SENIOR DINING
O n Harry Guerra’s first day as food and beverage director of The Seabrook at Hilton Head last summer, he got an earful. He walked into the auditorium representing his employer Restaura, which was taking over from another operator to run the retirement community’s dining program. The Seabrook’s assembled residents were friendly, yet they were also eager to share their thoughts. The soup was too creamy. Menus felt tired. And what was the new plan, anyway? Guerra invited it all. He refused to deflect or overpromise. Instead, he asked for time and partnership. “My first goal was to listen to the concerns they had,” Guerra said. “Once you listen, only then can you take action. I told them, ‘Give me a couple of weeks. I’ll review all your comments, and we will turn this place around together with my team.” A turnaround was indeed needed, according to Seabrook Executive Director Matt Uppenbrink. Dining is central to daily life in a community like Seabrook’s. “If your dining experience is not
great, then everything is colored by that experience,” Uppenbrink said. “Even if you have the best housekeeper in the world, you’re still grumbling about that lunch you didn’t enjoy.” A BUFFET NO LONGER SERVING ITS PURPOSE Pre-Restaura, like many communities, Seabrook’s dining operation had shifted heavily toward buffet service during the pandemic. The model served its purpose during peak COVID, but it no longer matched resident expectations and the community’s long-term vision. Uppenbrink and the rest of Seabrook’s leadership team wanted more: more restaurant-style service, better food quality, and a program designed with intention. The pitch from Restaura Hospitality Group, which launched October 2024, stood out early. The Restaura team spent quality time on site—literally walking through the operation and talking through challenges with leadership, staff, and residents. “It felt more like a partnership than a pitch,” Uppenbrink said. “They wanted to understand who we are as a community and what our residents actually value.”
Re-Setting the Table: How Restaura Rebuilt Dining at The Seabrook of Hilton Head March’s FoodService Operation of the Month, The Seabrook of Hilton Head, made residents an essential part of the process when revamping its dining pro- gram. Residents collaborated with the Restaura team on new menu items and shared ideas on how to improve their dining ex- perience. Today, residents enjoy global dishes like Peruvian octo- pus with olive sauce and can par- take in a popular Sunday brunch, Friday happy hour and more.
BY JULIANNE PEPITONE
24
QUARTERLY | Q2
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SEABROOK OF HILTON HEAD
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