September 10, 2023 |

How to Design a Dining Plan That Works

How to Design a Dining Plan That Works for Senior Living Communities

A new IASC webinar for leaders at senior care and LTC facilities.

Presented August 30, 2023

Your Presenters:

Don Bundren, Food Solution Design and Culinary Director, Sodexo Seniors

Christy Turner, General Manager, Dining Services, Garden Spot Village (New Holland, PA)

Steve Muller, Chief Operating Officer, Garden Spot Village (New Holland, PA)

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Successful senior care communities recognize the significance of personalized dining plans. Gone are the days of standardized meal offerings that fail to cater to individual preferences or dietary restrictions. Today, communities must understand that the dining experience plays a crucial role in promoting health, fostering social connections, and enhancing the overall satisfaction of residents.

Watch this webinar for a fast-paced, interactive session with three expert presenters, including the general manager of dining services and the chief operating officer for a continuing care retirement community in New Holland, Pennsylvania, and the food solution design and culinary director of Sodexo Seniors.

You’ll gain a sharper understanding of the essential considerations when designing dining facilities for senior care communities, suggestions on how to create inviting and accessible spaces that promote comfort, social interaction, address dietary restrictions, and individual preferences effectively.

You'll learn:

How customized dining plans can positively impact the well-being and quality of life for seniors in your care communities
Essential considerations when designing dining facilities to meet the unique needs of your senior residents
How you can use technology to enhance the dining experience
How to effectively address many of the challenges that you are likely to face when creating a dining plan
And much, much more!

Don't miss it!

Your Presenters

Don Bundren
Food Solution Design and Culinary Director
Sodexo Seniors

Don Bundren has worked with Sodexo operations teams for over 27 years and seamlessly transitioned from Business and Industry to Senior Living Segment in 2014. Don has extensive success with customer service and client retention programs at Fee and P&L operations at Sodexo premier national and global accounts.

In 2019, Don joined the Commercial Excellence Team as the Solution Design Food and Culinary Director for the Seniors Segment. Don focuses on quality customer initiatives by establishing marketing, food standards, employee development, and resident engagement programs. Don works closely with Sales to develop a winning solution for our new business partners and with Marketing on development of culinary excellence programs and menus for the Seniors Segment.

Don has a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant, and institutional management from the University of Delaware.

Christy R. Turner
General Manager
Garden Spot Village Dining Services

Christy Turner is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience in the dining services industry. She began her Sodexo career as a cook and gradually progressed through various positions, including chef, production manager, operations manager, and general manager. Her extensive background has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of dining services.

For over eight years, Christy has been an integral part of the Garden Spot Village (GSV) team. As general manager of dining services, she oversees dining programs for all levels of care at GSV. Throughout her tenure, she faced her most significant challenge of leading her team through the unprecedented times of the COVID pandemic.

Christy's success can be attributed to her collaboration with a highly creative and dynamic team, all of whom share a genuine love for food and a deep passion for serving people. Her ability to foster a positive work environment and motivate her team has been instrumental in consistently delivering exceptional dining experiences.

Christy holds a degree from the prestigious Johnson & Wales Culinary School.

Steve Muller
Chief Operating Officer
Garden Spot Village (New Holland, Pa)

As chief operating officer at Garden Spot Communities, Steve guides the day-to-day work of the Dining, Facility Services, Campus Services, Construction & Project Development and Environmental Services departments. His team finds innovative ways to provide excellent customer service to residents and stewards the operational resources of the community. Steve’s career has been diverse, with leadership roles in engineering, construction, and business consulting, as well as extensive work with faith-based non-profits. Steve has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Penn State as well as a master’s in leadership studies from Lancaster Bible College.