For Persons Leading or Participating in the J. Paul Taylor Center Fine Dining Experience
1. What is the preferred or recommended dress code for church attendees?
No shorts, T-shirts, sweats or short skirts. Men: slacks and polo shirts are fine; suits and ties not recommended as they are viewed as symbols of intimidating authority. Women: dresses or skirts of appropriate length or slacks.
2. Are there clearance procedures for church members attending the dinners?
Yes. The Center director must have a list of attendees prior to the dinner. Each person must also present a photo ID. Cell phones and keys will be retained in the office during dinner.
Project Leader: collect names, addresses and phone numbers of all UU attendees and submit to Center director before the date of the dinner. Make sure all attendees carry a picture ID.
3. What are the Center’s food and sanitation guidelines?
Hot foods must be reheated at the center to a specific temperature.
4. Are their additional health or security guidelines church members must follow?
Eventually, the Center director will need to do a background check on those of us who participate regularly in center programs.
Project Leader: make sure all UU attendees are briefed concerning items 5, 6, and 7
5. What personal information should we avoid giving to the clients?
- Addresses
- Phone numbers
- Employer and/or place of work
- Email address
6. What conversational subjects should we either concentrate on or avoid?
Keep conversation general and if pressed, give the church as a contact point if the client asks how to reach you.
Bad topics, unless the client specifically raises them: why a client is in the center, family or parental matters (please remember that some of the clients have witnessed horrendous family violence or come from extremely dysfunctional families).
Good topics: where they’re from, places they’ve visited or lived, hobbies, sports, future expectations, such as a career or school.
7. How do we address requests for assistance such as telephoning relatives, taking things in or out of the facility, or requests for gifts, money or other items?
Answer, “No, I’m not allowed to do that,”
“The Director says we’re not allowed to do that,” or if they ask for a gift, money or other items,
“I’m not allowed to give you anything but I’ll let Mr. <Center director’s name> know that you need/would like <whatever>.”
8. Are there additional staff recommendations, suggestions, or ideas that would make this project successful?
Portion control is likely to be a problem since a client may help himself to much more than we anticipate as a standard serving thereby leaving other clients short of food. It may therefore be best for us to serve plates at a serving table and deliver them to the diners rather than serving “family style.”
The clients need to learn basic socialization skills such as setting tables, serving diners, passing condiments or drinks, conducting polite conversation (schmoozing). Anything we can help to do in this arena will be beneficial to the clients.
