Case Study
Kaiser Permanente Uses Byte to Offer Round-the-Clock Access to Fresh Meals
Employees: 1,700
Industry: Medical
Location: 39 hospitals and 700 medical offices throughout the Western US
“Byte is perfect for a hospital. People’s breaks are short, they can’t go far and we tend to want to take care ourselves.” — Julie Marr, Nutritional Services Manager
The Highlights
The Challenge
Short employee breaks and a cafeteria that closes at 7:00 PM on weekdays and 1:30 PM on weekends left many people without fresh, healthy food options.
The Solution
Employees had given feedback highlighting the lack of choices for healthy food in the area and were looking for an easy solution to get a meal.
The Result
Kaiser Permanente makes an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle and Byte helps the company achieve their goals by providing fresh, healthy and accessible food to patients, staff and guests, anytime of day.
The Challenge
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center is a state-of-the-art facility providing everything from emergency to primary care to its members. The location has over 1,700 employees rotating through each day plus patients and visitors. Kaiser faced a few food problems:
- Many staff members only get 30 minutes for a meal break so convenient access to good food is important. 30 minutes is often not enough time to go out for food or eat a meal in the cafeteria.
- While Kaiser does have a cafeteria onsite, it closes at 7:00 PM on weekdays and 1:30 PM on weekends leaving many people without food options. Patients, staff and guests needed an option for meals after the cafe closed.
- The cafeteria food options are not always delicious, healthy or desirable.
The Solution
Employees had given feedback highlighting the lack of choices for healthy food in the area and were looking for an easy solution to get a meal. Julie, Kaiser’s Nutritional Services Manager, was familiar with Byte from a previous employer and knew it would be the perfect fit!
“I knew Byte would be a fit for a few reasons,”
Julie explained.
“#1 is the food. All of the items are things people would buy at a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. The food is high quality from recognizable brands and is something that people feel good about eating. #2 is that the machine is easy to use. You just swipe your card, there is no cash exchange involved. And #3 is the Byte team. They are all very responsive and any issues we’ve experienced have been resolved that same day or very next morning. It’s amazing that our fridges can be restocked 4-5 days a week if needed!”
The Results
Since launching, Byte has become a growing part of the Kaiser community. Favorite items include Urban Remedy Salads, Perfect Bars, and Noosa Yogurts.
Currently, Byte has fridges in 6 separate Kaiser buildings in San Francisco.
“I want Byte to be successful because I feel like it’s a good service for the people who work here,” said Julie. “I’m invested to make it successful because I understand the big problem it’s solving.”
Julie has loved expanding Byte throughout the Kaiser locations and has received a ton of positive feedback. Three words to Julie uses to describe Byte are Healthy, Easy, Innovative.
Kaiser Permanente makes an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle and Byte helps the company achieve their goals by providing fresh, healthy and accessible food to patients, staff and guests, anytime of day.
“I’ve had so many people come to me and express that they are happy that there is now an options for them. From doctors, to patients – I see them using it all the time.”
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