By Susan Saldibar

Here’s some (in my opinion, hard to ignore) survey data about how seniors feel about dining:

  • Almost seven in 10 respondents (68%) look for variety in meal options that cater to their individual tastes and preferences. 
  • Over one-third of respondents consider themselves “food explorers.” They want a variety of food choices and are adventurous when it comes to trying out new tastes and dishes.

But then there’s this …

  • Only 17% are very confident that senior living communities could deliver the dining variety they expect. 

Not surprised by that 17%, and I’ll tell you why. I remember visiting my grandfather in a senior living facility (yes, we called them that) and that dome of mashed potatoes sitting next to a watery clump of peas ‘n carrots and a processed turkey slice with tan giblets. It’s an image (and smell) that is hard to shake.

Now, you’ll say we’ve come a long way from that. And you’re right. 

But …

Why are operators missing this opportunity to attract the food “explorers”? Aren’t they the folks you want in your community? And even if we’re not all in that 30+%, we want great food and we want it our way. 

Turns out someone is doing something about it. 

It’s the folks who made the effort to conduct the survey: Restaura (a Foresight partner). David Leuci, CIO sat down for a Tech Tuesday chat with Steve Moran. 

I’ve covered senior living dining and technology, but I’ve never seen the two put together quite like this. 

Here’s what makes this exciting …

  • Sentiments, not just surveys. This is the “how do you really feel about it” metric. Sentiment is what we need, because we know a surveyed resident may check “I like it” on something that they really weren’t thrilled about and might never actually order. 
  • Multiple collection points. So, audio, video, scorecards, surveys, as well as the on-the-fly input using server handheld tablets and the resident Restaura GPT app. 
  • AI and machine learning. That’s how those sentiments are turned into actionable intelligence. Machine learning means the input keeps getting refined over time, so that on any given day, a resident can choose from menu items that meet their taste pallet, not someone else’s. 
  • Real time, 24/7. If someone doesn’t like something, the chef knows right away and can adjust. 
  • Food and labor cost monitoring. Managers can get insights into food, labor, inventory, cost control, all using AI and predictive analytics to project potential costs and savings

Finally, being 35% employee owned keeps the bar high. That makes a lot of sense. When employees are part owners their voices are heard, and everyone is more dialed in to success.