Preparing your care home for the Baby Boomer generation

New research reveals that a whopping 80% of Baby Boomers would pay a premium for better quality food and hospitality in a care home if they could afford to – showing just how important the food and drink provision is when it comes to increasing occupancy and driving revenue for care homes.

The survey, commissioned by leading food wholesaler and catering provider Creed Foodservice, takes an in-depth look at what the Baby Boomer generation - those aged 58-76 years old, born during the post-World War II baby boom - are seeking from care home catering. 

The findings are discussed by Andy Williams, Creed’s Care Specialist, in the final installment of the video series which has covered key catering challenges the care sector faces. 

Andy Williams says: “The Baby Boomer generation are completely unlike those who are currently in care homes when it comes to catering - they have a higher expectation when it comes to quality, variety and taste of food and drink. There was no research out there which gave insight into what this generation are seeking, so we decided to find out ourselves so we can guide and advise the care sector on how to adapt their offering for the future.”

The research covers various areas of the catering provision including:

• The demand for a variety of dining areas in the care home (54% of respondents would like a café/deli style informal dining area and over a third (36%) would like a casual lounge with sofa seats where they can enjoy food in takeaway boxes in front of the TV or chatting with friends);
• How they would like to order their food and drink (there is a move towards more quicker and convenient methods such as electronic ordering);
• The most popular cuisines residents would welcome on the menu (British is still a favourite, but Italian, Chinese and Indian are all popular along with a desire to see pop-up cooking stations within the care home); and 
• The importance of health and sustainability such as ethically sourced food and drink as well as meals fortified with vitamins, minerals, protein powders and collagen. 

Andy Williams continues: “Baby Boomers are interesting; they are the first generation that, more generally, have the money to enjoy better quality dining experiences. They have also been introduced to new and emerging food trends early enough to have embraced some of them as part of their day-to-day diet, and are better travelled so have experienced global cuisine. Traditional British food and drink still plays a fundamental role, but gone are the days of ‘meat and two veg’. There is simply a higher expectation for the hospitality to evolve and mirror the standards and offering this generation is used to.

“Meeting these expectations, as well as catering for often complex dietary requirements, is a challenge. We’re in the middle of a national staff shortage, rising food costs and energy prices are rocketing. It’s vital that we’re supporting our customers in the care sector – through menu and recipe creation, practical development sessions in the kitchen, open discussions around how to better serve residents and so on.”

To view the latest installment of Creed Foodservice’s care sector video series and hear more about the research visit: Care (creedfoodservice.co.uk)

In addition, to receive a copy of the research, to view Creed’s Care Menu Solution or to be in touch with our expert team who can help you plan for the future contact [email protected]