Healthcare
5 Senior Living Trends That Residents Love
5/27/2025
According to recent research, 69% of Baby Boomers say they plan to stay at home, or age in place, instead of moving to a senior living community.1 But the reason why may surprise you—much of that decision comes down to the food.
According to Restaura Hospitality Group, which specializes in foodservice for senior living communities, and consulting firm Age of Majority, 71% of Boomers say food is a “very important” factor in choosing a community.1 For this generation, which has unprecedented access to the wide range of foods they love at the supermarket and has lived to see the rise of “foodie” culture, giving up those options when moving into a senior living community simply isn’t a very enticing proposition.
Indeed, seniors are nearly twice as likely to equate senior living facilities with “cafeteria-style food” as opposed to restaurant-quality food. And while 68% of seniors said variety is the most important part of the dining experience, only 17% thought senior living facilities could deliver on that promise.1
So how do you prove to this generation that a senior living community can deliver on the variety and options they want? Here are five trends that are reshaping senior living and showcasing that senior living dining options aren’t just on par with what they have at home—they may even be a step up.
1. Restaurant-style dining is becoming the norm
As noted above, many seniors still associate senior living with cafeteria-style buffets, but today’s senior living facilities continue to move toward a more restaurant-style experience. “This approach includes à la carte menus, elegant dining rooms, and attentive table service,” says SeniorTrade.2 For residents, it can be likened to enjoying meal after meal in their favorite restaurant, ordering from an ever-changing selection of classic and new options developed by a professional chef. It also takes the pressure off of a senior in deciding what to have for every meal—planning meals, supermarket shopping trips, deciding what to make for dinner or where to go out to eat every night, etc. That’s a benefit consumers of any age might wish for.
2. Source locally and offer farm-to-table options
If the standard you’re looking to match or beat is a resident’s favorite restaurant, it’s essential to offer many of the same trends that restaurants offer today. That means utilizing locally-sourced and farm-to-table ingredients when possible, which not only keeps the menu fresh, but also ensures the menu is healthy and enticing, while also supporting the local community and allowing residents to better connect with their food, according to Culinary Services Group.3 By changing the menu with the seasons, you’ll also give residents the variety they want. You can even ask local farms to provide more information about the produce they’re growing or ask them to visit for an educational session with residents.
3. Customize the menu
Food can be very personal to any consumer, from the way they like their eggs to the dishes that mark holidays and celebrations. Staying flexible and customizing the menu to residents’ needs is essential to their satisfaction. Are you on top of their ever-changing preferences? Do you offer the healthy options they want? According to Culinary Services Group, it can even go beyond the food, customizing the experience to their preferred eating times, offering the music they love, and knowing whether they want dim or bright lighting.3 It’s a little like having a personal chef who is always attuned to their wants and needs.
4. Focus on nutrition
Customizing the menu to residents’ unique needs and wants also means focusing on their specific nutrition and health needs. Making healthy, delicious meals every day is a challenge for almost every consumer, but it can be even more acute for seniors, who may have a wider range of health concerns and dietary needs. Morrison Living, which provides dining and wellness solutions for senior living communities across the U.S., incorporates the MIND Diet into their culinary process, which promotes brain function and aims to slow the decline in brain health that can be associated with aging. The MIND Diet is a combination of the on-trend Mediterranean Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet (DASH)—it stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It prioritizes green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, whole grains, fish, and other healthy ingredients.4
5. Offer more interactive and social dining experiences
A meal is a chance to be social and connect with one another, which is essential at any age, particularly as rates of loneliness and social disconnection are increasing. Consider ways that you can create more social interaction and engagement with residents. Can you offer more themed dinners around particular cuisines, celebrations, holidays, or resident milestones? Classes, from cooking classes to wine tastings, get residents more actively engaged in the dining program and encourage interaction with staff members. These types of options are not only beneficial individually, but they foster an overall sense of community for all residents.
By offering a wide range of on-trend options that seniors want, senior living communities can minimize some of the concerns that prospective residents have, while also giving current residents more personalized and impactful dining experiences. Simplot’s wide range of flavorful, on-trend ingredients are already on restaurant menus across the country, giving your residents the on-trend, flavorful, healthful options that they want. Consider options like:
Mexican Chicken Asada Tacos made with options like Harvest Fresh® Avocados and RoastWorks® Flame-Roasted Corn & Jalapeño Blend pack in plenty of globally-inspired flavor.
View the Food Station »
Take a comforting Fried Chicken Dinner to the next level with restaurant-quality ingredients like Maple City® Waffle Flavored Waffle Fries and RoastWorks® RTE Flame-Roasted Simply Sweet Corn.
View the Food Station »
Don’t forget breakfast. A healthy, wide-ranging Global Breakfast can include everything from RoastWorks® RTE Flame-Roasted Fuji Apples to Good Grains™ Red Quinoa.
View the Food Station »
1 Here’s a Surprising Reason Most Boomers Are Worried About Moving to a Senior Living Residence
2 Variety is the Name of the Game in Senior Living
3 Dining Trends in Senior Living
4 Keeping the MIND Diet Top of Mind in Senior Living Communities
