Subway brings life back to grave-yard shift, helps HDS Services at Port Huron Hospital

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 17, 1997

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Employees on the night shift at Port Huron Hospital no longer have to feel like second-class citizens when it comes to dining.

Hospital administrators and HDS Services have partnered with Subway to provide a fresh-food outlet for employees 24 hours a day. The Subway unit was installed recently in the vending area euphemistically called the Terrace Room.

The makeover of the Terrace Room took about eight weeks and $12,000, according to HDS unit manager Brian Latty. The hospital and Subway shared the cost of the renovation, which included the design of a lighthouse motif, a popular theme in this city on Lake Huron.

"Now our nighttime service is more customer focused," said Latty whose company has been the foodservice contractor at Port Huron since 1975. "Employees can interact with a friendly face instead of hearing the jingle of coins in a slot."

HDS polled all employees to learn their preferences. Ironically, although a majority of night-shift workers polled said they wanted a fresh-food concept, every day-shift employee surveyed opted for Subway or a similar program.

Local Subway franchisee Dan Dunn owns the Port Huron Hospital franchise, and his son, Jim, manages it. Dunn will pay 9 percent of sales to the hospital.

"Subway may capture approximately 15 percent of cafeteria sales," said Bryan Troyer, regional director of operations for HDS. "But the change should improve business revenue overall because it will draw back some employees who leave the premises for meals."

For the last two weeks of the eight-week renovation, the vending machines were removed and relocated to other areas of the hospital, such as the emergency room and the birthing center.

However, this meant that night-shift workers would have no foodservice options. So HDS, set up a number of "night owl" nacho bar, a soup-and-deli bar, a pizza party, turkey dinner and a breakfast menu.

Subway followed that up with two "preview nights" before the grand opening, where the franchise gave out complimentary party subs.