Conference Schedule & Agenda

Together Toward Tomorrow

Join industry leaders and peers for our essential annual event, Together Toward Tomorrow, taking place in Atlanta, GA, from August 20-22, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. AHF’s conference is curated to equip you with the strategies, knowledge, and connections vital for the success of your facility, department, and overall operations. Attending the AHF National Conference ensures your department remains at the forefront of healthcare foodservice innovation. You will gain actionable insights on critical topics like AI/robotics, sustainable practices, supply chain management, and revenue growth, directly contributing to maximized departmental budgets. The robust educational program, spanning C-suite insights and operational excellence, offers immediate takeaways to enhance patient/resident satisfaction, improve efficiency, and drive fiscal performance. Additionally, unparalleled networking facilitates vital peer-to-peer exchange, fostering collaborations that drive the long-term success and innovation of your department.

AHF is pleased to offer a significant number of CEUs for those attending the conference. Below is a summary of what AHF plans on requesting from each accreditation body:

  • ANFP: 16 estimated earnable credits (12.5 general, 3.5 tradeshow)
  • CDR: 12.5 estimated earnable credits (CDR Does not approve tradeshow hours)
  • ACF: 16 estimated earnable credits
  • Some sessions may qualify for self-submission to ACHE

Download the printable agenda below as well as our operator justification letter to help you gain attendance support from your administration! AHF’s National Conference is built by our leaders to provide practical, real-world takeaways that you can use to immediately implement large and small-scale improvements for the benefit of your operation. Attendance is imperative to increasing your revenue, efficiency, and operational success. 

Download Printable Agenda
Download Operator Justification Letter Template

FULL AGENDA

AREA ACTIVITY: Decimal Place Goat Farm Tour

Cost: $50 per person | OFFSITE

Visit the Decimal Place Goat Farm and get the opportunity to milk and feed the goats. While there, attendees will learn about making goat cheese and the history of the farm. This farm supplies the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and is part of their local purveyor program.

  • Tour #1: 8:00am departure – Tour 8:00-11:00am (25 people max)
  • Tour #2: 9:30am departure – Tour 9:30-12:30pm (25 people max)

AREA ACTIVITY: Atlanta Trolley Tour

8:00-11:00 PM | OFFSITE | Cost: $75 per person

Glide through Atlanta’s vibrant streets on a classic trolley! Enjoy a delightful blend of culture and fun with knowledgeable guides who will share captivating stories and insights about Atlanta’s past and present. Along the journey, you’ll have the option to purchase your own a taste of Atlanta with a snack stop at Ponce City Market. AHF will have 2 Trolly’s which each fit 20 people. The Trolly’s are enclosed and cooled. The Trolleys will pick members up at the hotel.

CHARITABLE ACTIVITY: ‘WeHero Bears’ Charitable Bear Stuffing & Decoration Activity

11:30-12:30 PM | Onsite | Free (registration required)

Sponsored and made possible by Hormel Foods

Join us for a high-impact, interactive charitable activity where we step away from the kitchen to support children of military families undergoing medical treatments. In partnership with supporting military families, participants will engage in a “Build-a-Bear” workshop designed to provide comfort and a personal touch to those who need it most. This activity allows our members and business partners help us build 80 bears, including decorating the bears chef-coats and writing personalized notes to the children.

PRE-CON DEEP DIVE: Strategic Navigating: Decoding the BBB for Healthcare and Senior Living Leaders

1:00-2:30 PM | 1.5 CEUs Proposed
Learning Domains:  Operations, Policy
Speakers: TBA

Sponsored & Presented by Distribution Market Advantage (DMA)

As the regulatory landscape shifts, foodservice leaders in Healthcare and Senior Living must evolve from traditional operators into strategic business partners. This session provides a comprehensive update on the “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB), moving beyond the headlines to examine the tangible impacts on your daily operations. Our panel of distribution and industry experts will provide a non-partisan, solution-focused breakdown of the 2025 reforms. We will bridge the gap between legislative language and kitchen reality, providing you with the “C-Suite language” needed to discuss downstream financial impacts with your executive leadership. Join us as we explore

  • A clear look at the initial promises of the BBB vs. current implementation realities and key upcoming dates.
  • A deep dive into the OBBBA Medicaid overview and its specific implications for the Long-Term Care (LTC) and Senior Dining sectors.
  • Identifying potential financial headwinds and the specific tools, tips, and distribution strategies available to manage rising costs.
  • How to translate these regulatory changes into actionable data to impress your C-Suite and proactively manage your facility’s “Daily Grind.”

 

PRE-CON DEEP DIVE: Building and Leading a Self-Operated Integrated System-Level FNS Department

2:45-4:45 PM | 2 CEUs Proposed

Learning Domains: C-Suite, System Infrastructure, Operations, Finance & Efficiency

Moderator: Joyce Hagan-Flint
Speakers: TBA

As healthcare and senior dining continue to consolidate, the shift from site-based management to a unified system approach is no longer optional, it is a strategic necessity. Join us for an exclusive deep dive into AHF’s new publication, which provides a definitive roadmap for building and scaling an Integrated Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) department.

Lead author and moderator Joyce Hagan-Flint will explore and define the concept and key structures of a self-operated integrated FNS. She will review its critical role in being the best stewards of healthcare dollars while promoting the mission of self-operation. This high-level overview will touch upon the essential infrastructure required for success, including leadership structures, unified information systems, and strategic design. This will be application to both larger national and regional systems of varying sizes.

Following the presentation, Joyce will moderate a dynamic panel of system-level industry leaders who will share their real-world organizational approaches. Whether you are a current system leader, regional director, or an aspiring system leader, you will walk away with the “Success Factors” needed to build trust, maintain accountability, and advocate for a system-level self-op model to your C-suite. During this deep dive workshop there will be breakout discussions to network with other system leaders and start building your peer network. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Identify the essential components of a system-level FNS department, including infrastructure, standardized reporting, and unified clinical and culinary programs.
  • Learn to justify the transition to an integrated model by highlighting benefits such as fiscal stewardship, improved market positioning, and the sustainability of the self-operated model.
  • Evaluate proven “Key Success Factors” used by top systems, such as matrix reporting structures, data-driven decision-making, and consistent financial benchmarking.

PRE-CON DEEP DIVE: The Plant Forward Prescription: Operational Strategies for Cost, Care, and Satisfaction

2:45-4:45 PM | 1.5 CEUs Proposed

Learning Domains: Operations, Clinical Nutrition, Financial Management, Resident & Patient Satisfaction

Speakers: Kevin Steffes, Carle Health | Heather Kennedy, RDN, MBA, UW Health | Erica Block, MS, RDN, LDN, RUSH University Medical Center and RUSH Oak Park Hospital | Heidi Fritz, MS, RDN, Greener by Default | Kip Hardy, MS, RDN, Emory University Hospital

Plant-forward dining is no longer a niche trend; it is a strategic evolution essential for addressing chronic disease, sustainability, and the volatility of rising food costs. However, normalizing these options within the high-stakes environments of healthcare and senior living remains a significant operational challenge.

This interactive session presents a practical, operations-driven framework for expanding plant-based offerings without alienating traditional diners or compromising patient and resident choice. By merging the “nudge” techniques of behavioral science with real-world case studies, including a high-volume retail pilot at Emory University Hospital and multi-site implementations across three Midwest hospitals, we provide a scalable roadmap for success.

Moving beyond a standard lecture, this session utilizes live audience polling to benchmark concerns such as food waste, sourcing, and staff change fatigue in real time. Attendees will discover how to prioritize familiar “comfort food” formats to drive sales and satisfaction, while leveraging clear naming and placement strategies over value-based messaging. Attendees will also be given opportunities for roundtable discussions and networking. Attendees will learn to:

  • Describe how behavioral science can be applied in healthcare foodservice operations to encourage uptake of plant-based and plant-forward meal options.
  • Analyze operational data from multi-site case studies to identify and mitigate common barriers to plant-forward menu adoption.
  • Design a revenue-neutral menu integration strategy that incorporates protein-rich plant options to address rising food costs while meeting diverse clinical and cultural patient needs.
  • Evaluate communication tactics for engaging foodservice and clinical staff to normalize plant-forward choices.

RECEPTION: New Attendee Reception

6:00-7:00 PM

Are you a first-time attendee at AHF’s National Conference feeling a bit nervous about not knowing anyone and potentially wandering aimlessly? Don’t fret any longer! Join us at our New Attendee Reception, happening an hour before our Opening Reception. This isn’t your typical networking event. Instead, you’ll be part of a small group led by an experienced AHF operator and business partner leader, ensuring you make genuine connections right from the start. 

RECEPTION: Opening Reception

7:00-10:00 PM

Sponsored by Sysco

Now that you’ve kick-started your conference with some deep-dive education and training, it’s time to relax, network and eat! Join us for an evening of light music, tasty food, and drinks. 

MAINSTAGE: Opening Remarks & Awards Presentation

7:40-8:00 AM

Join us as we open the conference, update you on all that will be happening this week, hear from our sponsors, and present the Exemplary Leadership award winner.  

 

OPENING KEYNOTE: The 6% Club – The Science of Peak Performance and the Daily Habits That Separate High-Achieving Individuals, Leaders and Teams from the 94%

8:00-9:00 AM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains – Leadership, Team & Talent

Speakers: Dr. Michelle Rozen

Healthcare foodservice and senior dining professionals are managing demanding schedules, tight budgets, staffing challenges, and the constant pressure to deliver excellent service in high-stakes environments. Burnout isn’t just common, it’s expected. Your attendees need more than motivation; they need practical strategies to sustain their energy, focus, and impact. Attendees will understand:

  • The neuroscience behind high performance – Why willpower fails and what actually works
  • Daily habits that create lasting change – Small, actionable shifts that compound into big results
  •  How to break through self-doubt and limiting beliefs – Move from “I’m too busy/tired/overwhelmed” to “I’m making it happen”
  • Personal accountability without burnout – Lead yourself (and your team) with clarity and confidence
  • Practical tools to implement immediately – Leave with strategies you can use Monday morning

 

MAINSTAGE: Awards Presentation

9:15-9:30 AM

Join us as we hear from our sponsors and present the Partnership In Leadership Award winners.

 

MAINSTAGE AHF FISH TALKS: A Seat at the Digital Table – AI in Healthcare, Senior Dining and Hospitality

9:30-11:00 AM | 1.5 CEUs Proposed

Learning Domains: AI & Tech, Innovation, Trends

Speakers: TBA

In an industry defined by the “human touch,” where does the algorithm fit in? Join us for this year’s FISH Talks as we dive into the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across Food, Innovation, Service, and Hospitality (FISH). We’re moving past the hype to explore how AI is solving the “unsolvable” in healthcare and senior dining, from predictive supply chain management that slashes food waste to personalized nutrition interfaces that delight residents and patients.

This dynamic, TED-style session features three distinct vantage points: the Visionary (the 30,000-foot future), the Architect (the systems and strategy), and the Operator (the boots-on-the-ground reality). We’ll conclude with a deep-dive panel discussion designed to move you from AI-curious to AI-capable, ensuring you leave with a foothold in the technology that is redefining the hospitality landscape.

 

MAINSTAGE: Recipe for Recovery – Centralizing Retail for Financial and Operational Success

11:15-12:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Retail, Operations, Change Management, Emotional Intelligence & Leadership Trends, Financial Management & Benchmarking, Operational Excellence

Speakers: Stefanie McGuirl, MPH, Banner Health | Wil Salazar, Banner Health | Jason Alvarez, Banner Health

Despite serving thousands of meals daily, many healthcare culinary retail programs operate at a loss, resulting in conflicting inventory and naming conventions, inconsistent pricing, and varied guest experiences at each location. This session explores how implementing an enterprise-level point-of-sale (POS) solution transformed retail operations across a 30-facility healthcare system. Designed to support centralized oversight and scalable growth, the POS platform enabled standardized pricing, inventory control, and operational processes across all locations. Prior to implementation, systemwide retail operations reported a $7.5M deficit in 2022 and a $6.4M deficit in 2023. A phased rollout in 2024 introduced centralized pricing strategies, inventory standardization, and operational efficiencies, resulting in a $2.3M retail profit and reversing years of losses. With all facilities fully live in 2025, projections indicate even greater profitability and financial growth. The implementation followed a sustainable three-phase playbook: Phase 1: Build, Plan, and Synchronize; Phase 2: Monitor and Refine; and Phase 3: Ongoing Performance Management, including annual price analysis to remain aligned with evolving market conditions. Attendees will gain practical insights into how centralization and technology can drive efficiency, improve financial performance, and deliver a consistent, high-quality retail experience in healthcare settings. By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Identify the operational and financial risks of decentralized retail foodservice models and how enterprise-level POS solutions can address inconsistencies in pricing, inventory, and guest experience.
  • Evaluate key strategies used to reverse multimillion-dollar retail deficits through standardized pricing, inventory controls, and performance monitoring.
  • Apply practical tools and governance practices-including ongoing price analysis and performance management to sustain profitability and continuous improvement.

 

AHF TRADESHOW & MARKETPLACE & LUNCH

12:30-4:00 PM | 3.5 Tradeshow Hours Proposed (ACF & ANFP Only)

The AHF Tradeshow is the place to be for anyone looking to stay ahead in the industry. This high-energy event is a favorite for a reason: it’s your primary opportunity to explore a wide range of new products, services, and innovations specifically curated for self-operators by our trusted partners and sponsors. As you navigate the floor, be sure to reference the Business Partner Directory found in your registration bag to ensure you’re connecting with the valued partners and sponsors who can help elevate your operations. While you’re exploring, you won’t need to worry about hunting down a meal. Lunch is being served directly by our vendors throughout the hall, giving you the chance to sample the latest sponsor offerings.

*Please note that CDR does not accredit tradeshow hours.

 

AFTERNOON CONCURRENT SESSIONS

CONCURRENT: Benchmarking: Mastering KPIs, Finance, Efficiency and the C-Suite “Ask”

4:15-5:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains — Finance & Efficiency, Financial Management & Benchmarking

Speakers: Mary Pope, Nutrition Retail Manager, Intermountain Healthcare

In the high-stakes environment of healthcare and senior dining, “gut feelings” don’t win budget approvals—data does. This session moves beyond simple data collection to mastering benchmarking as a strategic communication tool. Whether defending self-op status or requesting capital for renovations, your success depends on translating operational metrics into the financial language of the C-suite.

Speaker Mary Pope will demonstrate how AHF’s Benchmarking Express™ and other critical metrics empower leaders to achieve operational excellence. Drawing on Intermountain Healthcare’s structured workflow across 13 facilities, this presentation highlights how benchmarking drives cost control, revenue optimization, and accurate budgeting.

Attendees will explore how KPIs, such as Average Retail Transactions (ART), transactions per labor hour, and discount rates, inform pricing, staffing, and margin management. Through real-world examples, you will learn to create a continuous improvement loop that identifies “red flags,” validates departmental structures, and provides a clear roadmap for securing executive funding. By the end of the session attendees will:

  • Understand AHF Benchmarking Express capabilities and how it supports financial and operational decision-making in retail foodservice settings.
  • Learn how to interpret key KPIs such as Average Cash Transactions (AOV), transactions per labor hour, and discount rates to optimize pricing, staffing, and margin management.
  • Gain practical insights into cost control and efficiency strategies by comparing performance against industry benchmarks and identifying improvement opportunities.
  • Apply benchmarking data to create a continuous improvement loop that enhances profitability, labor productivity, and service quality in healthcare retail operations.

 

CONCURRENT: Food as Care in Crisis and Community Healing: Culinary Medicine Beyond the Hospital Walls

4:15-5:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Ethics & Integrity, Clinical Nutrition, Functional Nutrition, & Culinary Medicine, Sustainability

Speakers: Erika Harper-Trotter, Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

Description: Food insecurity remains a critical yet often overlooked challenge in healthcare and community settings, particularly in high-poverty, food-deprived neighborhoods where families are navigating trauma, illness, and loss without adequate resources. This session explores how foodservice can function as care when access, affordability, and dignity are at risk. Drawing from real-world experience in pediatric healthcare, nonprofit violence-intervention programs, and community funeral support, this presentation examines how culinary medicine and nutrition-forward foodservice can address gaps faced by uninsured and underinsured populations in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Many families served live in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh, affordable food and are further burdened by medical costs, crisis, or bereavement. Through a challenge–solution–outcome framework, attendees will learn how trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and low-cost menu models were developed to support healing during crisis while maintaining food safety, nutrition integrity, and operational efficiency. The session highlights interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare leaders, nonprofit partners, and community stakeholders to create scalable solutions in food-deprived areas. Participants will leave with practical strategies they can adapt within healthcare and senior living operations to expand access, reduce inequities, and use food as a tool for healing and community restoration.    

  • Identify the unique foodservice challenges faced by uninsured and underinsured individuals living in high-poverty, food-deprived neighborhoods during crisis and bereavement.
  • Apply trauma-informed, culturally responsive culinary and nutrition strategies to deliver low-cost, dignified meals in healthcare, senior living, and community-based settings.
  • Implement at least two cost-effective menu planning or workflow practices that expand food access while maintaining nutrition quality, safety, and operational efficiency.
  • Recognize the value of interdisciplinary and community partnerships in using food as a tool for healing, equity, and sustainable impact beyond traditional healthcare environments.

 

CONCURRENT: Serving Seniors by Design: Exploring Trends Shaping Menu’s, Community Design, and Service Flexibility

4:15-5:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Trends, ‘Customer’ Satisfaction, Senior Dining

Speakers: TBA

Today’s senior residents arrive on property better educated about foodservice and with higher expectations than ever before. Providing a hospitable environment with healthy and nutritious menu options that support the lifestyles of today’s busy seniors does not happen by accident. It happens by design. From menu development to facility layout considerations, this presentation will explore what’s working and what’s ahead for the senior dining segment. Attendees will learn how to:

  • Outline current menu trends shaping senior dining
  • Uncover best practices for facility design that leads to menu and service flexibility
  • Discover what senior dining can learn from other foodservice segments

 

CONCURRENT: From Feedback to Action: Building a Closed-Loop Food Service Feedback Program in Healthcare

4:15-5:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Operations, Data collection/harvesting, ‘Customer’ Satisfaction

Speakers: Wren Roberts, Centra Health | Ryan Miller, Centra Health

Hospital food service plays a critical role in the patient experience, influencing satisfaction, nutrition, and overall perceptions of care. Centra Health has adopted a proactive, data-driven approach by combining real-time patient feedback with structured tray audits and analytics to drive meaningful, sustained improvements across its hospital food service operations. This session will explore how Centra Health implemented a closed-loop strategy that captures patient feedback immediately following meal delivery, pairs those insights with tray audits that assess accuracy, temperature, presentation, and diet compliance, and applies analytics to identify trends and root causes. By connecting what patients report with what is observed operationally, teams are able to respond quickly, address issues at the point of service, and prevent repeat issues. Attendees will learn how real-time feedback enables faster service recovery, while tray audits provide accountability and operational context that strengthen corrective actions. The presentation will highlight practical use cases, including improving tray accuracy, reducing waste, and standardizing service across units and shifts. Centra Health will share lessons learned and outcomes demonstrating how closing the loop between feedback, audits, and analytics resulted in higher patient satisfaction and improved food service performance. Participants will leave with a scalable framework for using real-time data and audits to elevate hospital food service and create a more responsive, patient-centered dining experience.

  • Explain how real-time patient feedback, tray audits, and analytics can be integrated into a closed-loop food service workflow to quickly identify issues, uncover root causes, and drive consistent operational improvements.
  • Identify practical strategies for using real-time data to improve tray accuracy, meal quality, and service recovery, while strengthening accountability across units, shifts, and teams.
  • Apply a scalable framework for turning patient dining insights into action, including best practices for staff engagement, audit execution, and performance monitoring to improve patient satisfaction and food service outcomes.

 

RECEPTION: AHF’S 2025 National Culinary Competition

6:00-8:30 PM

Sponsored by: JM Smucker, CJ Schwan’s, Delegate Group, Zink Foodservice

Join us as five culinary teams meet on the national stage to compete for AHF Culinary Gold! Each year our five teams compete for Gold, Silver, and Bronze spots across a 75-minute timed competition with set ingredient options selected from AHF’s curated Market Basket. Competitors are selected through a rigorous, blinded, selection process. Join us to cheer on our competitors while you enjoy dinner and drinks. No special attire is required, simply come ready to eat, network, and celebrate our competitors! 

NETWORKING: AHF’s Free Rise & Shine Exercise Activity

6:30-7:00 AM | Activity TBA

Start your conference morning on an energizing note with AHF’s Free Rise and Shine Exercise Activity on Saturday morning! This casual, light-hearted session is the perfect way to wake up, get moving, and connect with fellow attendees before the conference officially begins. The activity changes each year, but it’s always designed to be simple, fun, and accessible for all fitness levels.

 

NETWORKING MEAL: Sponsor & Exhibitor Wrap Up Breakfast

7:30-8:15 AM | 1 Seat Per Sponsor/Exhibitor

A breakfast for AHF’s sponsors and exhibitors. Each company is asked to send just one representative to join us for breakfast with AHF’s key operator leadership and volunteers. This is your chance to mingle, hear about what they’re interested in, their latest concerns, and ask them questions about the industry. This is a great chance to solidify relationships and add ROI to your experience. Other team members with full passes can enjoy breakfast in the main ballroom with the wider attendee group.

 

MAINSTAGE: The Contractor Is Talking to Leadership. Are You in the Room? Influence, Credibility, and Preparation Before the Outsourcing Conversation Begins

8:30-9:30 AM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Promoting Self-Op Success, C-Suite Engagement & Relationship Management, Change Management, Emotional Intelligence & Leadership Trends, Contractor Threats

Speakers: David Reeves, MBA, Lee Health | Georgie Shockey, Ruck-Shockey Associates | Kevin Vos, Corewell Health | Mary Angela Miller, Consultant (Moderator)

Outsourcing conversations increasingly begin at the executive level, often before foodservice leaders realize they have started. Contract management firms engage senior leadership, finance, facilities, and supply chain with promises of financial relief, operational improvement, and capital investment, shaping perceptions early and accelerating momentum when operators are unprepared to respond. This moderated panel brings together experienced self-operated leaders and a nationally recognized consultant to examine how these conversations originate, how organizational baselines are established and challenged, and why decision-making can shift quickly without strong operator engagement.

Attendees will gain practical insight into common contractor messaging, key contract structures, and the financial language executives expect operators to understand and communicate clearly. Applicable to both healthcare foodservice and senior dining, the session focuses on strengthening operator credibility and influence in executive decision-making. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to prepare in advance, align internal stakeholders, and lead executive conversations with clarity and data so self-operated programs are evaluated fairly and decisions are grounded in facts rather than assumptions. At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Explain why outsourcing discussions escalate to executive leadership and recognize how contractor strategies shape early decision-making.
  • Interpret common outsourcing contract structures and financial assumptions and articulate their implications clearly to senior leaders.
  • Establish and defend operational and financial baselines that enable informed, fact-based executive evaluation of self-operated programs.
  • Apply an operator-centered framework to proactively engage leadership and lead outsourcing conversations with credibility and confidence.

 

MAINSTAGE: Awards Presentation

9:45-10:00 AM

Join us as we honor the Future Horizon’s Award winner and Impact & Innovation Award winner.

 

MAINSTAGE: The New Standard in Healthcare Food Service: Optimizing Cost, Quality and Flexibility through Strategic Partnerships

10:00-11:00 AM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Operations & Efficiency, Financial Management

Speakers: Mic Rickerd, CCMP, PCII, Corewell Health | Anthony Boggs, Corewell Health | Ryan Bennink, Gordon Food Service | Kevin Crampton, HPS Group Purchasing

Health systems face constant pressure to reduce costs while maintaining quality, flexibility, and positive patient outcomes. This session provides actionable strategies to achieve measurable savings and operational improvements without compromising care standards. Attendees will learn how to implement cost-plus pricing models that deliver predictable budgets, leverage manufacturer programs for immediate savings, and apply performance indicators to ensure reliable deliveries and product availability, critical for uninterrupted patient nutrition services. We will also explore practical approaches to balancing standardization with local sourcing, enabling health systems to consolidate order guides while still accommodating fresh, high-quality products that support patient satisfaction and clinical nutrition goals. These strategies empower supply chain leaders to optimize spend, improve financial performance, and enhance the overall dining experience for patients and residents. Applicable to healthcare and senior dining segments, this session offers a roadmap for operational success that prioritizes transparency, quality, and long-term sustainability, all while contributing to better patient outcomes. Attendees will learn to:

  • Navigating Cost Pressures Without Compromising Care. Health systems face ongoing financial constraints. Leaders must drive efficiency while preserving quality, flexibility, and patient outcomes.
  • Balancing System-Wide Standardization With Local Sourcing Flexibility. Strategies to consolidate order guides without sacrificing freshness or local quality. Improving patient satisfaction while meeting clinical nutrition needs. Aligning procurement, culinary teams, and clinical nutrition across the enterprise.
  • Building a Sustainable, Transparent, and High Performing Supply Strategy. Long term advantages of standard processes and measurable accountability. Supporting organizational resilience and care excellence.
  • Delivering a Clear Operational Roadmap for Healthcare & Senior Dining. Data driven decision making to maximize value. Actionable steps leaders can take immediately. Framework designed to support sustainability, service quality, and improved outcomes.

 

FOYER: AHF CHAPTER NETWORKING BREAK

11:00-11:45 AM

Join our chapters for a fun break where you can networking, find other attendees from your region, and get to know fellow operators and business partners. At the end of the networking session, attendees are encouraged to use the transition time to grab lunch and get seated for our 12PM lunch session presented by US Foods.

 

MAINSTAGE & LUNCH:  Retail Reinvention: Say Good-bye to “Cafeteria”

12:00-1:00 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Sponsored and Presented by US Foods

Learning Domains: Retail & Hospitality, Operations, Finance, Workforce, Strategy

Speakers: Mark Eggerding, Director Sales Excellence & Activation, US Foods | Other Speakers TBA (acute care operator + senior living operator + AHF Business Partner)

Healthcare foodservice leaders are navigating powerful headwinds of inflation, economic uncertainty, and heightened scrutiny on spend.  While the healthcare landscape shifts around us. Services continue migrating to outpatient settings, inpatient acuity rises, and organizations demand smarter cost optimization without sacrificing experience. 

At the same time, healthcare foodservice is seeing renewed interest and investment in retail revenue growth, profitability, and menu innovation – often with constrained labor and aging physical spaces. This session brings together a panel of operators and business partners to show how to build a compelling business case for retail operations, use consumer insights, and execute either a revitalization of existing space or a new retail location that goes beyond “just opening a Starbucks.” 

Panelists will share practical tools: demand forecasting, space-to-profit modeling, menu and merchandising strategies, technology-enabled throughput, and most critically, how to align labor skillsets, training, and role design to deliver consistent results. By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Build a business case for retail operations using financial and operational metrics (traffic, capture rate, average check, labor productivity, contribution margin, ROI).
  • Translate “consumer expectations” into decisions using data from the hospital community (who buys, when, why, and what they want).
  • Apply two scenarios to revitalize existing space and launch a new retail concept and infusing menu trends to improve profitability and experience.
  • Identify trends in technology, menu innovation, and operational design that increase throughput and margin with limited labor.
  • Create a labor readiness plan with the right person/right role using customized training approaches and “train-in-the-moment” coaching.

 

AFTERNOON CONCURRENT SESSIONS

CONCURRENT: From Standards to Satisfaction – Creating Engaging Education and Auditing Programs for Foodservice Excellence

1:15-2:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Team & Talent, Food Safety, Operational Excellence, ‘Customer’ Satisfaction

Speakers: Ashley Craig, AdventHealth Orlando

Hospital food service teams play a critical role in patient care, yet ensuring compliance, safety, and exceptional service requires more than policies—it demands a culture of education and accountability. In this session, Ashley Craig, Manager of Education, Compliance, and Patient Experience at AdventHealth Orlando, will share a proven framework for creating a comprehensive program that empowers frontline team members and elevates operational standards. Attendees will learn how to develop engaging training programs that make learning meaningful and fun, implement auditing tools to monitor regulatory standards, measure patient experience best practices through structured observations, and elevate the team member onboarding experience. This presentation will provide practical strategies, real-world tools, and actionable insights to help hospital and senior living food service operators build programs that not only meet compliance requirements but also enhance patient/resident satisfaction and team engagement.        

  • How to create a standardized onboarding program
  • How to create a safety and sanitation program
  • How to create a patient experience observations system
  • How to make training dynamic and fun

 

CONCURRENT: Building your Sustainability Program from the Ground Up in Healthcare and Senior Dining

1:15-2:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Sustainability, Waste Management, Operations

Speakers: Dan Henriod, Human Good | Santana Diaz, UC Davis Health

Description: Full description coming soon.

 

CONCURRENT: Curing Menu Fatigue: Leveraging Station Takeovers to Drive Traffic in Healthcare & Senior Dining

1:15-2:15 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: Operations, Customer’ Satisfaction, Industry Trends & Innovations, Operational Excellence

Speakers: Nazim Khan, CEC, WCEC, WCMC, Bryan Medical Center | Caroline Burum, Simplot | Daniel Ellnor, Cres Cor

Presenting: The Station Takeover. Whether in a high-volume hospital or a vibrant Senior Living community, today’s diners crave autonomy. Recent data shows that 68% of older adults prioritize a variety of customizable meal options, yet only 17% feel confident that senior communities can deliver them. In healthcare, over 75% of diners now expect some form of customizable concept as a standard of care.

Despite this demand, operational leaders are facing unprecedented “ideation fatigue” and labor stress. This session is your “in” on how to leverage your Business Partners’ (BPs) culinary expertise and product portfolios without losing sleep. Through a simple live demo and tasting, we will show you how to:

  • Implement speed-scratch recipes and diversify your order guides with high-quality components that allow for chef-led finishes in any healthcare or senior dining environment.
  • Differentiate between a food show, product trial, LTO and a ‘menuable’ item.
  • Leverage your partners to gain insights and use them as an extension of your own team to solve the “Daily Grind.”
  • Strive for operational excellence with user-friendly, “coachable” station ideas that empower frontline staff and reduce back-of-house complexity.

 

MAINSTAGE: Closing Remarks, Awards Presentation, and Big Game Board Winners

2:30-2:45 PM

Join us for our closing words and to honor our Presidential Service award winners. Then stay for the closing keynote speaker Dr. Stowe Shoemaker. We will also announce our Big Game Board winners!

 

CLOSING KEYNOTE: The PAEER Model: Incorporating real world hospitality principals to make patients and residents feel loved “like family members”

2:45-3:45 PM | 1 CEU Proposed

Learning Domains: ‘Customer’ Satisfaction, Hospitality, Operations

Speakers: Stowe Shoemaker, PhD, Harrah College of Hospitality at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

In an era of “information everywhere,” healthcare providers are no longer just medical facilities they are consumer choices. This is even moreso the case in senior dining communities. As patients and residents become more informed, they are selecting providers based on transparency, competition, and the quality of the experience. To thrive, service providers must transition from a “clinical” mindset to a “hospitality” mindset.

This session introduces the PAEER Model (Preparation, Anticipation, Engagement, Evaluation, and Reward), a framework designed to make every individual feel like a “loved family member”. Dr. Stowe Shoemaker deconstructs 24 service “touchpoints” common to both hospitality and healthcare experiences as revealed in a national survey they conducted with 1,200 U.S. prior to the arrival of COVID-19. By comparing prevailing sentiments and interviewing leading hospitality executives, this session reveals exactly where healthcare and senior dining can borrow from the luxury hospitality playbook to achieve enviable guest and resident satisfaction. The presentation will cover elements of the PAEER model with examples how each element has been used in healthcare settings. Attendees will:

  • Learn the comments of the PAEER model that easily explains how hospitality principles can be incorporated into healthcare (with elements that are also applicable to senior dining)
  • Review case studies of major healthcare organizations that have successfully adopted this model.
  • Learn how the PAEER model can be incorporated into the retail and foodservice environments

 

FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY: AHF’s Minute to Win it Challenge Games

4:00-5:00 PM | $40 Per Person | Onsite

All funds go toward AHF’s operator scholarship program to help fund operators attendance to our 2027 National Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Get ready for a high-energy, laugh-out-loud team competition that helps us raise funds for AHF’s 2027 Scholarship fund. Inspired by the classic Minute to Win It game format in this fun challenge, teams will face a series of 60-second games that turn simple tasks into hilarious, fast-paced races. Think stacking cups, moving objects with odd tools, bouncing balls, and other lighthearted challenges that are easy to understand but surprisingly hard to master. Time to go for team glory.

We’ll assign all participants to a team, so it will be a great way to meet new people, cheer each other on, and unwind together. Plus, there will be prizes (Of course!!).

Think of this as the perfect relaxed, social way to cap off your conference experience. Because after days of learning, networking, and note-taking… we all will have earned some “controlled chaos time”.

 

FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY: The AHF Big Game Board

Ongoing throughout conference, buy a square during registration!

Cost Per Person: $25 for 1 Square, or $50 for 3 Squares

All funds go toward AHF’s operator scholarship program to help fund operators attendance to our 2027 National Conference in San Antonio, TX.

The Big AHF Board is a fun, chance-based fundraising game, inspired by the classic “football squares” pool, but with no sports knowledge required to play! Each board is a 10×10 grid made up of 100 squares. When you purchase a square, once onsite, you can place you name on a square. After all squares are sold, numbers are randomly assigned across the top and side of the grid.

To determine the winner, we’ll randomly draw numbers that correspond to one square on the board. If your square matches the drawn numbers, you win! Buy a square for $20 for 3 for $50. We’ll have two boards, and one winner will be drawn from each before the Closing Session (although you don’t need to be present in order to win.)

It’s easy to participate, adds a little extra excitement to the conference, and supports AHF at the same time!

 

RECEPTION: Celebrate AHF – Gala & Awards Dinner

7:00-10:30 PM | Cocktail Attire Required

Our closing dinner and gala reception. We’ll start off by honoring our Lifetime Achievement Award Winner and our Making a Difference Award Winner during dinner. Following that, we’ll highlight our 2026 Culinary Competition winners and other AHF leaders. Of course, we can’t forget about our live music, dancing, and drinks. Dinner and drinks will be provided. Cocktail attire is required.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is AHF’s top honor for an operator member. This award is for operators that best exemplify the leadership and spirit and values of our founders, Jacques Bloch and Angelo Gagliano. It honors someone with a lifelong career dedicated to self-operated foodservice, AHF, the healthcare and senior dining industries and volunteerism.

The Making A Difference Award is one of our highest honors. This important distinction is given to an individual in honor and memory of the beloved John Cabot and is the association’s top honor for both business partners and media. It is presented to someone who has made significant contributions to AHF in the long tradition of steadfast and selfless industry leadership and volunteerism.