Operating With a Restaurant Mentality Produced by Senior Dining Association
Presenters Aaron Fish
Schelley Hollyday
Vice President, Food and Beverage Civitas
Principal The Hollyday Group
Participants
The Current Status
Changing Times - Major Factors • Baby Boomer expectations – for themselves and their parents • Still need to appeal to current Silent Generation residents • Multiple Venues and Branding • Flexible Meal Plans • Emergence of Small House Model • Short Term Rehab Focus • Sustainability • Technology • Mobility
Boomer Expectations • Older Boomers are the current marketing focus, yet still need to maintain features which appeal to Silent Generation • Younger Boomers are helping parents in the decision making process • Contemporary features are popular with Boomers, but not necessarily Silents • • • • •
Multiple venues, especially Pubs and al Fresco dining Flexible Meal Plans Destination Dining and Special Events Online ordering, take-out and delivery Wi-Fi and Charging stations
Independent Living
Venue Concepts More Than Main Dining Rooms
Full Service Restaurant
MarketPlace/Food Hall
MarketPlace/Food Hall
Pubs
Licensing
• Beer, wine, and spirits licensing is unique to each governing entity • Licenses can range from $500 to over $500,000. • Some states do not allow BYOB or complimentary beverages without a license. • Some states do no permit BYOB and Sales at the same location • Beware of limitations on servers age
Outcomes • Strong marketing feature • Promotes socialization • Can be significant revenue source
Destination Dining and Pop-ups
Kiosks
Flex Bar
Food Trucks
Concept Rendering for a Retirement Community
Features More Than Main Dining Rooms
Outdoor Dining and Kitchens
Protected Outdoor Dining
Chef’s Action Station
Take-out Parking
Branding
Branding Includes
• Department Name : Hospitality Focus • Venue Names: no more “main dining room” • Décor • Printed Menus and Signage • Packaging • Uniforms • Common Language – greeting, Ritz Carlton
Presentation Menus
Independent Living Dining Venue Concepts Q&A
Menus, Meal Plans, and Technology
Menu Models
• More Expansive “Always Available”, fewer daily cycle items (terrible term!) • Cycle items may run for a full week. • Residents can enjoy competing favorites if offered more than one day • MarketPlace stations with static menus • Cocktails and wine lists • Unique Take-out • Off Menu Specials • Premium items
Flexible Meal Plans
• Flexible Plans - Points/Dollars, allow residents to take full advantage of multiple venues • Transitioning is a structured process to assure that plans are not over or undervalued • More than one plan is common • Country Club Style Plans • Key features • Guest meals • Alcoholic beverages • Roll over
All menus should be costed • Don’t forget to include production shrinkage
Pricing models can vary
Costing and Pricing
• Based on restaurant margins. 33 – 38% RFC • Assess each item • Reverse engineering from plan value • Compare to the street • Catering is usually a higher mark-up
What about benchmarks?
Point of Sale Hardware
Pop-up Charging Station
Menus, Meal Plans, and Technology Q&A
Healthcare Dining Assisted Living and Personal Care Skilled Nursing Memory Care Short Term Rehab
Healthcare Dining Homelike and Restaurant Combined.
Assisted Living and Personal Care • Access to IL Venues • Small Houses/neighborhoods • Traditional Full Service Dining • Secondary Venues
AL Bistro
Small House
Short Term Rehab
Short Term Rehab
• Typically, “hips and knees” • Patients can be internal or external • Communities recognize that this is a great way to market to future residents • All Day Dining, operates like a restaurant • Upscale Room Service • Guest highly encouraged to enjoy meals.
A True Restaurant Experience
Rehab Dining
Healthcare Dining Q&A
Catering and Special Events
Allows a showcase of dining program
Catering and Special Events
Avenue for culinary staff to create and demonstrate skills Can create a revenue stream
Maximize use of under-utilized common space (PDR/Activity/Outdoor) Connect to larger community
Collaboration with Front and Back of the House
Expectations are higher with catering
Catering and Special Events - Pitfalls
More exposure to negative reviews if events aren't well executed
Conflicts with residents having public "in their home"
S’Mores Bar
French Charcuterie
Opening Day Theme
Catering and Special Events Q&A
Execution
I know my Future Venue Options – Now What?
•POS Data •Focus Groups •Surveys
Number of Seats • Communities report that 60 – 70% of meals are in the casual dining options
I know my Future Venues – Now What?
Hours of Operation • Support effective scheduling • Structured for peak demand
Specific Design Features • Support Take-out • Community Tables and seating styles • Noise • Mobility Device Storage • Wi-Fi and Charging Stations
Employees Hiring and Retention
• Quickly escalating wage rates as performance benchmarks are achieved
How do I find and keep employees?
• Recruiting Sources - where to look • Sell the lifestyle of a senior living kitchen • Training Programs • Investing in growth • Get them onboarded with your culture • Some communities have implemented a structured tipping program
Team Engagement
What are your best practices?
Thank-you, It’s Been Our Pleasure! Aaron Fish
Schelley Hollyday