Flexibility, Variety, Taste: Senior Living Operators Adapt To New Food Trends 

Increasing dietary flexibility. More variety. New tastes. These are among the top trends for senior living culinary staff in 2026.

Benchmark Senior Living staff have responded to a dramatic uptick in the number of requests for dietary information in order to keep up with the increased level of care and medicine residents have, according to Nina Quirk, campus culinary services director at The Commons in Lincoln, who spoke about the shifting trends in the industry during Senior Housing News’ recent TRENDS conference.

This also comes at a time when new residents come from more diverse backgrounds and want to try new things in their life. Mika Stevenson, vice president of culinary at Health Dimensions Group, said kitchen staff must up their game in order to meet those wants. The company has evolved from offering meals at set times and batch cooking to a larger menu and more options.

“The days of just meat and potatoes just aren’t going to cut anymore. We’ve been talking about it for 10 years, but it’s actually starting to happen,” Stevenson said on stage at TRENDS.

Operators also have built gardens for fresh food and organized theme nights centered on different countries and cultures with trivia and regional cuisine.

Catering to different tastes

Senior living operators are adapting to requests for flavorful cuisine that rivals restaurant menus.

Nashville-style hot chicken is a top food trend that Stevenson has noticed.

Older adults are seeking out bolder flavors in their diets, and they are emphasizing healthy food and nutrition. Gluten-free and vegan items are also now more commonly seen on senior living menus.

Senior living operators believe baby boomers prefer casual and fast-casual options in addition to sit-down and more formal dining.

“That’s where we’re headed. We’re starting to pilot different programs like after hours coffee bars, fast-casual concepts … basically trying to keep up and match the outdoor restaurant scene, and the market demands of what the consumer is really looking for,” Quirk said.

Benchmark is testing themed activities for residents, such as hosting baseball game watch parties accompanied by hot dogs, popcorn and other snacks.

Senior living operators must also manage resident resistance to change when updating their menus and programs to cater to new preferences, according to Quirk.

“They want these things, but they don’t really necessarily want to go through the changes to get there,” she said. “We have to explain the why behind what we’re doing, and we have to have fun with it, and allow them to embrace it and enjoy it first, and then you can start really like moving the program forward.”

For example, HDG culinary staff introduced butter chicken at one community by featuring it once a week, and it has now become a regular staple.

Aging building, shifting trends

Senior living operators must contend with aging buildings that struggle to support changes, and shifting food cost trends are two ever-present challenges operators face.

HDG closely tracks vendor partnerships to monitor and control food costs. For small communities with small margins, one instance of tomatoes costing $120 per case can have a “damning impact,” he said.

“We’ve just got to really stay on top of it and work with the market as best we can,” Stevenson said.

For the physical spaces themselves, dining staff are thinking ahead. Benchmark is in the process of long-term planning for its kitchens in order to keep up with the demands and changes in the industry. According to Quirk, there’s room for operators to invest in continuous adjustments rather than letting things get to the point where everything needs to be replaced.

“That’s kind of what we tend to do in senior living is we open a kitchen, we run it for 25 years, then we go, ‘Oh man, everything’s broken in here,’ and we and then we start looking to replace it,” Quirk said. “You’re asking us to put out food for all these people, and you want to keep it healthy. You want to keep it safe … There needs to be a greater investment into the kitchens.”

Stevenson compares kitchen maintenance to his neighbor’s 1978 Chevy pickup truck, and that frequent investments in upkeep and maintenance can keep a kitchen and dining room running smoothly even when it’s in a building that is over 25 years old. That includes regularly changing the carpets and decor every five to six years and updating kitchen equipment in order to preserve the space.

“There’s always those big luxury style communities, but I think there’s always going to be a market for just that more kind of traditional classical style,” Stevenson said. “If you take care of it, you invest in keeping it looking good. I think there’s always going to be a market for that more classical style.”

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