Retirement community residents, having left their homes, want to continue their lifestyle and expect not only good food but a degree of elegance in the dining experience. Coutts says providing that degree of elegance means eliminating the use of melamine and plastics for evening meals, even though breakage and replacement is more frequent with china and glass. Your stainless steel flatware should be at least medium quality for durability and appearance. Coutts says many of the trends in retirement communities today are driven by what is going on in restaurants. Restaurant use of bright, white plates, one plate for bread and butter and a saucer for dessert often replaces the traditional five pieces of china on the table.
Larger plates make salad plates unnecessary.
Carlisle Foodservice Products of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, offers an array of items for more informal dining. Made from plastic resin and poly-carbonate based materials, all come with an extended warranty. It is the highest quality and heaviest weight melamine dinnerware available on the market today. Durus comes with a four-year guarantee and is a little heavier than other lines offered by Carlisle. Unlike china, Durus is very break resistant.