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About Us

Who We Are

Our Story

Before Strategic Dining Services existed, communities had two choices: fully outsource their dining program or work with consultants who pointed out problems but didn’t help to fix them. I knew there was a need for a solution that fell in between – so in 2013, I created one.

 

At SDS, our mission is clear: to help communities improve their dining programs while keeping their existing teams and culture in place. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, we get to know the communities we partner with and execute personalized plans to enhance food quality, service, and operations.

David Koelling

David Koelling

Founder & Strategic Advisor

2012

SDS is Founded

David Koelling creates Strategic Dining Services, redefining dining support in senior living.

2015

50 Successful Partnerships

In three years, SDS reaches 50 partnerships around the country.

2020

SDS is acquired by Compass Group

SDS is able to reach a new level of growth with increased resources.

2021

Dashboard technology is introduced

Partners begin receiving real-time insights and in-depth reports with advanced technology.

2022

Expands to 150 partnerships

SDS reaches a partnership milestone, serving all types of organizations from large systems to individual communities.

2025

Jill Kuntz named President of SDS

After joining SDS in 2023 with extensive experience in senior living hospitality, Jill Kuntz is named President by founder David Koelling.

leadership

Meet Our Team

Founder

David Koelling
President

Jill Kuntz
Chief Commercial Officer

Steve Servant
Sr. Director of Culinary

Jay Volk
Hospitality Director

Allison Daly-Saad
Regional Vice President

Nikki Pappas
Regional Vice President

Randi Breault

Founder

David Koelling

David is a seasoned restaurateur and founder of Strategic Dining Services, known for transforming fine dining in senior living and healthcare. His innovative leadership has earned multiple awards, including the Industry Innovator and Best of the Best. A Michigan State graduate, David was also nominated for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year and recognized with the Partner in Eldercare award for his service to seniors.

President

Jill Kuntz

Jill is the President of Strategic Dining Services, bringing deep expertise in restaurant and contract dining operations. She excels in financial management, hospitality leadership, and operational strategy. A Villanova University graduate, Jill drives growth and innovation while fostering a high-performing, collaborative culture across the organization.

Chief Commercial Officer

Steve Servant

With nearly 40 years in food service, clinical nutrition, and business development, Steve has shaped major growth in Senior Living and Healthcare. He helped build two leading service outsourcing firms, then led his own company for five years. At Unidine, he was a shareholder and executive, serving as Division President and SVP of strategic growth. As Chief Commercial Officer at Strategic Dining, Steve drives the company’s growth and market strategy.

Sr. Director of Culinary

Jay Volk

Jay brings 30 years of culinary experience and a passion for improving food quality, efficiency, and safety. A Culinary school graduate, he focuses on mentoring teams, advancing food presentation and cost control, and leveraging new technologies. His work centers on creating better outcomes for both consumers and culinary teams through hands-on coaching.

Hospitality Director

Allison Daly-Saad

As Hospitality Director, Allison applies her expertise in team building and senior living hospitality to train and empower staff across communities. She leads improvements in front-of-house operations, smallwares, and branding. With a focus on thoughtful implementation, Allison ensures that innovation meets each client’s pace and unique needs.

Regional Vice President

Nikki Pappas

Nikki is a Regional Vice President at Strategic Dining Services, leading operations with a focus on client satisfaction and team performance. She blends her hospitality expertise with strong financial oversight to drive results, elevate the resident experience, and build trusted, long-term partnerships across communities.

Regional Vice President

Randi Breault

Randi is a Regional Vice President at Strategic Dining Services with a background in culinary arts, entrepreneurship, and food service leadership. He’s held roles at top organizations like ARAMARK, Disney, and Compass. A U.S. Army veteran, Randi focuses on building high-performing teams and driving customer satisfaction through his passion for hospitality and training.

Our Roadmap to Success

Each client engagement process is uniquely designed to foster transparency, alignment, and a strong foundation for long-term partnership. The following outlines a typical approach we may take when beginning to work together.

1

Exploration

Hold stakeholder engagement sessions to uncover critical business issues

 

Analysis of relevant data, budgets, KPIs, and reports

 

Align on business priorities, objectives, and desired outcomes

 

Conduct on-site assessments

2

Design

Complete comprehensive operations assessments

 

Align on program design, support, and infrastructure

 

Construct financial model, capital plan, and value offerings

 

Define priorities, timelines, KPIs, and deliverables

3

Transition

Develop a transition plan and deploy a specialized team

 

Install support infrastructure: people, best practices, technology, and standards

 

Craft communication governance and collective expectations

 

Ongoing performance measurement and resource optimization

Insights

What's On Our Minds

Contact Us

Connect with our specialists to learn more about how we can tailor our services to your community’s needs.

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