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INNOVATIONS IN NUTRITION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES (INNU) 

REPLICATION TOOLKIT

Replication Model D: Erie County (New York) Department of Senior Services: 

Modernizing the Congregate Dining Program 

Also referred to as “Restaurant Partner Toolkit”

Note: The term “restaurant” in this document is used to mean any restaurant, retail café, 

or dine-in licensed food service establishment.

How to Use This Toolkit

Please begin by reviewing the https://www.grants.gov/ posting for HHS-2022-ACL-AOAINNU-0040 which outlines requirements for ALL Replication projects. The information 

contained in this replication toolkit provides specific information and requirements 

regarding Replication Model D. 

This Replication Model Toolkit outlines the required elements within a Replication 

Project D application for HHS-2022-ACL-AOA-INNU-0040 Replication Grants. 

The toolkit specifies proposed application:

• Required elements. 

• Components which may or should be customized. 

• Areas where flexible approaches are permitted.

Successful applications will outline a proposed project that includes all required 

elements while also demonstrating that customized and flexible items are planned.

If funded, your project team will receive regular technical assistance from the National 

Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging as well as consultation with members of the 

original grant’s project team, as feasible.

All surveys/forms and other materials are intended to be customized by the grantee, 

and the grantee should review the materials thoroughly to assure the use of customized

information including dates, contact names, etc. 

If your grant proposal involves any programmatic, policy, organizational, or financial 

system changes, it is your responsibility to make sure the changes are acceptable and 

compatible with your state/local policies and requirements.

Summary of the Project

To replicate this project, applications must propose to design an agency-wide – or larger 

area, such as a statewide or region-wide – document, with associated policies and 

procedures, to create a restaurant-based meal site which aligns with the project 

developed by the 2018 Erie County Department of Senior Service’s Innovation in 

Nutrition Programs and Services grant.
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Replicating this project offers an opportunity for congregate meal participants to dine at 

a participating restaurant that has designated and/or created meals that meet the Older 

Americans Act (OAA) Title III-C-1 requirements as well as any state/local requirements. 

These restaurants will serve as an alternative to the traditional congregate meal sites 

that currently exist.

Applications must address the following: 

1. A system to issue proof of eligibility and tracking of the participants. 

2. A method of identifying, recruiting, contracting with, training, and evaluating

restaurants to participate in the program. 

This unique and successful project created training and toolkit materials designed 

specifically for senior nutrition programs to help them identify how they can play an 

important role in identifying and supporting alternative ways to provide healthy 

congregate meals in settings other than traditional sites. This modernization can 

address needs of older adults who have not traditionally participated in congregate 

meals by offering ethnic/cultural meals, allowing older adults to dine on their own 

schedule, allowing older adults to dine with family, offering a choice of venues and 

meals, and reducing social isolation.

One participant remarked, “You’ve changed the lives of the people. They get so 

excited about going out to eat. Like I said with the transportation, we take the 

people who normally can’t go, and they get so excited.” 

One restaurant partner said, “We have seen a lot of new faces coming into the 

Bazaar through the Go & Dine program. It is great to see this partnership help 

local residents and businesses prosper.”

The Restaurant Partner Toolkit includes:

• Vendor Contract Sample (sample contract between grantee and partner 

restaurant)

• Vendor Contract Terms and Conditions Sample (sample statement of services 

for partner restaurant)

• General Meal Requirements (nutritional requirements restaurants must follow)

• Go & Dine Customer Satisfaction Survey (survey on the impact of the program)

• Isolation Survey (survey evaluating participant feelings of isolation)

• Participant Registration (form for collecting participant demographics and 

calculating nutritional score)

• Focus Group Questions (survey of participant experiences)

• Diners Guide (guidelines, participating restaurants, and menus)

• Guide to Working with Restaurants and Grocery Stores for Meals
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Outcomes of the original Restaurant Partner Project: 

• Feelings of social isolation decreased among users of the program. 

• The number of participants in the congregate nutrition program increased.

• Program expanded the availability of culturally diverse menu choices.

• Allowed the Senior Nutrition Program to expand to ‘hard to reach’ areas. 

• Initiated flexible hours and days for the congregate meal program. 

• One restaurant saw an increase in older adults coming into the location since the 

start of the program. Participants made special trips into the restaurant to try the 

diverse cuisines offered.

• Program increased rapport between the Senior Nutrition Program and local 

communities.

Selected Data from the Original Grant

Participating Restaurants Erie County Albany County

Initial recruitment 3 10

Added after 6 months 5 5

Total 8 15

Participant Data (at 1 year) Erie County Albany County

Number of participants 241 129

Number using vouchers 155 118

Total vouchers used 3,848 1,619

Replication Requirements, Anticipated Customization, and Flexibilities

Table: Replication Model D Requirements, Customization and Flexibilities* 

Category Grant 

Requirements

(Elements that must 

be included)

Required Customization 

(Elements that must be 

included and adjusted to 

project)

Project Flexibilities

(Optional elements; 

not exclusive)

Application Section

(Bolded sections are 

required; others are 

recommended)

Population 

Served

• 60 and over

• Targeted 

populations

Specific targeted 

population

• Food 

insecurity

• Chronic 

disease 

• Living alone

• Abstract

• Problem 

statement

• Approach

Service 

Delivery 

Older Americans 

Act Congregate 

Nutrition Program

HDM (order online and pick up)Approach

Partnerships Restaurants Community 

organizations serving 

the targeted 

populations

• Immigrant

service 

organizations

• Faith-based 

organizations

• Abstract

• Approach
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Category Grant 

Requirements

(Elements that must 

be included)

Required Customization 

(Elements that must be 

included and adjusted to 

project)

Project Flexibilities

(Optional elements; 

not exclusive)

Application Section

(Bolded sections are 

required; others are 

recommended)

Activities and 

Services 

• Create a contractual 

agreement based on

Vendor Contract 

Sample and Vendor 

Contract Terms and 

Conditions Sample

• Establish and 

document a variety 

of options for 

congregate meal 

participants to 

better meet their 

needs

• Periodic nutrition 

education with 

participants

• Meal requirements 

for restaurant staff

• Develop system to 

identify eligible 

participants and 

track usage of 

restaurant sites

• Create a system to 

accept contributions 

from participants

• Educate participants 

regarding the 

program

• Any dine-in 

food service 

establishment 

may be 

recruited

• Nutrition 

education 

may be 

presented in 

any format

• Approach

Evaluation • Impact of 

project on 

participants’ 

nutrition, 

socialization, 

and 

health/wellbeing status 

• Planned evaluation 

process

• Quality assurance 

• Customer 

Satisfaction Survey

• Isolation Survey

• Frequency 

and method 

of data 

collection

Outcomes 

and 

evaluation

Outcomes • Impact on 

attendance

• Determine 

increase/

decrease in 

congregate 

• Dissemination 

(webinars, 

conference sessions, 

etc.)

• Policy/

procedure 

impacts on 

systems 

efficiencies 

• Abstract

• Outcomes 

and 

evaluation
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Category Grant 

Requirements

(Elements that must 

be included)

Required Customization 

(Elements that must be 

included and adjusted to 

project)

Project Flexibilities

(Optional elements; 

not exclusive)

Application Section

(Bolded sections are 

required; others are 

recommended)

meal site 

participation

• Impact on 

participant 

donations

• Number and 

percent of total new 

participants 

• Number and 

percent of improved 

social isolation 

scores

• Costs and 

benefits 

Products Capstone project • Customized 

Restaurant Partner 

Toolkit

• Policies and 

procedures

• Surveys

• Presentations

• Evaluation 

reports

• Abstract

• Approach

Sustainability • Continue effective 

policies and 

procedures 

developed during 

the project 

• Schedule for 

updating the 

Restaurant Partner 

Toolkit

• Monitoring: 

Review of 

partnerships

• Monitoring: 

Recruitment 

of new 

partners

Sustainability

*Please refer to HHS-2022-ACL-AOA-INNU-0040 Replication Grants for requirements which apply to all 

Replication Projects.

 
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FAQ for Replication Model D

1. Restaurant partners are required for this project. What if our local restaurants 

have limited or no in-person dining due to the pandemic?

The project’s goal is to provide a restaurant-based congregate meal program. During 

the pandemic, senior nutrition programs should anticipate utilizing strategies that can 

be scaled up or down, depending on evolving local situations, as well as allowing for 

changes in the availability of workforce and participants’ circumstances. In general, 

senior nutrition programs are encouraged to plan two steps ahead while also 

preparing for a step backward, while keeping their staff, volunteers, and participants 

aware of the possibility of these changes. For further advice on addressing 

pandemic-related meal site considerations, see Reopening Considerations (April

2021).

A flexibility for this replication may include providing home delivered meals and 

allowing for online ordering and pickup, as long as the overall goal of the 3-year 

project is to provide a restaurant-based congregate meal program. 

2. Would a food truck qualify as a restaurant partner?

Food trucks may qualify as a restaurant if group dining is also provided at the same 

location (e.g., in a park, special event, or has tables around it). A food truck may 

provide home-delivered meals, in addition to providing congregate meals.

3. Can restaurants use existing menu items as options?

All meals offered through the grant-funded project must meet federal and state 

nutrition requirements.

4. How many choices does the restaurant have to offer?

At least one meal choice must be offered on the restaurant program. Restaurants 

may offer different choices on different days or offer multiple choices on a regular 

basis. 

5. How does the restaurant report the meals served and who the participants

were?

Applicants should create a system that meets Title III-C federal, state, and local 

requirements and includes registration, issuance and management of vouchers, as 

well as a tracking and reporting system for restaurants. These processes should be 

outlined in the grant application. 
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6. How do we know that the restaurant is only accepting payment for meals that 

meet the standards?

Your contractual agreement with the restaurant should specify any penalties or 

actions that will be taken if the agreement is broken. Secret shoppers are a good 

way to do random checks on restaurants to see if there are violations occurring. 

Clear policies on how complaints will be handled and investigated will also help keep 

things running smoothly.

7. If the restaurant serves culturally specific foods, can the meal requirements be 

flexible to allow for these meals?

The program should work with their state and/or AAA to determine what 

modifications can be put into place. The OAA encourages meals that meet 

participant needs and preferences. 

8. Can the restaurant restrict the hours vouchers can be used?

The program should encourage restaurants to allow participants to use vouchers 

during open hours. However, if the program and the restaurant agree in advance, 

and restrictions are detailed in the contract and participants are notified when they 

receive vouchers, then yes, restaurants may put time or date restrictions on voucher 

use.

9. We don’t allow our congregate meal program participants to take home 

leftovers. How do we handle restaurant leftovers?

Restaurants may be licensed under a different code than congregate meal sites.

Grant projects should follow federal and state laws that apply to restaurants. Grant 

projects may want to include information about food safety when vouchers are 

issued. 

10.Can we restrict the number of vouchers an individual gets?

Yes. The project may determine how many vouchers each person receives, and the 

total number of vouchers distributed. 

11.How does a restaurant program impact our regular congregate meal sites?

Voucher programs are not intended to replace traditional congregate sites, rather 

they are intended to offer increased choice. A list of traditional congregate sites 

should be given to all voucher recipients so they are aware of locations where
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congregate meals are available if they run out of vouchers.

12.Who is responsible for the tip?

The participant should be given materials that include participant responsibilities, 

which would include indicating whether a tip is included as part of the voucher and

the participant’s option to add a tip at the restaurant if they desire. They should also 

be instructed that they are responsible for the charges for any additional items that 

are not part of the meal.