Food fuels us. At a basic level, it gives us the energy we need to survive. But it does more than just fuel our bodies. It fuels our souls with smells and tastes that evoke memories and feelings. Food can simultaneously transport us back to a moment in time and keep us rooted in the present. When you work in healthcare food services, you don’t just prepare food for our bodies, you offer joy through shared meals and cherished memories.
What Healthcare Food Services Does
You can probably guess that “healthcare food services” includes all things food in a healthcare setting. While that’s true, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Being on a food services team is about more than preparing meals. Although that can be a big part of it. Depending on your role, you may be responsible for planning menus, ordering ingredients, prepping and/or cooking food, taking orders, serving meals, washing dishes, and more. You may even need to know things about specialized diets, especially if you’re a dietitian or nutritionist.
The education, skills, and experience needed to join a healthcare food service team can vary. Some positions, like serving, can be great jobs for high school and college students. Others, such as cooking, may require you to have prior restaurant or food service experience. Some, like registered dietitians, require a college degree and state licensure.
Common Food Service Roles
Some of the most common healthcare food service roles include:
- Dietary Aide
- Server
- Cook
- Chef
- Director of Dining Services
- Dishwasher
- Dietitian/Registered Dietitian
Where You’ll Find Healthcare Food Services
When you think of food services, restaurants are probably the first thing to come to mind. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that’s where you’ll find 55% of all food service workers. With 22% of all food service workers, grocery stores are also a popular place to work. You may be surprised to learn that healthcare is the third most common environment for food service workers with 6%. Healthcare is a broad category though, and healthcare food service workers could find themselves in a variety of different settings. Common healthcare settings for food services include:
- Hospitals
- Rehabilitation Centers
- Nursing Homes
- Senior Living Communities
- Group Homes
- Residential Facilities
- Clinics
Healthcare Food Services in Senior Living
When it comes to senior living, you could say healthcare food service teams are the bread and butter. The difference between a good experience and a great one can come down to the food. Most of us have eaten at least one meal in a hospital or other healthcare setting. And it was probably a far cry from the best meal we’ve ever eaten. Hospital food is often described as bland, boring, and tasteless. But senior living can be different. In 2025, many senior living communities have shifted away from hospital-style recipes and cafes. Instead, they’re borrowing from the restaurant industry.
As you explore senior living communities, you’ll likely find many offering restaurant-style services with elevated dining experiences. Menus feature made-to-order meals and daily specials that include basics like burgers and pizza and specialties like pasta and steak. As part of a healthcare food service team, you can have a restaurant-like experience, often with much better hours.
Relationships Make Senior Living Unique
Like any restaurant, the quality of the food is important to the overall experience. But, in senior living, that’s often not the most important element of the experience. It’s the relationship. No matter what healthcare food service role you have, you have the opportunity to work with the same residents day in and day out. Sometimes, you may even see them for multiple meals on any given day. Over time, you form a relationship with them, getting to know who they are, sharing stories, and learning their likes and dislikes. Beyond better hours, this is what makes working with a food service team in senior living unique. Developing relationships with the residents you serve each day, it’s easy to see how you’re making a difference in someone’s life every single day.
Healthcare Food Services at The Ohio Masonic Communities
At The Ohio Masonic Communities, our healthcare food service teams do more than prepare and serve food. They curate meals and experiences where residents and their loved ones can feel more connected and thrive.
Benefits of Joining Our Team
While our food service team members care for our residents, it’s important for us to take care of them.
We want our teams to have the benefits and tools they need. That’s why we offer $5,000 per year in tuition assistance. The process is simple. We pay the school up front, before classes even begin. Plus, as a nonprofit, our employees can be eligible for student loan forgiveness under Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
Are you interested in food services in senior living? Check out current job opportunities at each of our campuses!
Western Reserve Masonic Community
Ready to learn more about the role of food services at The Ohio Masonic Communities? Or how you can join our team? We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here. You can also browse our current job openings here. We have three senior living communities across the state of Ohio – Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio, Springfield Masonic Community in Springfield, Ohio, and Western Reserve Masonic Community in Medina, Ohio.