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Restaurant-style menu to bolster patient satisfaction Beginning Thursday, Dec. 11, patients will start selecting their hospital meals from a restaurant-style menu. The new menu program is geared to increase food variety and to bolster patient satisfaction. Patients will receive the new seven-day menu at the beginning of their hospital stay. A range of new restaurant- style menus tailored to patients’ diet orders will be available along with the introduction of menus catering to religious and ethnic preferences. Nutritional guidelines and informa-tion for each patient’s diet order will be printed on the back of each menu. The patient will be able to select the menu preference from a list of available options. Each restaurant-style menu includes breakfast choices, hot entree items, sandwiches, salad, soups, side dishes, and vegetarian alternatives along with a listing of desserts, beverages and condi-ments. Once the patient makes the menu decision, all that is needed is a call to the diet office to place an order. If the patient does not place an order, then the daily chef’s special will be sent at each meal. Although all patients will enjoy the freedom of selecting their menus, patients with diabetes will benefit the most from the new system, which includes a carbohydrate-counting menu. Available to adult and pediatric patients with diabetes, these menus list the grams of carbohydrate for each food item containing sugars and starch and will help patients to become more com-fortable with the skill of carbohydrate counting while they are in the hospital.  Diet hostesses will be available to help patients who are just learning to carbohydrate count and help familiarize patients with the new menu system. Following their hospital stays, patients will be able to take a copy of the new menu with them to use as a teaching tool or reference when planning meals at home. For additional information about carbohydrate counting, visit http://www.nutrition.musc.edu. Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.