Sentara Norfolk General Hospital's Dining Team Serves 4,500 Meals Daily

The hospital's kitchen operates 24/7 to manage complex diets and safety standards for patients, staff, and visitors.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 10:52am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital's dining services team works around the clock, preparing approximately 4,500 meals per day for patients, staff, and visitors. This massive operation requires a team of 130 employees to manage 15 prescribed diets with 75 modifiers to accommodate allergies, calorie counts, fluid restrictions, and other health conditions. The hospital uses specialized software to help ensure the right food is delivered safely to each patient.

Why it matters

Providing high-quality, medically-tailored meals is a critical part of the patient experience and recovery process at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The dining services team's focus on safety, accuracy, and meeting individual dietary needs helps support the hospital's overall mission of patient care.

The details

The hospital's dining services team prepares roughly 4,500 meals per day, or 135,000 meals per month. This includes about 1,500 to 1,600 meals specifically for patients each day. The kitchen uses approximately 2,800 pounds of chicken breast, 13,000 fresh eggs, and 150 pounds of fresh salmon per week. The hospital's café also makes about 90 handmade 18-inch pizzas daily and 120 gallons of seafood chowder on Fridays, which has become a popular dish among staff. To ensure accuracy, the kitchen uses software to manage diet orders and block foods that patients should not receive based on their health conditions.

  • The kitchen operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
  • Breakfast production begins around 2:30 a.m. each day.
  • Patient meal service starts just a few hours later.

The players

Kenneth Reynolds

Also known as Chef Kenny, he oversees the hospital's dining services team of about 130 employees.

Ejay Roy

An assistant patient experience manager who oversees the hospital's MyMeal digital ordering system, which handles 500 to 600 orders per day.

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital

A hospital in Norfolk, Virginia that serves approximately 4,500 meals per day to patients, staff, and visitors.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We consider a diet order a prescription. The doctors have prescribed this diet order for you to help you get out of the hospital.”

— Kenneth Reynolds, Chef

“Our number one priority is our patients' safety. We care about them. All of our staff [are] emotionally intelligent, and we want to make sure that it gets across.”

— Ejay Roy, Assistant Patient Experience Manager

What’s next

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital plans to continue investing in technology and staff training to further improve the efficiency and accuracy of its dining services operation, ensuring patients receive the right meals to support their recovery.

The takeaway

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital's dining team demonstrates the critical role food service plays in patient care, managing a complex operation with a relentless focus on safety, quality, and meeting individual dietary needs to support the overall healing process.