Glendale Senior Dining ‘Surprise’ Food Events Turn Every-Day Meals Into Causes for Celebration

Residents of senior and rehabilitation communities expect to be treated to a special, celebratory meal on a major holiday like Thanksgiving or Easter Sunday. But what about a meatball tasting adventure on a dreary, late-winter Tuesday in March, or a juicy watermelon fest to cool the taste buds during the dog days of summer?

Now that’s a pleasant surprise. And seniors and patients who are lucky enough to live in resident communities served by Glendale Senior Dining can look forward to many ‘surprise’ food celebrations in the dining room, all year round.

On February 6, Glendale Senior Dining launched a program to help its onsite culinary teams host special, themed food events several times a month—like a “National Grilled Cheese Day,” “National Peanut Day” and French food-themed tribute to Julia Child to name a few. For participating accounts, the company is preparing event kits with signage, table tents, menu ideas and recipes.

Pleasant Surprises Improve Quality of Life

There are so many ways to center a celebration on food. By turning an ordinary, every-day activity like lunch into an extraordinary cause for celebration, Glendale Senior Dining aims to engage and bring joy to the elderly and ailing guests it serves.

Research shows that being engaged and feeling joy help improve quality of life, and that surprises trigger a 400% rise in emotional intensity. When people are surprised by something positive, they feel more intense feelings of happiness or joy than they would without the surprise.

To a hospitality-driven company like Glendale Senior Dining, this is all the more reason to make the hour spent in the dining room as special as it can be.

“When our elderly guests walk into the dining room expecting a regular sit-down lunch and find the place all decked out for a football tailgate, it can really lift their spirits for a day,” says Todd Lindsay, Glendale Senior Dining Director of Business Development.  “It gets them talking and builds morale. It’s just one of many ways we bring more to the table.”