Our independent and assisted living services

At our Retirement Living PLUS developments, you’ll have access to a subsidised on-site chef-run bistro or restaurant serving freshly prepared, seasonal and delicious food all year round.

Expect everyday classics and tempting treats, barista-grade coffees and your favourite tipple, all at impressively low prices.

It means there’s always a delicious hot meal on hand with no washing up! Friends and family, including young children are very welcome to join you. While your grown up guests will pay a little more than you do, they’ll still be wow-ed by the value.

You can prebook or often just turn up and order on the day.

Our bistros are open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Opening hours are usually 9am -3pm but may vary. Each bistro is run by a professional chef who is responsible for managing the kitchen and freshly preparing all the food each day - including daily specials.

The restaurants are managed by our two brilliant catering partners, Elior in the North and Radish in the South, who both offer varied menus.

Choose from classics like Full English Breakfast, Fish and Chips and Sunday Roast with all the trimmings or from global flavours like Radish’s Beef Bourguignon and Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry or Elior’s Vegetable and Halloumi Kebab or Warm  Avocado and Falafel Salad with Mint Yoghurt.

“Puddings include things like Crème Brulé or Eton Mess in warmer weather and hot sponge puddings and crumble when it’s cold outside. There’s a lot of sweet tooths - I love my job. It’s very satisfying seeing people fed and happy.”

- Karen, Chef Manager in Cheadle, Lancashire

You’ll also find light bites, jacket potatoes, soup and a range of sandwiches, as well as a variety of drinks from Italian-style cappuccino to an ice cold gin and tonic.

Our homeowners love any excuse to party and our events menus are always very popular. We literally celebrate everything we can with a special menu: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St David’s Day, St George’s Day, Chinese New Year, Wimbledon…the list goes on.

“For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee I made a special tea party menu including finger sandwiches, fresh sausage rolls, cream slices and a spectacular Jubilee cake. I love making cakes.”
- Karen, Chef Manager in Cheadle, Lancashire

Our chefs are often asked to cater for private events, afternoon teas and parties too - including wedding anniversaries, weddings and birthdays.

We listen to what homeowners want and cater for everyone, from vegetarians to diabetics and those with a food allergy or intolerance - adapting the menu to accommodate their needs.

We also work hard to ensure our food is healthy and balanced - and to the taste of our customers.

We value feedback from our homeowners and always do our best to take it on board. Here’s what some of our homeowners have to say about their dining experience.

“The bistro is a big plus, I can just wander in there for lunch, or even a full English breakfast. Guests are allowed to join me for meals and the prices are very reasonable. There's always chit-chat going on in the lounge and hoots of laughter at times too.”
- Homeowner feedback

"It is a real benefit having the bistro onsite serving such tasty food, as it takes a lot of pressure off me and I don’t have to worry about cooking when I don’t feel like it."
- Homeowner feedback

“The atmosphere is lovely, and I like how the chef makes a point of knowing our various likes and dislikes. It’s such a personal touch.”
- Homeowner feedback

House Managers are on-site in all our Retirement Living developments during office hours, usually Monday to Friday, and it is safe to say they have a very varied role. They know everything that goes on in their development and have good relationships with the homeowners.

We refer to the managers of our Retirement Living communities as ‘House Managers’. Our House Managers are on-site during office hours, typically Monday to Friday. The managers of our Retirement Living PLUS communities as known as ‘Estate Managers’. In these communities there is a manager on-site 24/7.

The manager is vital to life in our communities and it might be easier to ask, “What don’t they do?”. They deal with any and every situation that arises on a development from hosting coffee mornings to emergencies. And, if they can’t help, they’ll know someone who can.

Thoughtful and considerate, our managers often go above and beyond their job description, doing small random acts of kindness, like making home baked cakes - just because they care. We think they’re brilliant. And the reviews of our team show our homeowners do too. 

Customer Service
Managers are there to help with any day-to-day issues. On the serious side, it could be a complaint, a plumbing problem or supporting a homeowner who is unwell, had an accident, is bereaved or even lonely. But there’s lots of fun stuff too, like planning and joining in with events and celebrations or just making time to get to know the homeowners properly.

Community Events Co-ordinator
Managers helps build a thriving community and that means supporting homeowners so there are lots of activities and events for all interests on-site from chess clubs to yoga, movie nights to cocktail parties and more.

Receptionist
As the ‘face of McCarthy & Stone’, they welcome visitors to the development including family, contractors and health professionals.

Health and Safety
Managers need to report/check maintenance defects, fire safety issues and accidents. The role also requires monitoring fire alarms, security alarms and the emergency call-out system, as well as keeping an eye out for the health and well-being of homeowners and alerting family or medical teams, if necessary.

Human Resources
Managers interview and manage a team of contractors including window cleaners, building cleaners, decorators, gardeners and handy-people.

Finance and Admin
Managers are responsible for things like sticking to development budgets, raising purchase orders, chasing payments and paperwork for new homeowners and guest suite bookings.

Housekeeping
Managers look after the laundry service, washing and ironing for the guest suite.

Estate Agent
Managers show potential new homeowners around the retirement apartments and communal facilities. They explain the lifestyle and services. They also help new homeowners settle in, supporting them with practical things - like how to work new appliances - as well as introducing them to their new neighbours, inviting them to events and making sure they feel completely at home.

Enterprise's Car Club allows you to book a car at any time day or night, for as little as 30 minutes, to a few hours, an overnight visit or a weekend away. The costs of insurance, fuel, servicing, tax and MOT are all covered in one payment.

Some retirement developments have their own car club cars conveniently parked on-site. On these developments, homeowners get free membership for one year plus £50 worth of free driving.

If you don't have a car club on-site you can still qualify for a great deal, paying just £10 for the first year's annual membership (usually £60) with £10 worth of free driving time thrown in too. Plus, for longer trips, you'll get 10% off Enterprise Rent a Car. Ask your House or Estate Manager for the exclusive code.

1. Sign up 
Once approved, you’ll be able to get on the road using the mobile app. You can then select any one of Enterprise's vehicles and pick your reservation start/end times. You can reserve vehicles in advance or on the go.

2. Answer the questions on the mobile app
As part of the prompts, you’ll be asked if you have checked the vehicle for damage. Conduct a thorough check using the damage evaluator tool, which is in the glove box, and report any damage with images to [email protected]. This will ensure that you are not held accountable for pre-existing damage.

3. Return the vehicle once you’re finished
Once you've finished your journey, return the vehicle to the pickup location and use your app to lock the vehicle. If you need a little extra time you can extend the reservation via the app.

The Car Club offers many benefits for our homeowners, providing a convenient and cost-effective way to travel. Here are a few benefits:

• Reserve at a moment’s notice
  All cars can be reserved via the app, online or by phone, in advance or at the last minute. If you cancel a booking more than 5 hours in advance there are no charges.
• Cars across the UK
  Your membership gives you access to Enterprise Car Club’s fleet of over 1300+ vehicles, spread over 180 cities in the UK.
  
  Enterprise's Car Club also has vehicles close to many train stations across the UK. This means you can take the train and pick up your Enterprise Car Club vehicle at the other end. 
• It's cost-effective - and green
  With Enterprise's Car Club, you only pay for the time and distance you need, so you have all the convenience of a vehicle, without the hassle and expense of owning one. Their price guarantee means you will be charged at the daily rate if it’s lower than the hourly rate. All Enterprise Car Club cars are fuel efficient or electric.