When we had the last Resident Satisfaction Survey in 2022, we did very well. It was the first one in four years, but most of you showed your pride and appreciation by scoring us highly on the three food related questions.
I want to thank you all for those scores, but of course as you know we are having another survey in a couple of weeks. I know two things: Vi Living has the best food in Senior Living, and our program is the Best in the Company. It takes a lot of time, effort and investment to accomplish what we have here, so it's really a lot more than a score but a real validation of what we do.
Resident participation here at Highlands Ranch is a big part of our menus and activities, much more so than at many other properties. In a very real way, this survey is a point of pride for all of us-- especially the residents. I want us to be the recognized as the best, so I am asking you all to join with me in taking a close look at the questions pertaining to food, and help your friends and neighbors understand where we are coming from and why we are the best at what we do. Here are some of the questions that will be asked, and some of the things I hope you will keep in mind on October 9th. There is a fourth question this year, so please take a look.
I am Satisfied with the variety of food offered. Obviously, this means that the variety of food on any given day is enough that residents have a lot of choices in what to eat. When creating a menu for upwards of 370 people, it’s important to have choices. We can’t simply create a menu for people who only eat meat and potatoes, another for fine dining, and still another for people who don't eat meat. What we set out to create when we opened here is a menu that can have something for everyone. Some of it is fast, and some takes longer to prepare. Sometimes it seems like we are all over the place with different global foods, vegetarian specials, light options, comfort foods and fine dining. Other times I think we try too hard to make everyone happy, and I have to remind myself that we are trying to balance everyone’s wishes and preferences from wildly different backgrounds and tastes.
What I like to remind my residents is that you vote with your menu orders. No matter what ideas or suggestions I have, I know that if I put a Fried Chicken dish on the menu, we will sell out of it every time, while a vegetarian option will have limited interest to non-vegetarians. People tend to want to see high ticket items like Beef Wellington and Rack of Lamb , even if they end up ordering the Meatloaf.
With a current census of 325 Independent residents and 42 Care center residents, even a 90 percent positive approval means 37 unsatisfied people every day -and 90 percent is really really great. You can help by communicating what you would like to see, and encouraging your neighbors to do the same. Come to the culinary corner, speak to the food committee, drop me a letter or e-mail, or simply come by and ask to speak to the chef. I really am open to suggestion, and if I can’t fill your request, I will discuss the rationale with you.
I am satisfied with the quality and consistency of the food. First of all, know that we purchase only the highest quality food, and make it a point to treat all our ingredients with the respect they deserve. One thing to remember is that as much as we try to present a resort- style experience, this is your home. What I mean by that is it’s the same dining room and customers pretty much every day. When I was a restaurant chef, I would write a menu, test every single recipe, take pictures, drill the details into my staff, until every single plate was identical and the cooks could make them with their eyes closed. This is because the menus didn’t change much, but the customer did. Even a loyal customer is rarely in the same restaurant more than a couple of times a month, not enough to get tired of the menu. Here we have the opposite, the customer is always the same, so we really can't be static.
Our menus change frequently, and I am constantly adjusting items to keep the offerings fresh and interesting for customers who are looking at my menus five and six days a week. We do sometimes trade consistency for innovation, but the focus for my cooks is to make it taste good no matter what. I am less worried about the “proper” way to make a classic French dish than whether it tastes good and more importantly how my guests react. You can help by letting us know what you like and don’t like and if a dish is not to your liking, please send it back-- and let us know why. I love hearing feedback positive and negative but it’s frustrating when it’s too late to fix the problem in the moment.
Overall how would you rate the food? So, I hope that this question gets the biggest positive response. I would match our food against any other senior living community in the country and quite a lot of resorts. Certified Angus Beef, local ingredients wherever possible, cooking from scratch, seasonally changing menus are just some of the ways we try to keep our guests engaged, happy and well fed. We aren’t a restaurant, but all our chefs come from quality kitchens and resorts and try to match that background to our clientele. Sometimes it’s easy to focus on a single meal but think about the taste of the food day in and out. It’s very important to us that you are happy and satisfied, and this question really solidifies that satisfaction. If you have friends living at a competitor, invite them to lunch or dinner on me. Ask their opinions as well, it’s good to get an outside perspective. Come to the Culinary Corner and talk to your neighbors about the menus in detail, come to the Sip and Savor even if you don’t drink wine, volunteer to sit in on the Resident Food committee.
Over the last year, positive progress has been made related to dining in the Community. As I said, we scored very well last year, and I hope that we are an even better program now than we were then. It would be a lot easier to just keep things the same but we are constantly changing, adapting and trying new things to keep your dining fresh, new, and above all the highest quality Senior Living experience in the country. I know of no other community that offers so much in terms of dining choices, special events, or unique flavors. We have our own bottled beers, our own honey, our own handcrafted vinegars. We have begun a retail market, had special theme dinners, our own ice carvings, all in addition to what we do every day. This time next year, there will be even more offerings in three brand new Dining concepts, as well as an expanded Care Center with more choices.
I’m asking for your help in making Vi at Highlands Ranch the flagship culinary experience in the finest Senior Living company on the market today, and I know we can do it together. If you value the special events and foods we offer, I ask for you to show us now. Please encourage your fellow residents to give the highest score on our culinary questions and help us show off our pride in the community. On October 9, you will receive an e-mail with a link to the survey. Please participate and I hope that the score you give reflects our sincere desire to wow you every day here at Vi.
Living Well & Culinary Events coming your way in OCTOBER:
