In a 15-minute presentation on the second floor of its booth, Coca-Cola shared some of the findings of its recent study on how restaurants can address health concerns for consumers. One finding is predictable, namely that there is no silver bullet to take care of health concerns. Rather, each restaurant concept must use techniques that flow from the brand.

There was one finding, however, that many operators might find surprising. Apparently, in the minds of consumers, “health” is not just about their body, but also about their mind and spirit.

And how exactly would a restaurant go about addressing mind and spirit? According to Coca-Cola, crew members are one key way. Coke has found that consumers perceive restaurant staff quality to lag behind the quality of food and decor, so if your staff is neat, clean, and knowledgeable, you will give the consumer a measure of peace-of-mind.

It’s a soft point, yes, and certainly we all know that our crews are often not in the shape we’d like, but thinking about HR challenges from a health perspective…well, it’s food for thought.