STRATEGY & OUTLOOK
PERSONALIZED NEEDS AND PREFERENCES “At the beginning of the pandemic, we de- livered meals, snacks, and hydration options to our residents’ suites to help ensure their safety and well-being,” says Caitlin Rogers, vice president, dining and nutrition services at Sunrise Senior Living. “When we were able to safely welcome
guests back to our dining rooms, residents and team members alike were simply over- joyed. The warm, welcoming environment and ability to socialize is irreplaceable.” “Even so, we continue to see an increased
interest in room service that I believe will be here to stay as residents look for flexibility in how, where, and when they enjoy their meals—and we will continue to work to meet personalized needs and preferences throughout their experiences at Sunrise.”
GETTING LEANER “Shorter menus that are easier to execute with a leaner staff will be with us in 2022 and, perhaps, beyond,” says Doug Ander- son, vice president, marketing and com- munications, culinary services, at New Perspective.
ANYTIME DINING LCB Senior Living is an early adopter of “anytime dining,” having started the prac- tice about six years ago. It’s now becoming more common, because as the pandemic changed dining room hours and mealtimes to maintain safety, residents at some com- munities wanted this flexibility to continue. LCB’s dining rooms are open from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. as part of its Everyday Gourmet dining program. Residents can order any- thing off the extensive menu at any time of day. “Whatever is on the menu for any of the meal times is available at all times,” says Ted Doyle, vice president of marketing and communications. “It’s all part of maintain- ing independence and choice.”
GENERATIONAL SHIFTS Juniper Communities’ regional culinary director Kris Kishbaugh sees dining chang- ing with demographics. “I see quick service,
LCB Senior Living's Everyday Gourmet program offers independence and choice.
casual dining coming more into play over the next couple of years,” he says. “As our resident population demographics change so will our dining.” “We are getting a younger boomer
generation coming into our communities who want more freedom when it comes to dining. They want to eat when it meets their schedules. They no longer want to schedule doctors’ appointments and activities around the traditional mealtimes.” “To start meeting these needs, we have
started all-day dining in our communi- ties. We are still seeing a majority of our population staying with those traditional mealtimes, but there are a few that come in the other times, and they are getting items from our grill menus or all-day breakfast menus.”
NEXT-LEVEL PROCUREMENT “At Entegra, we are doing our jobs right when we provide peace of mind to our clients and make their jobs easier, all while saving them money,” says Jeff Porterfield, chief customer officer, North America, at Entegra. “We’ve taken procurement to the next level and truly partnered with everyone in the supply chain to help clients achieve performance goals.”
IT’S ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE:
“Focus on the experience,” advises Merrill Gardens’ Nick Olla, vice president of special projects. “We all had taken for granted the privilege of dining together. After months of residents having to dine alone, we found so much joy in seeing our residents be able to enjoy dining with others in our restaurants.”
MARCH/APRIL 2022
ARGENTUM.ORG 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
