An Interview With Carolyn Wescott, Founder And President Of Plated Foodservice

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Below is our recent interview with Carolyn Wescott, Founder and President of Plated Foodservice:

Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to your business?

A: At Plated Foodservice, we’re on a mission to change how people think about hospital food. We deliver high-quality, flavorful, and nutritious meals to healthcare facilities, making great foodservice accessible even for smaller operators who may not have a commercial kitchen or are too small for large foodservice contract management groups. We saw firsthand how the challenges of labor shortages and rising costs make it tough for these organizations to provide good meals. That’s why we created a tech-forward approach that helps healthcare providers give patients a better dining experience.

Our three-part system includes:

• Nutritious Food: Our quick-frozen, vacuum-packed meals come from the same trusted suppliers used by top meal delivery brands. Thanks to our packaging, meals keep that just-made taste and stay fresh for a long time.
• Proprietary Hardware: We provide custom-built rethermalization units that function as a “commercial kitchen on a counter.” This unique hardware enables anyone to heat meals and sides to the ideal serving temperature without needing specialized culinary staff. Using a rethermalization method is really a key part of the solution, preserving the food quality, taste, and texture much better than traditional warming methods or microwaves.
• Integrated Software: Record keeping is crucial in healthcare settings; our comprehensive software system manages vital data for nutrition, compliance, and food safety. Key features include tracking patient-specific data such as allergies, preferences, and specialized diet requirements. Furthermore, the system automatically logs time and temperature, manages inventory, and facilitates ordering, ensuring adherence to food safety standards.

Our solution was specifically developed for smaller operators in skilled nursing, behavioral health centers, hospitals, IDD, and day programs. However, we are finding that it is easily scalable and can be successfully applied to a wider range of areas beyond the initial focus.

Q: Can you tell us something more about your latest announcement?

A: While our solution was initially designed for skilled nursing and senior care, we have discovered a significant and underserved niche in behavioral health. Many of these facilities are smaller in scale and lack the infrastructure for a full commercial kitchen, often forcing them to rely on inconsistent catering or grocery deliveries. Integrating the Plated Foodservice solution provides these facilities with a turnkey, quality dining program that ensures nutritional consistency and operational ease.

Q: What are your plans for next 12 months?

A: We are entering a phase of rapid expansion, with strategic plans to scale our operations into several new states over the coming year. Unlike traditional foodservice models, Plated Foodservice is designed for speed and simplicity; we can ship our proprietary equipment and deliver meals directly to a facility’s door for rapid setup. To support this growth, our customer success team provides a streamlined onboarding process, and we are continuously refining our portal interface to be user-friendly. It was intentionally modeled after the same kiosks users may already interact with at quick-serve restaurants to ensure it can be operated by any staff member. We hope to gain feedback from our early adopters to further fine-tune our software and deployment strategies.

Q: What is the best thing about your organization that people might not know about?

A: I created the Plated Foodservice solution after working in healthcare nutrition for many years as a registered dietitian. During my work with a contract foodservice management firm, I saw a significant unmet need in healthcare foodservice. Traveling to various healthcare facilities, I noticed a recurring set of problems: staff shortages, increasing costs, and inadequate kitchen infrastructure, which often led to poor and inconsistent food quality.

Fortunately, the owner of the contract management firm recognized these same issues and was equally committed to finding a resolution. The concept quickly secured initial funding from Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE: OHI), a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). As an organization that provides capital and investment to operators in the long-term healthcare sector, Omega was also seeking a solution to foodservice challenges in the industry and had confidence in the Plated Foodservice approach.