"We’ve gone from using disposable dishware to serving delivered foods on china.”
The next several months for Kendal and its affiliates — and I believe for senior living foodservice in general —will target a few practices, in particular.
Some are ongoing, such as social distancing; increased directional signage; enhancing and, in some cases, heating outdoor dining spaces; and increasing sanitation training to ensure that we have the safest environment for staff and residents. We’ve removed all self-serviceand adopted operational protocols, such as no sharing of order pads or tablets or utensils. All of that will continue. Others are newer initiatives. For example, we’re thinking differently about delivery and mobile ordering. Previously, our communities offered delivery primarily to residents whose doctors deemed itnecessary. That’s because we believe thesocial aspect of mealtime is so important. During the pandemic, delivery became the only option for most residents and our approach to it is evolving. We’ve gone from using disposable dishware to serving delivered foods on china. It’s a nicer presentation, and we’ve developed an operational model that ensures cleaning and sanitizing of china for reuse.
We’re also planning to use delivery to bring people together. It could be that small groups or “bubbles” get together and order food in for the group versus individual meals. Our menu variety will grow, and we’ll provide more delivery options as expectations around that service continue to change. We’re also putting digital solutions for mobile ordering, paying and making reservations at the top of our to-do lists. Our communities have become very clever through this period. One, for example, secured a country club license to be able to use OpenTable for reservations; other communities are now looking at doing the same.
Longer-term, one force shaping our programs and our segment is the growing demand for transparency. We’ll share more information on who, what and where. And we’re working with vendors to be able to provide that information. Also, regarding supply chain, the focus has shifted to reducing SKUs and the number of vendor partners to enhance security and to better control costs and quality. Enhanced procedures around food safety and infection control will also remain forthe long term. I expect more frequent inspections, more focus on touch points,and more ongoing safety and sanitation training for staff. We’ll also likely see handsinks installed at entrances to our dining venues.
While self-service will largely be phased out, we may build some flexibility around that. Buffets could reappear inmodified fashion for special events or holidays. It’s a little early to predict what the big, long-term changes may be for operations and kitchen design, but we will see more adoption of technologies such as robotics, combi ovens and blast chillers. I also expect to see greater innovation in warewashing equipment and more sophisticated remote support from vendors. Ghost kitchens could even come to our segment. We have great facilities and fantastic food programs that could offer microconcept delivery options to our residents and others nearby, especially seniors. We could do it at a price point that might help to solve the growing issue of food insecurity among seniors. Coming out of this, we’re going to look differently at the opportunities we have and the services that we have to offer.