Background

Senior nutrition programs are facing a crisis due to 

the United States experiencing a rapid increase in 

the aging population. The US Census estimates that 

there will be 55 million seniors in 2020 and predicts 

that people over age 65 will outnumber those under 

age 18 by 2035. The Government Accountability 

Office estimates that 83% of low income, food 

insecure seniors do not receive the home delivered 

meals they need, and 16% of seniors are reported to 

be food insecure.

Senior nutrition program services are proven to 

make a difference in the lives of the homebound 

elderly and disabled. These programs provide 

nutritious meals that have been shown to improve 

mental and physical self-rated health status, and 

decrease feelings of isolation and loneliness, among 

other measures. In addition, the nutritional status of 

seniors is improved among meal recipients and the 

incidence of falls are reduced. 

Yet, senior nutrition programs are being faced with 

challenges that prevent them from serving seniors 

who are in most need these services. Despite the 

increased need, the Administration for Community 

Living (ACL). Process Evaluation reported that 49% 

of senior nutrition programs are more likely to 

modify their menus, 47% have reduced staffing, over 

30% have reduced the number of congregate meal 

program operating days per week, and 39% of home 

delivered meal programs are shifting to delivering 

frozen meals due to limited funding and rising 

operation costs. 

Challenges 

1. Decreased revenues from donations

Private donations are used to supplement 

funding from federal, state, and local sources 

for senior nutrition programs. Donors are 

often motivated to contribute to social service 

programs because these gifts have tax benefits. 

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 affected how 

taxpayers can deduct charitable contributions 

from their income. Taxpayers are no longer 

able to deduct charitable contributions unless 

they exceed the standard deduction of $12,000 

for a single person and $24,000 for a married 

couple. State and local tax deductions have been 

capped at $10,000, decreasing the ability of the 

middle class to exceed the standard deduction 

threshold, thereby reducing their income 

reduction benefit. When taxpayers observe the 

results of the tax law in their 2018 tax returns, 

charitable organizations will likely see a reduction 

in donations from middle class donors. In fact, the 

Association for Healthcare Philanthropy reported 

that 30% of charitable organizations predict a 

decrease in donations. Senior meal programs 

that depend on donations would be impacted the 

most from this decrease in private donations.

2. Decreased funding from federal and state 

governments

Federal and state allocations are an important 

source of funding for many senior nutrition 

programs. Despite a 9% increase in the 2018 

federal budget for home delivered meal 

programs, total federal spending for nutrition 

services for older Americans has fallen from 

approximately $25 per older adult in 1990 to $12 

in 2013. According to the Consumer Price Index 

Inflation Calculator, spending would need to be 

over $37 per older adult to keep up with inflation. 

Nevertheless, with reduced funding from federal 

and state governments, despite the increasing 

number of older adults who qualify for senior 

nutrition services, many programs have already 

reduced the number of eligible seniors served in 

congregate and home-delivered meal programs.

Maximizing the Use of Commercial Kitchens for 

Senior Nutrition Programs

The National

Resource Center on

Nutrition & Aging

1

Extended Brief

Written by: BJ Friedman, PhD, RDN, LD. Commissioned by the NRCNA.
3. Challenges: Increased food costs

Increasing food costs is another challenge faced 

by home-delivered meal programs. A survey 

conducted by Mathematica Policy Research 

found that average food costs in 2015 were 

$11.06 per meal. This cost was calculated based 

on the expense of purchased food, payments to 

meal provision subcontractors or vendors, paid 

labor, the value of volunteer labor, and donated 

non-labor resources. Food costs vary depending 

on a number of factors, including whether meals 

are produced in a central or off-site kitchen, if a 

vendor or restaurant prepares meals, the location 

of the program (i.e., rural, suburban, or urban), 

and the size of the organization. In general, food 

costs are lower for large programs that serve 

more than 1,000 meals per week, programs with 

food prepared in central kitchens, and programs 

located in southern states. 

Currently, food costs are increasing faster than 

the rate of inflation. The overall rate of inflation 

for 2018 was 1.52%, while the rise in food costs 

was at 2.12% per year. 

4. Competition from for-profit meal delivery 

programs

Senior nutrition programs also face increasing 

competition from for-profit vendors that provide 

home-delivered meals. These services are 

appealing to seniors who may attach social 

stigma to receiving meals from a home-delivered 

or congregate meal program. In addition, seniors 

are often unaware of their eligibility to participate 

in senior nutrition programs.

This competition comes from a variety of 

sources. One source is home-delivery meal 

services such as MagicKitchen.com and Silver 

Cuisine by bistroMD. Seniors are attracted to 

the appeal of “chef-prepared meals”, “discounts 

for seniors,” and the ability to self-select meals. 

Although promotions and discounts are offered, 

these services are costly, ranging from $8-$17 

per meal with an additional delivery fee. Mom’s 

Meals offers similar meal options, but seniors 

may be eligible to receive financial assistance 

from government programs such as Medicare 

or Medicaid, local Area Agencies on Aging, and 

health insurance plans. With any service provider, 

the meals are prepared, packaged, and frozen in 

central commercial kitchens and shipped frozen 

to the recipient, who must store and heat the 

meals before they can be eaten. Other sources 

of competition are restaurant-delivery services, 

such as Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and 

home preparation meal kit services, such as Blue 

Apron, Hello Fresh, and Plated. 

Faced with these challenges, how can senior 

nutrition programs sustain their operations 

to provide services to the typical client who 

is physically and socially more vulnerable 

than a representative sample of those their 

age? Several organizations such as the ACL 

Business Acumen Initiative, the Aging and 

Disability Business Institute, and the HCBS 

Business Acumen Center, along with the Meals 

on Wheels America report, Dispelling Myths: 

Supporting Public Policy for Greater Impact and 

Sustainability suggest that 501(c)3 non-profit 

local nutrition programs pursue entrepreneurial 

enterprises to build diverse and sustainable 

funding sources. Senior nutrition programs can 

rent their cooking facilities on a part-time basis 

when kitchens are not in use (during the kitchen’s 

off days, on weekends and during off-hours) to 

food entrepreneurs needing a place to prepare 

food products. 

Shared Use Kitchens

Shared kitchens or food incubators are legally 

licensed commercial kitchens used by local food 

entrepreneurs, caterers, food truck operators, 

and others who produce value-added food 

products without having to invest in owning 

and operating a commercial kitchen. In 2016, 

there were over 200 shared kitchens and food 

incubators located in 39 states. The popularity 

of these ventures is the result of an increased 

interest in locally sourced and produced food 

products, the growing shared economy, and 

the popularity of entrepreneurship. Although 

typically found in urban areas, shared kitchens 

are also found in rural, tribal, and suburban areas. 

Shared kitchens are seen in a variety of formats, 

including kitchens found in stand-alone facilities, 

community centers, and housing developments. 

They are financed by individuals, grants, loans, 

corporate sponsors, and investors. 

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Advantages of Shared Kitchens for 

Senior Nutrition Programs

In addition to providing a source of revenue, 

shared kitchens provide benefits to the 

community and may also increase the 

visibility of a senior nutrition program. Shared 

kitchens support local farms, assist community 

entrepreneurs, build economic opportunities, 

create jobs, and can assist in revitalizing 

communities. Providing space for food 

entrepreneurs is an especially valuable resource 

in rural areas that have limited commercial food 

preparation facilities.

Developing a Shared Kitchen to 

Generate Revenue for Senior Nutrition 

Programs

Senior nutrition programs will need to evaluate 

the opportunities and the challenges presented 

by sharing their kitchens. While this revenue 

stream enhances sustainability, a lack of 

knowledge about the suitability and management 

of shared use rentals can present challenges. 

All food provided to vulnerable senior 

populations served by congregate and homedelivered meal programs must be safe to 

consume. Programs must comply with local 

sanitation regulations to maintain food safety 

and comply with licensing requirements. If a 

program uses a vendor to prepare their food, 

the vendor may have additional requirements 

to maintain kitchen sanitation. Any renter who 

uses the kitchen must maintain the same level of 

sanitation. The senior nutrition program should 

train any renter on these standards and perform 

regular inspections to assure compliance with 

the regulations. 

Senior nutrition programs who rent to food 

entrepreneurs are at risk of losing flexibility for 

the use of their own kitchen. When considering 

sharing a kitchen, programs would need to 

evaluate the days and times they could commit 

to an outside entity using their kitchens. 

Entrepreneurs may require food preparation 

times that conflict with the peak hours required 

by the program to prepare their congregate or 

home-delivered meals. Some food entrepreneurs 

or caterers may only require short term or 

seasonal rental space, or need a kitchen for 

special events and require a flexible schedule. 

Others, such as preparing foods for a farmers’ 

market, might require the use of a kitchen on 

the same day every week. Those preparing 

products from locally grown foods may only need 

a kitchen seasonally. Depending on the space 

available in a senior nutrition program facility, 

pop-up restaurants might also be an opportunity 

for sharing a kitchen and serving meals.

If renters wish to rent the kitchens during offhours, security might become an issue, especially 

if the kitchens are located in buildings that 

house administrative offices. Renters would 

need to be provided with a key or access code 

to enter the building during off-hours. It might 

be beneficial for the senior nutrition program 

to hire an on-site assistant who would oversee 

the kitchen. An assistant could add value to 

the facility’s professional reputation in the food 

entrepreneur community, while at the same time 

being available to assist the food producers with 

food preparation and cleaning. Assistants are 

particularly useful when multiple renters use the 

kitchen. 

Some senior nutrition programs use food 

service management companies to produce 

meals in their kitchen. Such programs would 

need to examine the existing vendor contract to 

determine if sharing the kitchen would violate the 

contract or require modifications to the contract.

Senior nutrition programs would need to 

inventory their equipment to determine if the 

equipment meets renters’ needs. If cooking 

and storage equipment is not commercial 

quality, it needs to be reliable and capable of 

accommodating extra use. Programs may need 

to consider investing in specialized equipment 

to meet the needs of renters or permitting the 

renters to bring in their own equipment. 

For example, storage capacity may be a 

challenge for senior nutrition programs. The 

senior nutrition facility must have sufficient cold, 

freezer, and dry storage for its own program, 

while also being able to meet the needs of food 

entrepreneurs. Storage must be secure and 

designated space must be identified so that 

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no confusion arises about food and supplies. 

Renters will need storage space for ingredients, 

special equipment, and finished products. If a 

facility has extra cold, dry, or freezer storage 

space, but has limited equipment, the facility 

might consider renting excess storage space to 

generate additional income. 

In general, while commercial kitchens are not 

always required, food entrepreneurs look for 

kitchens that have a stove with 6-8 burners and 

a chargrill or flat top, a commercial oven (such 

as a double stack convention over, a baking 

deck over or a convention oven), a commercial 

refrigerator, and a commercial freezer with 

dedicated space for storage, as well as dry 

storage such as metal shelf units, cupboards or 

subdivided closets. 

Most food businesses, unless covered by 

Cottage food laws, are required to obtain 

a license to prepare foods for sale. To be 

licensed, the food must be prepared in an 

approved commercial kitchen. Depending on 

the locale, the kitchen must be inspected by an 

appropriate state or local government agency. 

The agency would determine if there are 

adequate sinks, proper ventilation, cleanable 

surfaces, adequate refrigeration, and pest 

control to accommodate the additional food 

service operation. They would also assess the 

condition of key equipment, sanitation policies, 

and other food safety practices. Fire inspectors, 

building inspectors, city zoning regulators, and 

others may also have additional requirements. 

Programs and renters would need to check state 

and local licensing regulations to determine if the 

renter could operate under the senior nutrition 

program’s license.

Kitchen upgrades may be needed if kitchens 

are older, especially if newer, better equipped 

kitchens are available to rent in the area. 

An assessment of plumbing and electrical 

capacity will be needed to determine if the 

kitchen can accommodate increased use and 

additional equipment. Any upgrades may 

require compliance with newer building and 

safety regulations. Costs to upgrade smaller 

kitchens found in faith organization facilities and 

community kitchens can range from $5000 - 

$10,000 and up.

Upgrades to equipment could be financed 

through grants, loans, donations, or 

crowdfunding campaigns. If only limited 

upgrades are needed, a program might consider 

offering rented space to a food producer who 

doesn’t need extensive upgrades to operate 

and expand sharing when the program is able to 

finance the needed changes.

Other factors to consider include parking 

and loading and unloading space for renters. 

Coordination of deliveries to the senior nutrition 

program and the renters will be necessary to 

avoid confusion. If senior nutrition program staff 

is needed to accept deliveries for the renters, an 

additional rental charge would be warranted. 

Before embarking on a shared kitchen endeavor, 

programs would need to research the needs 

of food businesses looking for rental space. 

The resource, Shared Kitchen Toolkit, provides 

guidance for conducting local market research, 

such as surveys, meetings, and interviews with 

food entrepreneurs. A visit to other shared 

kitchens could help senior nutrition programs 

learn about services offered to, as well as 

charges levied on, renters. Such visits can also 

shed light on how the senior nutrition program 

might offer unique opportunities based on its 

location, equipment, amenities, and availability. 

The senior nutrition program would need to 

calculate how much to charge those who are 

interested in renting the program’s facilities. 

Rental fees for shared kitchens are based on the 

demand for kitchen rentals, the desirability of 

the kitchen, its availability, rental rates, sanitation 

and licensing requirements, competition, and 

marketing. Since most senior nutrition programs 

are tax-exempt, they would need to consult 

with an accountant and lawyer to assess tax 

implications on their non-profit status and 

tax reporting requirements would need to be 

followed. 

Setting Up a Shared Kitchen: Steps to 

Consider

The resource, Opening Community Facilities to 

Food Entrepreneurs: Guidance for Communities 

4
and Facility Operators, suggests additional steps 

for a community facility, like a senior nutrition 

program, to follow to set up a shared kitchen.

1. Determine rental rates for use of the 

kitchen

Based on the initial environmental assessment, 

senior nutrition program kitchen operators 

should gather information about the rates other 

shared kitchens are charging. Rates are usually 

charged per hour of use and range from $10 - 

$40 per hour that include specific timeframes for 

set-up, product preparation, and clean-up. Wellequipped kitchens with special equipment might 

charge higher rental rates than basic kitchens. 

Options for contracts might include hourly, 

daily, or monthly rates, package rates, and/or 

lower rates for off-peak times. Longer leases 

or regularly scheduled rentals can be charged 

by the month, while occasional users are best 

charged by the hour. 

The rental agreement should also include fees 

for the application, cancellation, cleaning, special 

equipment, on-site equipment storage, deliveries, 

and deposits. The lease should also stipulate 

what supplies are included in the rental fee. 

Storage fees should be added, and rental fees 

should also account for any additional expenses 

required to add security and administrative 

oversight.

2. Develop scheduling and billing systems

Scheduling and billing for kitchen rentals can 

present logistical issues for a facility. Online 

resources are available that can assist a senior 

nutrition program with these tasks. Software 

providers such as GigaBook can manage 

scheduling. The Food Corridor is a full-service 

online automated management system that 

integrates scheduling, billing, and food service 

management.

In addition, monitoring kitchen use by renters is 

necessary to maintain the facility’s food safety 

and licensing status. Use can be monitored by 

providing access codes or cards, maintaining a 

login sheet, and/or having monitoring cameras to 

document kitchen use.

3. Develop policies and procedures to 

manage the rentals

Operational guidelines are needed to be sure the 

kitchen continue to operate to meet the needs of 

the facility, as well as those of the renters. Issues 

such as prohibited activities (i.e., selling products 

out of the senior nutrition program’s facility), 

emergency protocols, lease termination policies, 

and preferred communication methods between 

the program and the renter should be addressed 

by having written policies and procedures. Dayto-day tasks must be identified for both parties. 

Policies must be written regarding sanitation 

standards and be clearly communicated to 

the renter. Procedures must be initiated by the 

facility to enforce implementation of sanitation 

requirements. Equipment maintenance needs to 

be scheduled and renters need a procedure to 

notify the facility if equipment fails. Facility staff 

should conduct an orientation so that renters are 

aware of all policies and procedures. 

Direct management of a shared kitchen by the 

senior nutrition program provides the greatest 

income potential. However, if the facility has 

limited expertise or non-professional staff to 

manage rental contracts, the program may 

hire third-party organizations to handle all 

aspects of shared kitchen management, such 

as entrepreneur recruitment, scheduling, and 

billing. An advantage of hiring a management 

company is that a monthly income is guaranteed 

since the company would pay a monthly fee 

to the facility. The Food Corridor is an example 

of a third-party management company. Other 

options for kitchen management are Kitchen 

Connect programs, local entrepreneurial support 

organizations, microenterprise organizations, 

and small business development centers. These 

programs support and facilitate development 

and maintenance of shared kitchens by providing 

training, education, and grant funding. Examples 

of Kitchen Connect programs are Detroit Kitchen 

Connect, Kitchen Connects GSO, and Iowa 

Kitchen Connect. 

4. Protect your facility

Facilities need to protect themselves against 

property damage, theft, fire, food and physical 

safety. Use of secure entry systems and security 

5
RESOURCES

Chefs for Seniors. How to find the best senior meal delivery service. Available at: https://chefsforseniors.com/blog/choosingthe-best-senior-meal-delivery-service. Accessed 3/12/2019.

Colpaart, Ashley. (2018). The shared kitchen model, emerging and evolving, The Nick, Available at: https://www.

thefoodcorridor.com/2018/12/13/the-shared-kitchen-model-emerging-and-evolving/. Accessed 3/12/2019.

Colpaart, Ashley M., Grahn, Wendy, & Seymour, Devon. (2017). Shared-use Kitchens: A Policy Landscape Report. Fort Collins, 

CO: The Food Corridor. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6KNb3JpFJl8TlY1dmZMd0haNzg/view. Accessed 

3/12/2019.

Conover, Emma; Rubchinuk, Elyse; Smith, Suzannah; and Cortez, Yarisamar. (2015). History of Shared-Use Commercial 

Kitchens: A Case Study Analysis of Kitchen Success. Community Engaged Research Reports. 30. Available at: https://scarab.

bates.edu/community_engaged_research/30. Accessed 3/20/2019.

Mabli, James; Redel, Nicholas; Cohen, Rhoda; Panzarella, Erin; Hu, Mindy; and Carlson, Barbara. (2015). Process Evaluation of 

Older Americans Act Title III-C Nutrition Services Program. Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC. Available at: https://

acl.gov/sites/default/files/programs/2017-02/NSP-Process-Evaluation-Report.pdf. Accessed 3/20/2019.

Meals on Wheels America. AARP Foundation. (2015). Thomas, K. More than a Meal: Pilot Research Study. Available at: https://

www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/learn-more/research/more-than-a-meal. Accessed 3/20/2019.

Meals on Wheels America. (2016) Dispelling Myths: Supporting Public Policy for Greater Impact and Sustainability. Available 

at: https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/docs/default-source/membership/executive-summary-2016-final.pdf?sfvrsn=2. 

Accessed 3/20/2019.

Meals on Wheels America. (2017) Hunger in Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities for the Aging Services Network. 

Available at: https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/learn-more/research/hunger-in-older-adults. Accessed 3/20/2019.

Meader McCausland, Dawn, Rachael Miller, Ashley Colpaart, Meghan King. (2018) Shared Kitchen Toolkit: A Practical Guide to 

Planning, Launching and Managing a Shared-Use Commercial Kitchen. Fort Collins, CO: The Food Corridor. Available at: http://

www.thefoodcorridor.com/resources/. Accessed 3/20/2019.

Meader McCausland, Dawn & Phillips, Rhonda. (2018). Opening Community Facilities to Food Entrepreneurs: Guidance for 

Communities and Facility Operators. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Extension. Available at https://www.thefoodcorridor.

com/2019/02/21/new-guide-for-community-facilities-looking-to-rent-their-kitchens/. Accessed 3/12/2019.

cameras can protect against misuse of the facility. The 

senior nutrition program will need to have property and 

liability insurance and should require renters to carry liability 

insurance that lists the facility as the insured. Security 

deposits also help to mitigate losses due to renters’ 

malfeasance.

5. Market your facility

Senior nutrition programs looking to share their kitchens will 

need to advertise their resources to food entrepreneurs. 

Advertising can be done on the program’s webpage, 

through social media, classified ads, and community 

resources such as culinary schools, farmers markets, and 

extension offices. Examples of how to market a kitchen can 

be found at Shared Dream Kitchen and The Kitchen Door.

In the current environment, senior nutrition programs are 

challenged to provide services to the growing number of 

seniors who are more vulnerable to food insecurity when 

public and private funding for programs is dwindling and 

competition from for-profit food programs is increasing. 

Senior nutrition programs have an opportunity to achieve 

sustainability by participating in the shared kitchen 

movement.