Roper St. Francis Hospital's "Fried Chicken Wednesdays" are popular with the community and the hospital's bottom line, but at odds with its healthy philosophy, according to an article on The Post and Courier website.
In small Southern hospitals dependent on cafeteria revenue, alienating community members and medical specialists who scheduled their weeks around "Fried Chicken Thursday" or 'Fried Fish Friday" is considered risky.
“We do have a full salad bar. “But if we just did all healthy, we’d lose the business,” said Lari Gooding, an administrator at South Carolina's Allendale County Hospital.
The irony of serving fried chicken in a hospital setting is so acute that Roper St. Francis in Fairfax, S.C. was initially reluctant to confirm the existence of Fried Chicken Wednesdays, the article said.
To balance the scales, hospitals are adding other options. On Wednesdays at Roper St. Francis, the salad bar is discounted 50 percent, and baked breasts and thighs are also available. Along with macaroni and cheese, they offer wheat pasta, brown rice and white rice.
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