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Jul 04, 2009
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Local Erickson communities reduce food costs |
| | Posted on Thursday, January 01, 2009 | | | By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Chances are good that you’ve noticed your tab at the grocery store increase lately. With the price of commodities like corn and oil on the rise, the cost of food has risen dramatically this year, making it harder than ever for most of us to afford meals that are both delicious and nutritious.
Monarch Landing and Sedgebrook residents are among a small minority of people who still enjoy healthy, balanced meals without paying more money for them. That’s because the Chicago-area retirement communities include one meal a day as part of their monthly service packages. And while the cost of just about everything is going up, both Erickson communities actually reduced their monthly service fees last summer, making life there even more affordable for Illinois retirees.
Enjoy dinner out with friends—every night
Dining Services Director Julie Roberts says that Monarch Landing’s tasty and affordable food is just one of the reasons residents consider the full-service Naperville retirement community a good value. Roberts says many residents choose dinner at the on-campus Millstone Restaurant as their included meal of the day. There they enjoy tableside service and a regularly changing menu designed by Chef de Cuisine Henry Escobedo, who comes to Monarch Landing with nearly 20 years of experience.
"Our dining team works from a five-week menu cycle, which changes three to four times a year," Roberts says. "Our talented culinary team develops the menu in stages, working community to community to combine regional favorites, resident selections, and standard options." | |
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She says the evening dinner service includes choices of soup, salad, entrée, and dessert. Residents can also purchase wine to accompany their meals, making every night a dinner out with friends. A typical menu might include choices such as chicken Florentine soup, orange and almond salad, filet mignon or stuffed flounder, and savory side dishes like polenta, baked potatoes, or ratatouille. And to satisfy that after-dinner sweet tooth, Chef Escobedo serves up favorites like bread pudding.
No more cooking, cleaning
When residents are looking for a more casual atmosphere or to grab a quick bite on the run, they can purchase food at the community’s Riverwalk Café, which serves a full hot breakfast menu, sandwiches, soups, and a salad bar, as well as entrées that change daily. Residents can enjoy a full meal in the café for around five dollars—a value that is hard to come by in today’s economy.
Of course, residents can always choose to cook in their own apartment homes, which are equipped with full kitchens, but many opt to skip the hassle and expense of grocery shopping, meal preparation, and clean up by dining at either the community’s restaurant or café. Roberts says the restaurants and cafés at both communities offer carryout and delivery service, so residents always have the option of dining at home without any of the work.
Fast Fact
$4,763=average
annual grocery cost for a two-person household*
Food prices are higher than ever before, and that means a bigger bill at the grocery store every week. Monarch Landing and Sedgebrook residents aren’t burdened by the high cost of food because one of their meals each day is included in the cost of the communities’ monthly service packages—which were reduced last summer. Monarch Landing and Sedgebrook residents can expect to cut their annual grocery bill by at least half by dining at the communities’ restaurants.
*Source: Food Marketing Institute, U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, 2008
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