Dining is undoubtedly central to the senior living experience, and operators have long emphasized dining as a critical part of its offerings. In recent years, senior living providers have grown increasingly sophisticated – and varied – in the dining experiences that they provide and how they provide them. The evolution figures to rapidly continue.
Dining simply is a “huge” part of the overall resident experience in senior living, and it’s only becoming more vital to residents, said Kathy Thomas, vice president of dining and culinary services for Country Meadows Retirement Communities.
“We work hard to ensure that dining is the highlight of the residents’ day,” Thomas said. “We want to see socialization at mealtime and interaction with other residents, because that whole experience – not just the nutritional value of the meal, but the social value – definitely helps with quality of life and better relationships and long-lasting friendships among our residents. It’s important for overall wellness, and it’s important nutritionally, socially and even spiritually.”
Kevin Bunn, vice president of dining services at Erickson Senior Living, noted that some of our most cherished times are sharing meals with family and friends, and it should be the same in senior living communities.
“The care we take in creating exceptional dining experiences reflects the importance of these moments in residents’ lives,” Bunn said. “Having the opportunity to enjoy a meal with friends and neighbors in a relaxed atmosphere is one of the best things about being part of an Erickson Senior Living community. And we take care of everything — creating and serving a variety of menu choices in venues from fast casual to fine dining. Best of all, residents don’t have to worry about the hassle of buying groceries, preparing meals, and washing dishes.”
Senior living providers hoping to excel in a highly competitive landscape cannot afford to create a dining experience that falls flat, disappointing current residents and scaring away prospective ones. Here are some of the basics to building and maintaining the kind of dining offering that will serve as a suitable centerpiece to a community’s overall environment.
Providing a menu that’s always fresh
Bunn said Erickson’s dining experience is built around its Signature Dining program, which includes a commitment that meals will be cooked to order with fresh ingredients “to create a delicious dining experience.”
Menus at Erickson’s communities across the country feature seasonal dishes, regional favorites and weekly specials, Bunn said.
“One of the best aspects of Signature Dining is that each of our more than 100 venues has its own independent menu created by local culinarians to ensure variety and regional preferences,” Bunn said. “Everything is designed to elevate the experience for residents each time they eat with us.”
Bunn said Erickson has expanded Signature Dining, introducing a new program for residents in assisted living neighborhoods called New Traditions. The program is a fully integrated “a la minute service” with a menu that features 12 to 15 selections and a daily chef’s special.
“This program is a stark difference to traditional care-giving menus of three to four batch-cooked items,” Bunn said. “Once again, it is all about creating a superior experience for the residents we serve.”
Thomas said she works with Country Meadows dining directors to “change the pace” with their menus and offerings to keep food options fresh and to give residents a variety of options that do not feel overly predictable – while also understanding the value of consistency and regular favorites to residents.
A critical element of successfully introducing new dishes to residents is ensuring that team members are thoroughly trained in new recipes and styles of cooking so that they can prepare food in a way that is worthy of it – and that puts it in the best possible light for residents.
“There are also some steps we take to engage the residents and help get them interested in the food that we’re trying,” Thomas said.
One simple step is to keep an eye on food holidays and to serve that food on that day with a nod to the holiday, giving the meal a festive atmosphere, Thomas said. She said she also encourages Country Meadows communities to use samples and special events to introduce different foods to see how residents feel about the dishes and whether they would like to see it on the menu on a more routine basis.
Engaging residents – and prospective residents
Providing an excellent dining experience for residents starts, of course, with the residents themselves. Engaging with them, interacting with them and responding to them is the mark of a successful dining operation.
“Resident input is a big part of our planning process,” Bunn said. “Our dining services directors, executive chefs and general managers interact with residents regularly in the dining venues and through a collaboration with resident dining committees so that they can get direct input about what is working well and where there are areas of opportunity. This ongoing communication is essential to earning high resident satisfaction.”
Similarly, Thomas said Country Meadows aims to welcome the residents’ interest in dining, including capitalizing on popular culture’s curiosity about restaurants, chefs and the cooking process. That includes offering kitchen tours where dining staff provide detailed demonstrations about their operation and how food is stored and prepared – and the tours always end with samples of a new food item the team is working on.
“We also try to encourage what we call ‘Dining with the Director,’ when we have new residents eat with the dining director in a captain’s table-type concept,” Thomas said. “They can sit with the director, learn about dining in the community and the director can establish a relationship with them and learn about them. Listening is key.”
In terms of keeping apprised of residents’ tastes and preferences, Thomas said Country Meadows has completed two large dining surveys in the past year and a half. Thomas then went to each community for town hall meetings with residents to hear their feedback in person. Then, of course, being responsive to any resident concerns was crucial.
“One was that the food was cold,” Thomas said. “So we made sure all of our plate warmers were working, and as soon as we serviced all the plate warmers and made sure they were top notch, that complaint went away. We corrected areas that we could immediately correct to make sure they could see right away that we were listening to them.”
Like many providers, Thomas said Country Meadows communities recognize the role that dining plays in prospective residents’ decision-making. For that reason, they are invited to have a meal at a community they are considering, and some campuses provide them with food to take away, such as a box of cookies or a dish to heat up.
“We want them to see what they can expect,” Thomas said.
Keeping up with trends
Excelling in the dining space in senior living means always seeking to improve, consider new trends and monitor how residents’ interests, preferences and behaviors are evolving. It also means studying new tools that can strengthen dining operations. For instance, Thomas said Country Meadows strives to keep up with the newest trends in technology with an eye on how they can improve the dining experience for residents, such as weighing the use of robotics in meal service and tablets in the ordering process.
New technology means education and training for both workers and residents. “We’re in the infant stages of rolling out a point-of-service program, and it takes a lot of communication for our residents, families and co-workers in general,” Thomas said. “We’re talking to them about how this will work and the benefits it will bring. We’re making it clear that it’s not taking away any staff – it’s allowing us to enjoy more time with the residents.”
Balancing personal preference and nutritional needs has never been more of a priority in senior living, and Bunn said Erickson is diligent about striking that balance.
“Today, our residents are more health conscious than ever,” Bunn said. “Many are watching their cholesterol, avoiding sugar or just trying to eat healthier in general. Based on their feedback, we’ve expanded the Healthier Choice selections of our menu and are posting nutritional information on the My Erickson resident app. We’re also adding more plant-based options in a pilot program that we’ll be looking to expand in 2025.”
In recent years, Thomas said Country Meadows residents have demonstrated an increased interest in global cuisine – driven perhaps by travel, social media and their children and grandchildren – and the senior living provider has aimed to meet that interest, expanding its communities’ offerings to include more international specialties beyond basics such as spaghetti and tacos.
“We’re always trying to keep up with our residents’ interests,” Thomas said.
The importance of your culinary team
Being fully staffed and enjoying stability in the dining team provides the strong foundation that is necessary to be “visionary” in dining and to excel in the kitchen rather than merely keep up with the day-to-day demands of serving meals.
“We have found that when it comes to creating exceptional dining experiences, it all comes down to the people who deliver it,” Bunn said. “From the hostess who greets you with a friendly smile, to the server who makes you feel welcome and taken care of, to the expert chefs crafting your special dish — it is all about the team. We look for team members who have a high level of culinary talent and service skill, and who place the highest priority on resident satisfaction.”
Thomas said it is essential for dining room managers and their servers to appreciate the role of socialization in the dining experience and to do what they can to support it at all times, including by prioritizing spending time with the residents and engaging with them in dining environments.
“When you’re serving three meals a day, it’s so important that you’re out in the dining room, walking around, talking to residents,” she said.
Bunn said Erickson searches for dining team members who both have talent and who fit the Erickson culture.
“We live our mission one interaction at a time, with residents and coworkers,” Bunn said. “This commitment creates a friendly, courteous atmosphere that elevates the resident experience.”
Considering the importance of team members to the dining experience, Bunn said Erickson seeks chances to help them continue to learn and develop their skills.
“Everyone has opportunities to grow, whether it’s learning to prepare new healthy selections or connecting with residents,” Bunn said. “This is why training and communication are so important to us.”
Because most importantly, the best dining providers are always growing and improving.
“It’s just something we have to work at every day,” Thomas said. “We can’t sit back and think things are going to just happen and improve, because it won’t. It’s a constant process of getting better for our residents.”
