Dietitian-Approved Cycle Menus for Senior Care. Delivered Weekly.
PantryTec writes dietitian-approved cycle menus for assisted living, memory care, nursing homes and group homes. Every week your kitchen gets a print-ready menu that a Registered Dietitian has approved. One flat rate per facility, from $15 a month.
View plans & pricingDownload the free 10-week sample
- RD Approval Letter in every plan
- No per-resident or setup fees
- First menu within 48 hours
- No long-term contract
What Is PantryTec?
PantryTec is a done-for-you menu service that writes 10-week cycle menus for senior care kitchens, has each one reviewed by a Registered Dietitian and emails your facility a print-ready PDF every week, from $15 a month. It is a service, not menu software.
We built it for administrators and dietary managers who run a kitchen without a dietitian on staff. Facilities from 6 to more than 300 beds follow the same routine. Open the PDF, post the menu, cook to your census and file the paperwork. Nobody on your team has to learn a program, and there is no training.
What arrives in your inbox
- A 10-week rotating cycle: 70 daily menus, or 210 breakfasts, lunches and dinners, before any day repeats.
- A safety-net alternate menu each week, for days when an ingredient does not arrive.
- Cook-to-census instructions that scale production to the residents you are feeding today, not your licensed beds.
- The signed RD Approval Letter for your compliance binder.
- Holiday menus, seasonal menu updates and an emergency pantry list.
- From the Complete plan: recipes, a diet manual, snack options, a therapeutic diet portion and texture guide, and a food temperature log.
How it works
- Tell us about your facilityFacility type, licensed beds, current census and any therapeutic diet orders.
- Get your first menuYour first PDF arrives within 24 to 48 hours of sign-up.
- Post, cook and fileNew menus land every week. The RD Approval Letter goes in your binder.
Read how PantryTec works from sign-up to your first weekly menu.
Why Pay Per Bed?
Per-resident menu software runs $2 to $5 per resident per month in the quotes we see, so a facility's menu bill rises with every admission, while PantryTec charges one flat fee per facility whatever your census. Menu review by our dietitian is included.
Per-resident software
10-bed facility, per-resident software
200 beds: $400 to $1,000 a month
- Charges $2 to $5 per bed or resident
- Price rises with every admission
- Your staff builds the menus in the software
PantryTec
Any facility size, billed annually
Same price at 6 beds or 300
- Flat rate, no bed limits
- RD approval included
- No setup fees
| Option | Monthly cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| PantryTec Starter | $15 billed annually ($20 monthly) | RD-approved 10-week cycle menus and the signed RD Approval Letter |
| PantryTec Complete | $20 billed annually ($25 monthly) | Adds common therapeutic diets and the compliance toolkit |
| PantryTec Premier | $40 billed annually ($50 monthly) | Adds menus customized to your residents |
| Per-resident menu software | $2 to $5 per resident ($40 to $50 at 10 beds, $400 to $1,000 at 200 beds) | Software your staff runs |
| Outside dietitian | $800 to $1,200 | Menu review and signatures, from the invoices facilities bring us |
1. Cut menu-review fees
Facilities bring us invoices of $800 to $1,200 a month from outside consultants who review and sign their menus. Every PantryTec plan includes that menu review and the signed RD Approval Letter. Nursing homes still need their own dietitian for resident care.
2. Lower total cost
At $2 to $5 a resident, a 10-bed facility pays $40 to $50 a month for menu software. A 200-bed community pays $400 to $1,000. With PantryTec, either pays as little as $15 a month: more than 60% less at 10 beds and up to 98.5% less at 200.
Compare senior living menu providers side by side. You can also weigh hiring a dietitian against a menu service, or see menu software versus done-for-you menus.
One Subscription. Every Common Therapeutic Diet.
From the Complete plan at $20 a month billed annually, PantryTec builds every common therapeutic diet and IDDSI texture as an extension of the same 10-week cycle, so your kitchen adjusts one menu instead of running several. Open a diet to see what it covers.
Regular and liberalized
The regular cycle menu, included in every plan, is the base every diet builds on: breakfast, lunch and dinner for 70 days before a day repeats. Many residents do best on a liberalized diet, which eases restrictions when quality of life outweighs clinical risk.
Diabetic (consistent carbohydrate)
Consistent carbohydrate (CCHO) menus hold each meal to 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrate and each snack to 15 to 20 grams. That keeps intake predictable from day to day.
Cardiac (AHA)
Heart-healthy menus, low in sodium and fat, aligned to American Heart Association guidance for residents with heart disease or high blood pressure.
Low sodium (NAS and 2 g sodium)
No-added-salt and 2 g sodium orders follow the base cycle with lower-sodium swaps. The kitchen changes a few items instead of writing a second menu.
Renal (kidney)
Renal menus control potassium, phosphorus and sodium for residents with chronic kidney disease. Each resident's limits come from their physician's diet order.
Puree (IDDSI Level 4)
Smooth, lump-free food that holds its shape on a spoon, for residents who cannot chew safely. Texture follows the IDDSI framework's Level 4 definition.
Minced and moist (IDDSI Level 5)
Soft, moist food with pieces no wider than 4 mm and no longer than 15 mm for adults, bound with sauce so there is no separate thin liquid. It needs very little chewing.
Soft and bite-sized (IDDSI Level 6)
Tender pieces no larger than 1.5 cm for adults that squash under fork pressure. Many orders still say mechanical soft, a term the IDDSI framework replaced with tested texture levels, so confirm which level the order means.
Finger foods (dementia)
Easy-to-hold meals that let residents living with dementia eat on their own, which supports independence and cuts the time staff spend feeding.
High calorie and fortified
Calorie-dense meals and fortified foods for residents with unintended weight loss or a small appetite, built into the same daily menu.
Gluten free
Menus with no gluten-containing grains for residents with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
Therapeutic diets are included from the Complete plan ($20 a month, billed annually). In nursing homes, the attending physician prescribes each therapeutic diet and may delegate that to a dietitian where state law allows (42 CFR §483.60).
Choose Your Menu Plan
Save up to 25% with annual billing
Starter Plan
Simple Compliance, Zero Hassle
- Fully dietitian-approved & state-regulation compliant menus
- Fresh weekly menus delivered straight to your inbox
- 10-week rotating cycle for variety without repetition
Best for small assisted living homes, group homes, or adult day cares needing straightforward, low-effort compliant menus to pass inspections easily.
Complete Plan
Therapeutic Diets & Compliance Toolkit
- Everything in Starter, plus additional compliance documents
- Dietitian-approved for regular + common therapeutic diets
- Therapeutic diet portion and texture guide for common therapeutic diets
- Includes recipes, diet manual, snack options, and a food temperature log
Best for mid-sized assisted living or memory care facilities wanting options to keep residents happy, families impressed, and kitchen operations simple.
Premier Plan
Personalized & Fully Supported for Complex Needs
- All features from Complete, plus peace of mind for surveys, admissions, and higher-acuity residents
- Customizable menus with your facility's preferences & resident specifics (menus can be fully customized within the dietitian's guidelines once each 10-week menu rotation)
- Re-verified by registered dietitian as needed
- Priority adjustments & compliance guidance
Best for facilities handling diverse or medically complex residents. Helps win admissions by showing professional, family-reassuring menus and avoids costly external RD consultants.
One flat rate regardless of census. No per-resident fees, no setup fees.
Cycle Menus for Every Type of Senior Care Facility
The same 10-week dietitian-approved cycle adapts to the residents and rules of each care setting, from 6-bed group homes to multi-level CCRC campuses. Pick your facility type to see its sample menus and the rules that apply.
Assisted Living
Menus written to state assisted living rules, with a free 10-week sample.
Memory Care
Finger-food options and texture changes for residents living with dementia.
Nursing Homes & SNF
Menus for certified facilities that answer to the federal menu rule in 42 CFR §483.60.
Independent Living
Varied, restaurant-style menus for active 55+ residents.
Hospice Care
Comfort-focused menus with liberalized diets and small portions.
Veterans Homes
Menus for homes overseen by both the VA and state health departments.
Personal Care Homes
Simple, balanced weekly menus for small residential homes.
RCFE (California)
Menus for residential care facilities for the elderly under California's Title 22.
Board & Care
Balanced, easy-to-cook menus for board and care homes.
CCRC Multi-Level
One cycle for every care level on campus, from independent living to skilled nursing.
Adult Day Care
Cycle menus for adult day programs, with therapeutic diets from the Complete plan.
Group Homes
Menus right-sized for homes with 6 to 16 beds.
Compare all cycle menus by senior care facility type. Menu rules differ by state: see menu requirements by state: who signs, posts and keeps menus, or learn how to find and read your state's menu rule.
Who Approves PantryTec Menus?
Every PantryTec menu is reviewed by our team of Registered Dietitians and nutritionists, and a Registered Dietitian signs the RD Approval Letter included in every plan. That letter shows a surveyor who reviewed the menus your kitchen serves.
Our dietitians review each 10-week cycle for nutritional adequacy, including every therapeutic diet and texture built from it. Meet Bridget MacDonald, RD, one of the Registered Dietitians behind your menus. Our dietitian team is growing as we add Registered Dietitians.
What the menu rules require
In Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes, 42 CFR §483.60 requires menus that meet residents' nutritional needs and are prepared in advance and followed. The facility's dietitian or another clinically qualified nutrition professional must review them for nutritional adequacy. Surveyors check this under the food and nutrition tags in CMS State Operations Manual Appendix PP.
In our experience, an administrator's biggest worry is rarely menu quality. It is proving compliance when state surveyors arrive unannounced, which is why the signed letter comes with every plan. Assisted living is licensed by each state, so who reviews, signs and posts your menus depends on your state's rule. Our guide to passing a CMS dietary survey lists the documents surveyors ask for. Our dietary binder guide shows where the RD letter goes.
The team behind your menus
Blake Oldham, our Product Manager, owns the menus senior care kitchens run every day. He works with our dietitians to keep each menu survey-ready and turns feedback from administrators and dietary managers into clearer menus and reliable weekly delivery.
Meet the PantryTec team or read about PantryTec.
"Can You Handle Dad's Dementia Diet?"
When a family tours your facility, dining is often what decides it, and a dietitian-approved menu for finger foods or a renal diet answers their question on the spot. On the Complete and Premier plans, PantryTec gives you that menu before the tour, not after the move-in.
- Answer dining questions during the tour
- Reassure families about the quality of care
- Accept residents with complex diet orders with confidence
Learn how dining drives occupancy in senior living and what goes into memory care dining and dementia menus.
Show families that you don't just feed residents. You nourish them with personalized care.
The Gift of Time
PantryTec takes the guesswork out of menu planning. One weekly PDF replaces planning meetings, portion math and extra grocery runs, so your staff can focus on cooking.
The old way
- The kitchen manager guesses quantities and makes extra grocery runs.
- Staff work out diabetic or puree portions by hand for every meal.
- Over-buying leads to spoilage and loss.
The PantryTec way
- RD included: every menu approved, with the signed letter for your survey binder, at no extra fee.
- Hours saved: no more menu planning meetings. It's done for you.
- Less waste: cook-to-census instructions reduce overproduction.
- No portion math: the Complete plan's therapeutic diet portion and texture guide replaces hand calculations.
- Pre-made option: menus can include pre-made suggestions for an easier workflow.
- Backup supply: an emergency pantry list is included.
Questions Administrators Ask About PantryTec
These are the questions administrators and dietary managers ask us most before they sign up, answered with our current prices and plan details.
Does the RD Approval Letter work in our state?
Menu rules differ by state, including who may review and sign menus. Check your state in our menu requirements by state guide, or ask our team before you sign up and we will tell you how the RD Approval Letter fits your state's rule.
Do we still need our own dietitian?
It depends on your license. Certified nursing homes must still employ or contract a qualified dietitian or other clinically qualified nutrition professional under 42 CFR §483.60, because PantryTec handles menus, not resident assessments. For assisted living, your state's rule decides.
How much does PantryTec cost?
PantryTec costs a flat $15, $20 or $40 a month per facility when billed annually ($180, $240 or $480 a year), or $20, $25 or $50 billed monthly. There are no per-resident fees and no setup fees. See the full PantryTec price table.
Which therapeutic diets are included?
The Complete and Premier plans include common therapeutic diets. These are diabetic, cardiac, low sodium, renal, high calorie, gluten free, finger foods for dementia and IDDSI texture levels 4, 5 and 6. The Starter plan covers the regular menu.
How fast will we get our first menu?
Your first menu PDF arrives within 24 to 48 hours of sign-up. After that, new menus arrive in your inbox every week.
Is there a contract or setup fee?
No. PantryTec has no long-term contract and no setup fee. You can pay monthly, or pay annually and save up to 25%.
Is PantryTec menu software?
No. PantryTec is a done-for-you menu service. You receive finished, dietitian-approved menus as print-ready PDFs, so there is no software to learn and no staff training.
Can the menus be customized for our residents?
Yes, on the Premier plan. Premier menus can be customized to your facility's preferences and residents once each 10-week rotation, within the dietitian's guidelines.
Dietitian-Approved Menus From $15 a Month
Dietitian-approved cycle menus for your facility start at $15 a month, with monthly or annual billing and no setup fees. Questions first? Call (385) 512-4731.
Most requested
Assisted living menus, approved by a Registered Dietitian
Our most requested plan. PantryTec builds RD-approved 10-week cycle menus for assisted living facilities, covering every therapeutic diet and IDDSI texture, delivered as a print-ready PDF with an RD Approval Letter.
See our assisted living menus Download the free 10-week sample