Teleguz and the Scopos team have created a modern space that sets new standards for senior living foodservice


Cheers to the golden years


T


he senior living business segment is booming. According to published research reports, the US senior living market is estimated to grow


from $112.93bn in 2024 to $150.42bn in 2029 at a rate of 5.86%. Andrey Teleguz FCSI, principal,


Scopos Hospitality Group knows this well. “Tis is by far our biggest segment right now, and we’re fortunate to be one of the dominant players,” he says. Te key to success in senior living,


Teleguz says, is to cater to an aging Baby Boomer population that’s used to living well and enjoying the finer things (and food) in life. Friendship Village Tempe’s tagline is, “senior living for the young at-heart.” Hospitality is at the core Friendship


Village’s model, and its executives “went out of the box” looking for an attractive, additional dining amenity complement their other dining operations, as part of a six-phase masterplan to renovate an existing, five-story, 64-unit independent living building built in the 1980s. Te result was a 9,872-square-foot


rooftop brewery and restaurant, complete with its own brewing system and satellite kitchen serving an American-style, small plates menu. Starfire Restaurant and Brewery takes cues from other upscale, craft breweries and hospitality-focused rooftop venues from around the country and has been nominated for various awards for its contemporary design. Teleguz’s team was brought on early


for brainstorming and planning in late 2019/early 2020 as part of Phase 2 of the project. Phase 1 included adding a rooftop


pickleball court and lounge/entertainment space and other amenities. “We were brought on immediately


for both MAS and design,” Teleguz says. “We started with a master plan to sketch out the space and the culinary program, and worked with architects to develop the design. Te main goal of the operator LCS was to differentiate themselves from other senior living facilities in what’s becoming a very competitive market.”


THE FIRST OF ITS KIND


Demolitions and renovations for Phase 2 began in October 2021; the restaurant opened in September 2023. “Tis is the first microbrewery of its kind in senior living as far as I am aware,” Teleguz says. “Tey even have a permanent brewmaster.” In the bar, hand-painted desert scenes,


natural wooden and planters create an indoor/outdoor feel throughout the lounge area and 54-seat restaurant part of rooftop, which features a mix of sofas, chairs, banquettes, dining tables and a central bar with 14 seats and a seven- seat chef ’s counter. From the bar and dining area, guests can see the brewing equipment and four fermenting tanks behind a glass partition. Te out-front, open kitchen sits near the bar and consists of a gas-fired grill, range, griddle and charbroil with a fully- vented exhaust hood as well as combi ovens and fryers. All of the receiving and prep work for this restaurant is done in the main campus kitchen. Te menu features a selection of salads and handhelds as well as some entrees and a


carving station on the front line. For the brewery portion, Teleguz’s


team worked closely with Middleby’s SS Brewtech to specify and install the fermenting tanks, brewing equipment and draft system, which draws the beer to kegs in a walk-in cooler set behind the bar, and then to the counter taps along the bar. “Tis was a learning curve for us so


we relied on the manufacturer to size and install the right equipment,” he says. “Right now, [Starfire] is brewing one beer at a time but slowly working to increase it.” Te main challenge was the limited


space and need to build up, not out, Teleguz explains. Te kitchen, bar and seating spans about 1,000 feet on the level five rooftop, with an additional 80 square feet for the brewery. Supply chain delays carried over from the pandemic was a challenge, as well as increasing construction costs; Phase 2 was originally scheduled to take 20 months but took two years from demolition to opening. Labor was another issue. “We needed


to rely on the labor we already had in the main kitchen for prep as well as for dishwashing and major refrigeration.” Te combi oven is a key piece, with its ability to retherm short ribs that have been braised and blast-chilled in the main kitchen. Teleguz connected the bar on


one side with the expo and kitchen on the other so staff could work fluidly between the two. “Tis is not an all-day operation — we serve lunch and dinner and can turn service on or off as needed,” he says. “Minimizing the availability creates demand.” “Tis project really breaks the norms


of how senior living is perceived,” Teleguz concludes. “We’ve always looking to push the limit and create more resort-like living experiences. Restaurants in senior living should not look or feel any different than traditional ones – we also have to think about the next generation that’s coming and cater to their lifestyle.”


33


THE AMERICAS


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