A new survey from Skilled Nursing News reveals that while skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) prioritize compliance and safety when choosing outside vendors, they see the resident dining experience as the area most in need of improvement. The survey, which gathered insights from 115 industry leaders, explored how SNFs handle essential services like dining and housekeeping.
The findings show that while a majority of SNFs outsource services like pest control (82%) and waste management (72%), most keep core operations in-house. For example, 82% of respondents said they handle food preparation internally, and 91% manage infection control themselves.
How SNFs Choose Their Partners
When SNFs do decide to partner with an outside vendor, their main concern is compliance. An impressive 70% of leaders rank a vendor’s commitment to compliance and survey readiness as a top priority. However, the survey found a disconnect: while 65% of respondents consider the resident experience a top factor, only 28% prioritize food quality and menu customization when making a decision. This suggests that while they know the dining experience needs work, it's not the main driver when they are selecting a vendor.
Cost and pricing are also important considerations, ranking as a top factor for 46% of respondents. Unsurprisingly, sustainability and green certifications were the least important factors, ranking as a top consideration for less than 1% of respondents.
The Push for Improvement and Technology
The dining experience was the clear frontrunner for areas needing improvement, with nearly 72% of respondents identifying it as a top-three priority. Other key areas for improvement include staff experience and retention (50%) and optimizing supply chains and budgets (41%).
Despite this desire to improve, the survey found that many facilities are not using technology to help. Just over half of all respondents said they are not currently using or exploring any tech tools for these services. For those who are, the focus is on the dining experience: 22% are using digital meal ordering, and 20% are using food temperature tracking to ensure food safety.
This data highlights a clear opportunity for SNFs to use technology to address their top concerns and deliver a better dining experience for residents.
Source: Skilled Nursing News | September 3, 2025