Environments for Aging - Fall 2024 - 29

HOICE HAS BEEN a driving
theme in discussions about
dining in senior living communities
to support seniors'
desire for autonomy as
well as appeal to a range of
residents, including those
seeking new experiences
and social engagement opportunities. But more
communities and the project teams they work
with are recognizing a desire to do more. " To me,
designing for resident choice is sort of an expectation
... it's a baseline " says Janet Meyer, principal
at BCT Design Group (Baltimore).
To raise the bar, today's communities are
delivering tailored experiences and dining environments
replete with distinctive character
and features designed to encourage interaction
between residents and the staff to " create that
amazing experience, " says Meyer, who served
as a juror for Environments for Aging's second
annual Dining Competition.
Dustin Julius, partner at RLPS Architects (Lancaster,
Pa.), agrees that expectations are growing
for dining environments that integrate residents,
staff, and family members into an experience,
" not just into the act of eating. "
Environments for Aging recently talked with
Meyer and Julius, who also served as a competition
juror, to discuss what stood out to them in
this year's winning projects, how dining strategies
are evolving, and what opportunities they
think the industry should tackle next.(Also, find
details on page 31 on the Dining Competition
Special Supplement that's available for download
at efamagazine.com.)
Coming together
As the industry seeks to deliver more engaging
dining experiences, Julius and Meyer say the
key is choosing themes or concepts that make
sense to the location and communities being
served. For example, Starfire Restaurant + Brewhouse
at Friendship Village Tempe in Tempe,
Ariz., which took home a Gold award in the 2024
Dining Competition, incorporates a variety of
settings, including a restaurant, patio, and rooftop
brewery, which offers craft beers brewed onsite
by a local brewmaster. " That's not to say every
community should have a brewery, " Meyer says,
but rather each community should focus on what
sets it apart or is specific to a place.
In looking for the right offering, project teams
shouldn't assume that formal dining in senior
living has gone by the wayside and that the industry
is exclusively shifting to more casual
options, the jurors noted. " I don't think that's
consistent with what we're hearing from our
clients, " Julius says. " There are regions [in the
U.S.] where having a space that is more formal is
critical to their residents. "
Instead, he says, discussions should be
framed to consider the experience and what
meets the needs of residents. For example, residents
may want the option of a rooftop dining
setting one night and a bistro experience another
night. " I don't think it comes down to this
dichotomy between formal and casual dining, "
he says. " Instead, it's the choice and the type
of experience that I can have in a multitude of
different settings. "
Meyer adds that communities shouldn't try to
be everything to all people. " Focus on the group
of residents that you're trying to draw and serve, "
she says. " Be the absolute best for them. "
Furthermore, Julius says that the trend in more
experiential dining benefits residents as well as
staff members by providing depth of meaning
to the work employees are contributing to and
being a part of. " We're seeing that as an objective
coming forward early in programming, " he says.
" Aside from wanting to have a really great design
to these spaces, communities are wanting to have
an amazing space that attracts talent. "
Building character
Diversity in senior living dining offerings and
venue experiences means more than just having
the latest pizza oven or brewery equipment
on hand, the designers say. Equally important
are architectural and interior design features
that give the space its own voice and character.
fall 2024 | 29
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Environments for Aging - Fall 2024

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