Chef Kelvin Diaz meets with residents frequently to get their feedback on The Beacon's menu. Photo courtesy of Atlantic Shores Retirement Community

On most evenings during dinner service at The Beacon, Atlantic Shores Retirement Community’s upscale restaurant, you can find Chef Kelvin Diaz in the dining room talking with residents.  

Diaz has been working at the Virginia Beach retirement community for over 20 years and tries his best to stop at every table to ask residents how their meal was, what could be improved upon and what they would like to see on the menu. 

“They really take a lot of pride in making sure their voices are heard and that their opinions are respected,” says Diaz. 

The Beacon itself exists due to resident feedback. It opened at the start of the year after residents requested a higher-end dining option. 

To meet that request, Diaz fills The Beacon’s menu with an ever-evolving array of dishes designed to keep residents on their toes. 

The Beacon is open from Wednesday to Sunday for dinner only. Its menu changes weekly and includes soup, salad, three entrees and two dessert options. 

“The sky’s the limit” for what can be featured on the menu, says Diaz, and at the end of the day, his main goal is to keep things interesting for residents. 

“I try to offer a lot of variety because I have a captive audience,” he says. “They're here 365 days out of the year. So, one of the things that I combat the most is boredom from seeing the same thing over and over again.”

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Diaz draws a lot of his menu inspiration from the residents themselves. Being in Virginia Beach, seafood is often a recurring request. 

“They love seeing their scallops. They love seeing their shrimp. They love seeing oysters,” says Diaz. “The last time I ran oysters, I ran it as an appetizer, and we shucked them fresh in the kitchen and presented them as a nice little sampling of the oysters.”

Alongside resident input, Diaz also draws menu inspiration from social media, including Instagram, TikTok and more. 

“My algorithm is just food. Every video that I go through is tips on how to cook something, or how Michelin star restaurants are preparing something, or what's trending,” says Diaz. “And so, I take a lot of notes. When I'm going through everything, I save a lot of videos so I can always reference things.”

In addition to fresh seafood, other animal proteins like venison and duck have made appearances on the menu. For those who have certain dietary restrictions, Diaz is usually able to accommodate if he knows ahead of time. In addition, he always tries to make the menu gluten-free by default. 

“If I know with enough time, I'm certain that I can create something that is going to engage them at the table and make it so that they're able to enjoy with whoever it is that they're coming with,” he says. 

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Feedback on The Beacon has been positive overall, says Diaz. While some residents are not overly eager to get dressed up for dinner (The Beacon has a strict dress code), Diaz does his best to offer them a menu full of their favorite dishes to encourage them to make a reservation. 

“I try to draw them in with things that I know that they're going to love, and then they'll make the exception,” he says. 

It seems to be working. Since opening, the dining team has received a lot of comment cards from residents praising the customer service, the ambiance, and of course, the food. 

“It’s been going well,” says Diaz. “And again, just every day, I try to engage them a little more.”