Senior Dining Association

What Senior Dining Association does

Senior Dining Association (SDA) is a US-based private nonprofit professional association founded in 2017 and headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina. It operates as the first and only association dedicated exclusively to dining within the senior housing industry, serving dining directors, executive chefs, dietitians, and operational leaders at senior living communities, alongside the businesses that supply products and services to that market. SDA's stated positioning distinguishes senior living dining from healthcare dining and frames it within the broader hospitality sector, advocating for a hospitality-culture model of resident food service.

Name

Senior Dining Association

Legal name

Senior Dining Association Inc.

Website

https://seniordining.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Senior Dining Association is a US-based nonprofit membership association founded in 2017 that provides education, networking, publications, events, and career resources to senior living dining professionals and industry suppliers serving them.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for Senior Living Dining

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Senior living dining
• Membership association
• Hospitality professionals
• Industry networking events
• Professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Matthews

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for senior living operators and dining professionals, with tiered pricing based on the number of individuals covered. Memberships run for 12 months and include access to newsletters, webinars, the SDA Magazine, event discounts, and networking opportunities.
2. Industry Partner Membership: Tiered membership fees for businesses serving the senior dining industry including food manufacturers, equipment providers, distributors, and consultants. Pricing scales from 1 to 10 individuals, providing networking access, directory listings, and sponsorship opportunities.
3. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from SYNERGY Annual Conference and regional summits like the SDA LeadingAge NC Summit. Registration fees vary for members vs non-members, with early bird and standard pricing tiers.
4. Sponsorship and Advertising: Sponsorship packages for events including exhibitor booths, display tables, logo placement, and verbal recognition. Advertising options include newsletter banner ads, sponsored content, email blasts, and Industry Partner Spotlight articles.
5. Publication Advertising: Advertising in the Senior Dining Solutions quarterly newsletter, the Industry Partner Directory (published Spring and Fall), and the Synergy Program & Exhibitor Directory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Senior Dining Association operates as a membership-based professional association providing two membership tiers (Professional Membership for senior living operators and dining staff; Industry Partner Membership for suppliers and service providers) along with annual and regional events, CEU-eligible webinars, publications, a job board, resource directory, and awards programs tailored to the senior living dining and hospitality industry.

Product overview

The Senior Dining Association (SDA) operates as a membership-based professional association, not a unified software platform. The core offering consists of two membership tiers (Professional Membership and Industry Partner Membership) that provide access to a portfolio of services including: industry publications (weekly SDA Newsletter, quarterly Senior Dining Solutions Newsletter, and SDA Magazine), educational content (webinars with CEU credits and e-books), event programming (SYNERGY Annual Conference and LeadingAge NC Summit), a job board (Senior Dining Careers), a resource directory, wellness resources, and awards recognition programs. The products function as interconnected membership benefits rather than a modular software architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Senior Dining Careers: A job board platform launched by SDA allowing organizations to post positions for as little as $4/month, with free postings for SDA members.
• Synergy Annual Conference
• SDA LeadingAge NC Summit

Products and services

• Professional Membership

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• FALAcoreOthersFALA (Federation of AmericanConsumers and Laboratories or similar association) is listed as an SDA Industry Association Partner. They are featured on the Association Partners page with a link to their website.
• NCALAcoreOthersNCALA (National Center for Assisted Living or similar association) is listed as an SDA Industry Association Partner. They are featured on the Association Partners page with a link to their website.
• LeadingAgecoreOthersLeadingAge is listed as an SDA Industry Association Partner. They co-host the annual SDA & LeadingAge NC Hospitality Summit together.
• LeadingAge North CarolinaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadingAge North Carolina co-hosts the annual SDA & LeadingAge NC Hospitality Summit with the SDA. The one-day summit brings together senior living professionals, dining leaders, and industry partners for meaningful conversations and actionable takeaways on dining innovation, workforce development, and leadership growth.
• SyscomajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSysco is listed as a 2026 SDA Sponsor and was a 2025 SYNERGY Gold Sponsor. They are a major food service distributor serving the senior living industry.
• Hormel FoodservicemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerHormel Foodservice is listed as a 2026 SDA Sponsor and was a 2025 SYNERGY Gold Sponsor. They provide food products and services to the senior dining industry.
• The Pines at DavidsonminorOthersThe Pines at Davidson is the venue host for the SDA & LeadingAge NC Hospitality Summit on October 8, 2026, located at 400 Avinger Ln, Davidson, NC 28036.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Culinary Federation: Long-established professional association for chefs covering all hospitality segments; overlaps with SDA's executive chef member persona but operates at much broader scale across foodservice.
• National Restaurant Association: Massive broad-incumbent foodservice trade association serving the full restaurant industry; overlaps with SDA on the supply-side industry partners but covers a far larger, commercial-dining audience.
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Largest U.S. association for registered dietitian nutritionists, serving a member persona (dietitians) that overlaps with SDA's dietitian audience but spanning clinical, community, and foodservice.

Direct peers

• Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM): Association for corporate hospitality and foodservice management professionals, sharing SDA's hospitality-culture framing of workplace dining leadership.
• LeadingAge: National association of nonprofit aging services providers covering the full spectrum of senior living including dining; SDA's flagship association partner that co-hosts the SDA LeadingAge NC Hospitality Summit.
• AHCA/NCAL (American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living): National association representing assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, with content and member services overlapping SDA's senior dining professional audience.
• Association for Healthcare Foodservice: Membership organization for self-operated healthcare foodservice directors, closely mirroring SDA's focus on in-facility dining leadership and operator-to-operator best practice sharing.
• ANFP (Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals): National association for nutrition and foodservice professionals in healthcare settings, including certified dietary managers — directly comparable member persona and continuing education model to SDA.
• Argentum: Leading national trade association for senior living providers serving independent living, assisted living, and memory care operators — overlapping member base with SDA on the operator side.

Others

• Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI): International society of foodservice consultants serving designers, consultants, and advisors to the foodservice industry; adjacent to SDA's industry partner ecosystem rather than directly competitive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/senior-dining-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Senior Dining Association