal: 500 Fat: 37 g Protein: 28 g Carbs: 8 g

Nutritional Analysis

Nutrition analysis is an important component of the Eat Well Otero program. Many restaurant customers are interested in nutrition information because of health concerns like obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The restaurant industry is noticing this and is beginning to cater to the needs of their customers by providing nutrition information for their meals. Also, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required that all chain restaurants provide calorie information for their menu items. However, this Act only applies to chain restaurants and not those locally owned. So, nutrition analysis is an important service the EWO program can provide to restaurant partners. What constitutes a healthy meal?

• It is important to use reliable information such as from the USDA and sites like https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ while determining the components of a healthy menu.

• A healthy meal ideally can contain protein, vegetables/fruit, and whole grains.


8

• The portion size of food offered in meals at restaurants is also important for a

healthy meal. It is known that the portions we consume have grown over the last several decades, thus contributing to an overall higher calorie intake (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm). Many of these calories also come from high fat or high sugar foods (like French Fries and sodas).

EWO considered current local concerns and needs. It is known that there is a high rate of obesity and diabetes in Otero County (https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/community/highlight/profile/ObesityAdult.Cnty/GeoCnty/35.html, https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/community/highlight/report/GeoCnty/35.html) compared to New Mexico as a whole. Some of the EWO team members are also actively involved in diabetes education programs. Therefore, we wanted to focus on encouraging restaurants to serve meals and dishes that would be lower in calories and carbohydrates to help manage weight and control diabetes. Considering what a healthy meal should be under these parameters, we reviewed the menus of our restaurant partners to identify meals and/or dishes that are appropriate and considered healthy options. EWO focused on meals/dishes that:

• included vegetables, fruit, or whole grains • offered reduced portions (like half orders) • provided 400-600 calories or less per meal (typically, for weight management

most people would need no more than1800 calories/day) • provided 3 or less carbohydrate servings per meal (1 serving of carbohydrate = 15

grams of carbohydrate, so no more than 45g carbohydrate/meal; 3-4 carbohydrate servings/meal is appropriate for most people with diabetes)

In reviewing the menus and working with our restaurant partners, we considered the following:

• Meals/dishes that already fit within the parameters of our program. • Meals/dishes that could be modified to fit within the parameters of our program.

This required the willingness of the restaurant ownership/management/staff to make these changes.

https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/community/highlight/profile/ObesityAdult.Cnty/GeoCnty/35.html

https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/community/highlight/profile/ObesityAdult.Cnty/GeoCnty/35.html

https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/community/highlight/report/GeoCnty/35.html


9

• We also provided additional ideas for menu items not currently provided but

easily could be, given the ability of the partner restaurant and current menu. These ideas included whole grain options for current menu items and ideas for additional healthier side dishes, like non-starchy vegetables.

• It was helpful to get as much information as possible from the restaurant including

recipes. We were concerned that some restaurant partners may not wish to give this information as recipes are often proprietary. However, we have not found this a problem in our program. We did assure our partners that recipes would be kept confidential and we were prepared to draft an agreement stating this if needed. It was also vital to obtain the portion sizes they use to allow for an accurate and consistent nutrition analysis.

The EWO program worked with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) to provide guidance on nutrition recommendations and menu analysis for the restaurants. The New Mexico State University Dietetic Internship program is offering support for this work. If needed, a dietetic intern can be available to help with nutrition guidance and menu analysis. Below is the contact information for the director of the program: Sylvia "Gaby" Phillips, MS, RDN, LD Department of Family & Consumer Sciences New Mexico State University PO Box 30003, MSC 3470 Las Cruces, NM 88003 Phone: (575) 646-4117 Fax: (575) 646-5042 Email: [email protected] It was important to the EWO program to use a professional nutrition analysis program. We used the ESHA Food Processor from ESHA Research (https://esha.com/). There are many nutrition analysis programs and apps available that are appropriate for this purpose. Some are quite expensive, but others are free. It was also be important for EWO to use a program that could provide a Nutrition Facts Label as this was a good promotional tool for the restaurant. The ESHA Food Processor allows for analysis of menus and recipes and can generate complete analysis documents including a detailed

mailto:[email protected]


10

spreadsheet, macronutrient composition, and Nutrition Facts Label printing, among other options. Other nutrition analysis programs, like Nutritionist Pro (https://www.nutritionistpro.com), can provide this information as well. While these programs can be pricey, FoodData Central (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/) is a large data base of food nutrient analysis information operated by the USDA. It is a free service, but requires more work to complete a full restaurant analysis. While it provides detailed nutrient information for thousands of foods, it does not produce the end products like ESHA or Nutritionist Pro (spreadsheets, labels, etc.). Nutritional Analysis Illustration: An Eddie’s Burritos recipe for chicken filling was analyzed to identify nutritional data for one serving, and the nutritional label from a package of wheat tortillas were combined to add a value-sized chicken burrito to the menu.

Figure 1. Nutrition Fact Labels


11

Figure 2. Eddies Burritos Menu

Figure 1, Nutrition Fact Labels After completion of nutritional analysis and selection of nutritionist picks, using the Menu Mix Analysis technique to see how well menu items measure within the community is a beneficial tool to evaluate menu sales and popularity before and after adding new menu items.

Menu Mix

Utilizing the menu mix analysis allows for tracking and suggestions for changing menu items positioning, portion size, and the overall style of the menu. Once a menu has been finalized and altered it can be utilized as a front runner in marketing and promotion for the restaurant partner. The menu analysis not only assist with redesigning the menu, but it also allows restaurant partners to work closely with the Eat Well Program staff in creating goals and objectives related to their POS system in tracking menu items sold for later evaluation. Utilizing this tool as another means for evaluation can contribute to a better understanding of how to improve the overall health of the business and our local communities.


12

Steps for Menu Mix Analysis Using the excel sheet provided, partners and other counties who want to use the analysis can simply plug in their numbers to the excel to discover if their menu options are in the category of Dog, Puzzle, Plow horse, or Star. If a menu item is in the “dog” category, then this item should be removed or replaced because the popularity and revenue of the menu item will not benefit the restaurant partner. If the menu item is a “plow horse” consider increasing the price or reducing the portion of sides that go with the entrée. An example of reducing portion size was used with our partner “Eddie’s Burritos” with their “value sized burrito” menu option. Allowing the Eat Well Program to work with portion control. If the menu option is a puzzle, try repositioning these items on the menu (menu engineering) and encourage servers to sell these menu items. If the item is categorized as a star maintain these as they contribute to popularity and revenue. Below is a list of information needed to utilize the excel sheet (refer to video for additional details at: https://youtu.be/YJNgd4V6LSg

Information Needed for Menu Mix Analysis:

• Menu item name • Menu item sales • Item food cost or portion cost • Food cost percentage goal (30-45) • Pricing or markup factor (if used) • Item selling price (menu price)

https://youtu.be/YJNgd4V6LSg

https://youtu.be/YJNgd4V6LSg


13

Training and Education The EWO program worked closely with our partners to provide education to staff on our program and the expectations for EWO menu options. Considering that the restaurant business is busy and staff work different shifts, often from early morning to late evening, it was important for us to be flexible in how we provided this education. Most importantly, we consolidated our information for training into minimal time requirements. We also learned that calling it something other than “training” helped. Restaurant owners and managers provide training to their staff often and we found that when we discussed “training”, they were less likely to see that our training would provide any additional benefit. However, when we asked to come and talk with staff for just a short time to be sure that staff understood the EWO program and to answer any questions they may have, we had more success. Given the time constraints of restaurants, we offered to come to established staff meetings and stated we would take no more than 5 minutes of their time. Another strategy that worked well with some partners was to visit the restaurant for an extended period, often covering shift changes, to speak to staff 2-3 at a time. This way we could speak to all staff during business hours without leaving the restaurant short of staff. We also provided incentives (like cutting boards or measuring cups) for every staff to whom we spoke. An Eat Well Program Partner Notebook was given to each restaurant partner for information and training purposes. Sample contents for these notebooks can be found at Appendix G. These were given to help restaurant managers/owners in training current and new staff, and they were also used during our training/education visits with restaurant staff as described above. Using the Eat Well Program Partner Notebook, topics discussed during these training/education visits included:

• What is the EWO program? It is important for all staff to be aware of EWO and our mutual goals and expectations.


14

• What are the EWO menu items on this restaurant’s menu? It is important for all staff to know what items are part of the EWO menu for the restaurant so they can help customers with any questions they may have, and, as appropriate, help promote these items.

• We used this time to stress with kitchen staff the importance of consistent portions and following the recipes the same each time. We briefly discussed why this is important for accuracy of the nutrition analysis and how inconsistent portions can affect someone’s health (ex: if the portions of carbohydrate dishes are larger than they should be based on the original analysis, this could be problematic for someone with diabetes who is trying to manage their carbohydrate intake). Consistent portions are also important for forecasting and purchasing needs of the restaurant (ex: if portions are larger than expected, this costs the restaurant more money for food and can lead to food shortages before the next food delivery).

We used these training times to ask staff questions about what EWO menu items were selling well vs. ones that were not. This was information we used to help with evaluation and to provide feedback to the restaurant partner. If something was not selling well, we could work with the restaurant to make appropriate changes to the EWO menu to be more successful.


15

Marketing and Promotion Eat Well Otero marketing and promotion methods were multi-faceted, with a focus on the local (Otero) customer base, but not excluding the larger region. The techniques outlined below give an overview of media and campaigning used to raise awareness of the project. Personalized marketing also took place for each individual partner restaurant to include: new menus, new signs, vinyl window clings, and assistance with/ support of each restaurant’s own on-going brand building efforts. Building key relationships for marketing in your community will include participating with local Chambers of Commerce, Health Councils, health educators, restaurant associations, or similar organizations. Marketing techniques included:

Radio advertising • Individually per restaurant partner • Overall EWO messaging mentioning multiple partners in one spot • Nutritional education radio spots with two messages prioritized – portion control

and eating more vegetables • Radio contests including gift certificates giveaways for restaurant partners, as well

as t-shirts/ grocery bags • Sample radio spots are located in Appendix H. Social media - Instagram and Facebook. Multiple Facebook “boosts” for special events such as tastings, personalized videos, and professional photographs were created and used. NMSU website - https://aces.nmsu.edu/ewo/index.html Tasting events - (one or more) at each partner. The entire EWO Team showed up to each partner restaurant for a free “tasting” promotional event with free samples of


16

just the Eat Well items, plus giveaways such as gift certificates. This was an excellent opportunity to also capture feedback through in-person and written evaluation. Bench ads - Some partners selected to have a portion of their advertising support funds go towards strategically placed bench ads. Another option considered though not selected was messaging on local public transportation. Billboards - Static billboard with large EWO logo, plus all partners listed. Individual partners listed with their logos and EWO logo on an electronic marquee Community events - EWO team members attended dozens of community events over a three-year period, handing out postcards with all partners listed, giving out promotional items, surveying the customer base and requesting feedback, providing nutritional educational materials and recipes. Events included:

• Otero County Fair • School book fairs • Public Library events • Public Health office events • Earth Day event • Community walks and community health fairs in various towns throughout the

county • Hospital employee health fairs • Two hosted lunches for the Otero County Community Health Council • Promotional logo-ed items included:

o T-shirts o Baseball caps o Canvas grocery bags o Reusable food containers o Buttons, stickers, coasters (lower cost items popular with youth)

Figure 3. Sample Billboard


17

Eat Well Team members all wore Eat Well logo wear to each event. Partner restaurant management and staff were provided with logo-ed aprons, polo and t-shirts, and hats. The locally designed logo was well branded and received very positive feedback, becoming a recognized brand in Otero County. A photo array of EWO menus, promotional materials, and events can be found at Appendix I J, and K. New Mexico State University (NMSU) requires a PHOTOGRAPHIC, VIDEO and AUDIO RELEASE form to be signed for promotions and marketing. A release form can be found at Appendix J.


18

Customer and Partner Feedback

Tracking Nutritionist’s Pick Menu Items at Partner Restaurants

After meeting with restaurant partners it is important to establish a means of tracking currently sold items to see what sells best on the menu. Once the items are tracked appropriately, can include new Eat Well program menu items, edit the existing menu, and track how well the nutritionist’s pick items are selling while working with restaurant partners. Tracking is one of the most important aspects of Eat Well, tracking accurately can provide important data on which menu items sell the most and overall contributing to the revenue of our partners. Items sold are tracked primarily with the use of a Point of Sales system (POS). The POS systems used such as Square Cash etc., are a way of organizing and tracking the different items sold by the restaurant. For example, EWO provided menu options for “value sized burritos” these options had the name and code within the POS system to track the items sold. The items sold by businesses are then tracked on a bi-monthly basis and entered into a spreadsheet for further data analysis. Items sold can provide a platform for potential menu mix analysis and possible changes to the menu engineering for business. Marketing efforts will influence the amount of nutritionist’s pick items sold.

Barcode Development for POS Systems The software used for developing barcodes for the Eat Well Program was Bartender. This Program allows the user to create custom bar codes used to scan a product or menu item for sale. The user can insert from several options related to the bar codes and find one that best fits the restaurant partner’s POS system. Once a bar code is found the user can then add a tittle, nutrition label, and ingredients list to the document. The labels for the Eat Well Otero program were formatted with the title to the right of the nutrition facts label and below the title was a list of all the ingredients. The nutrition label and ingredients list are all organized in an appropriate format outlined by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Labels were easy to print using this software, any type of label


19

paper can be used with this program. See examples of food labels used by the Eat Well Program.

Figure 4. Barcode labels used for tracking sales.

Consumer Surveys In the Eat Well Program, surveys are used to gather satisfaction data from consumer and staff members of restaurant partners. The consumer surveys measure the satisfaction of EWO menu options and the likelihood of consumers eating from the EWO menu. The survey is distributed by restaurant staff or Eat Well Program staff. Consumers during the event of surveying would receive a survey if they selected menu items from the EWO program. The Eat Well Program menu options are developed by program staff and partner leaders. The consumer survey asks three major questions:

1. On a scale of 1-5, circle how satisfied you were with [an] Eat Well Otero menu item.

2. “Are you more likely to eat at a restaurant that offers smaller portions, whole grain, and fruit/vegetable options? (yes or no)

3. Please provide any comments or feedback you would like to share related to EWO

options (on the back).


20

To make the surveys use Publisher or any other document software. Programs such as Qualtrics and Survey Monkey can be used for online surveys. Once the data has been collected from the consumers it is then compiled in an excel sheet. The compiled data can then be tallied and analyzed for further evaluation of how well the Eat Well Program menu items are performing with the consumers. The compiled data can be used to show how popular the Eat Well Program menu options are doing in terms of qualitative data. If the data is showing negative feedback such as being dissatisfied with the Eat Well program menu options tasted that day by a consumer, then they can be altered or removed as options. It is important to experiment with culturally acceptable options that fit the theme of restaurant partners.

Figure 5. Sample Survey- Front & Back


21

Restaurant Partner Surveys The next survey developed by the Eat Well Program is the Restaurant Partner Questionnaire. These surveys are distributed to owners or managers of our restaurant partners. The surveys are dropped off to the restaurant partner then once the surveys are filled out an Eat Well Program staff member will collect the surveys from the partners. The survey includes the following questions:

1. In what ways was it beneficial for you and your restaurant to participate in Eat Well Otero? 2. How have your customers responded to Eat Well Otero? 3. Did we meet your expectations in terms of marketing and tangible support? 4. Thinking about the support you received: what was most helpful? 5. What could we have done better? 6. Were there any barriers you encountered while participating in Eat Well Otero? 7. Moving forward, how can we best support you? 8. Please provide any comments or feedback you would like to share:

At the bottom of this survey it is important to ask the following question: “with your permission, we may choose to include some of your responses in our year-end progress report and articles”. This question is important because it allows the use of qualitative data from partner owners and managers. The data can be used to add quotes and testimony to annual reports or expressed with grant funders. The Restaurant Partner questionnaires are also compiled and saved by the Eat Well Program team. See Appendix L for a copy of NMSU’s Photographic, Video and Audio Release form.


22

Closing Since 2018, team members have been working with restaurants to ensure sustainability of the EWO program. This has been done by assisting restaurants with integration of healthy menu options into their regular menus rather than highlighting these options via temporary menu inserts or table tents. Kitchen tools and training were provided to ensure consistent portion measures will continue to be served. The nutrition advice restaurant staff received from the Registered Dietician Nutritionist helped to overcome restaurants’ barriers to getting access to reliable nutrition information for sharing with customers. NMSU Cooperative Extension Service’s mission is to provide the people of New Mexico with practical, research-based knowledge and programs to improve their quality of life. The Cooperative Extension Service in Otero County will continue distributing information about EWO to local restaurants seeking information on how to participate. The EWO team is also available to share information about effective strategies for Eat Well programs with Extension Service offices throughout New Mexico. EWO appreciates the opportunity to have worked with nine restaurants since 2018 to tailor menu changes, develop materials and market healthy menus to the community. They are extremely grateful for the restaurant partners’ investment of resources, time and work provided toward EWO as they worked together to improve access to healthier food options in Otero County. A list of material and software resources used by the Eat Well Otero Team can be found at Appendix M.

Mobilizing Community Partnerships for Healthy Eating


23

Appendix

Appendix Title

A Eat Well Otero Logic Model

B Annual Objectives and Action Items

C Memorandum of Understanding (MOA)

D Fact Sheet Listing Program Benefits and Levels of Participation

E Sample Introduction Letter for Potential Restaurants

F Eat Well Program Check List

G Eat Well Program Restaurant Partner Notebook

H Sample Promotional and Education Radio Spots

I Sample EWO Menus

J Marketing and Promotional Materials

K Community Events and Outreach

L NMSU PHOTOGRAPHIC, VIDEO and AUDIO RELEASE Form

M Eat Well Otero Resource Page

Note: Appendixes are posted in separate .pdf files on the webpage below the toolkit document.

Documents

Eat Well Program Toolkit - New Mexico State University