Philadelphia

5-year Revenue Trend (in $billions)
2022: $10.031
2021: $6.809
2020: $7.367
2019: $9.898
2018: $10.140

Contracts: na

Segments Served*
39%—Education
32%—Sports/Leisure/Corrections
16%—Healthcare
13%—B&I
*exclusive of facilities and other services

Contact Information
2400 Market St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 238-3000
www.aramark.com

KEY EXECUTIVES
John Zillmer, CEO
Tom Ondrof, Executive Vice President/CFO
Marc Bruno, COO, U.S. Food & Facilities
Tim Barttrum, President & CEO, Corrections
Alison Birdwell, President & CEO, Sports & Entertainment
Gary Crompton, President & CEO, Business Dining
Jack Donovan, President & CEO, Higher Education
Bruce Fears, President & CEO, Leisure
Barbara Flanagan, President & CEO, K-12
Burt Kaericher, President & CEO, Healthcare
Patrick Liebler, President & CEO, Refreshments

For more, see separate profile page.

Gaithersburg, Md.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $billions)
2022: $9.7
2021: $7.8
2020: $9.0
2019: $10.8
2018: $9.6

Contracts: 6,000(e)

Segments Served
34%—Healthcare/Seniors
34%—B&I
32%—Education

Contact Information   
9801 Washingtonian Blvd.
Gaithersburg, Md. 20878
(301) 987-4000
sodexousa.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Sarosh Mistry, Region Chair for North America

For more, see separate profile page.

Buffalo

5-year Revenue Trend (in $billions)
2022: $3.8
2021: $2.8
2020: $1.45
2019: $3.3
2018: $3.4

Contracts: na

Business Mix
34.2%—Concessions
15.6%—Dining Operations
8.8%—Retail/C-stores
2.1%—Catering
36%—Other Services
3.3%—Other Non-food Services

Segments Served
59.7%—Arenas/Stadiums
19.9%—Transportation
10%—Parks/Recreation
9.1%—Other
0.9%—B&I
0.4%—Museums/Perf. Arts Ctrs.

Contact Information   
250 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, N.Y. 14202
(716) 858-5000
delawarenorth.com

KEY EXECUTIVES
Jerry Jacobs Jr., Co-CEO
Lou Jacobs, Co-CEO
Charlie Jacobs, Co-CEO
Christopher Feeney, executive vice president/CFO
Jim Hauser, executive vice president/COO
Frank Mendecino, executive vice president/CAO
Robert Wilson, group president, Travel, Patina Restaurant Group, U.K.
Scott Socha, group president, Parks & Resorts, Australia
Amy Latimer, president, TD Garden
E. Brian Hansberry, president, Gaming
Jamie Obletz, president, Delaware North Sportservice
Dana Pellicano, president, Patina Restaurant Group

For more, see separate profile page.

Bethesda, Md.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $billions)
2022: $2.264
2021: $1.541
2020: $0.978
2019: $2.950
2018: $2.822

Locations: 990

Segments Served
100%—Travel

Contact Information
6905 Rockledge Dr.
Bethesda, Md. 20817
(866) 467-4672
www.hmshost.com/

TOP EXECUTIVE
Steve Johnson, President & CEO

Recent initiatives
HMSHost operates in more than 120 airports in North America, including O’Hara Airport in Chicago, LAX in Los Angeles, Dulles and Reagan National in Washington DC and JFK and Laguardia in New York. In its preliminary fiscal year results report issued in mid-February, Italian parent firm Autogrill posted the above revenue figure, which represents a 55.9% like-for-like increase over 2021 (the company’s fiscal year being calendar years ending Dec. 31), which followed a 66.9% increase last year over 2020, indicating a strong rebound from the COVID pandemic. 
In addition to partnerships with familiar national brands like Shake Shack, Panera Bread, Pret, Starbucks and Chili’s, HMSHost operates exclusive proprietary restaurants such as 1897 Market, Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi, Bistrot and Burger Federation, as well as brands like MKT and PZA that have expanded to airports. It has also brought popular local streetside and local chef-inspired concepts into airport locations, including Publican Tavern at Chicago O’Hare, Hugo’s Cocina by Hugo Ortega at Houston Intercontinental Airport and Lee Kitchen by Susur Lee at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Alliances with sports teams and iconic athletes have produced onsite restaurants like Dale Jr.’s Whisky River at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and the Dallas Cowboys Club at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, as well as PGA TOUR Grill at five airport locations.
Also among the company’s latest innovations are Airport Restaurant Month, in which diners are invited to sample a selection of menu items created by HMSHost chefs, similar to a streetside Restaurant Week; Channel Your Inner Chef, a live cook-off contest held at Chicago O’Hare that challenges finalists to create an original recipe with ingredients available to them at the start of the event; the Eat Well. Travel Further wellness initiative; and a hydroponic urban garden at  O’Hare where vegetables and herbs are freshly grown and used in HMSHost-operated restaurants throughout the airport.

Charlotte, N.C.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $billions)
2022: $1.15
2021: $1.44
2020: $1.250
2019: $1.370
2018: $1.401

Contracts: na

Business Mix
92%—Dining Operations
5%—Catering
2%—Concessions
1%—Retail/C-stores

Segments Served
23%—Seniors
19%—College/University
19%—B&I
18%—Corrections
15%—Hospitals
6%—K-12 Schools

Contact Information  
300 S. Tryon St., #400
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 424-1071
elior-na.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Olivier Poirot, president/CEO

For more, see separate profile page.

Bensalem, Pa.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $billions)
2022: $0.894.5
2021: $0.820.6
2020: $0.865
2019: $0.931
2018: $1.035

Locations: 1,700

Segments Served
100%—Healthcare

Contact Information
3220 Tillman Drive, Suite #300
Bensalem, Pa. 19020
(800) 363-4274
hcsgcorp.com 

TOP EXECUTIVE
Ted Wahl, president/CEO

Recent initiatives
Healthcare Services Group operates housekeeping, laundry, linen, facility maintenance and dietary service to nursing homes, retirement complexes, rehabilitation centers and hospitals, and claims to be the largest provider of housekeeping and laundry management services to the long-term care industry in the United States, serving some 2,600 facilities across the U.S. The company’s Top 50 listing is based on revenues generated by its dietary services unit only, which offers food purchasing, meal preparation and professional dietitian services to about 1,700 facilities. Total company revenues in 2022 were 1.69 billion, a 2.9% increase from 2021 driven by the dietary services unit, which grew 9% while housekeeping saw a 3.1% decrease. 
 

Warren, Ohio

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $867
2021: $726
2020: $604
2019: $815
2018: $765

Locations: na

Business Mix
43%—Dining Operations
31%—Retail/C-stores
13%—Vending
6%—Refreshment Services
5%—Catering
2%—Concessions

Segments Served
44%—B&I
26%—Hospitals
20%—College/University
4%—K-12 Schools
2%—Transportation
1%—Corrections
1%—Government Facilities
1%—Arenas/Stadiums
1%—Convention/Conference Ctrs.

Contact Information  
2590 Elm Road NE
Warren, Ohio 44483
(330) 372-6000
avifoodsystems.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Anthony Payiavlas, President/CEO

Recent initiatives
AVI leveraged post-pandemic consumer trends to streamline menu innovation in 2022. With consumer meal habits steered toward crave-worthy handheld entrees and snacks, the company featured cross-daypart LTO favorites such as Loaded Tots with fresh toppings and house-made guacamole, protein snack packs and French Toast sandwiches.  
Additionally, the corporate culinary team launched its Tool Box for Culinary Excellence as an opportunity to drive continuous enhancements for AVI’s culinary talent. Throughout 2022, AVI’s Culinary Excellence roadshow presented two-day training sessions for company-wide culinary teams, demonstrating an arsenal of best-in-class enrichment for food technology, techniques, safety and purchasing standards.
 

New York, N.Y.

Revenue (in $millions)
2022: $800(e)*
*hospitality/F&B sales only

Contracts: na

Segments Served
100%—Sports/Entertainment

Contact Information
61 Broadway, Suite 2400
New York, N.Y. 10006
(212) 317-3200
www.legends.net

TOP EXECUTIVE
Shervin Mirhashemi, president/CEO

Recent initiatives
Legends started in 2008 as the operator of food & beverage services for its joint owner partners, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees—two of the most lucrative F&B operations in the sports/recreation market—that were both in the process of opening major new venues: AT&T Stadium in Dallas and the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It later added other business lines to become a leading provider of outsourced facilities services and consulting for pro and college sports teams, live entertainment venues and attractions. 
Like other companies serving the sports/entertainment industry, Legends experienced major pandemic-related disruptions in 2020 and 2021, but as restrictions have been lifted and consumers return to pre-pandemic activities and habits, Legends' revenues have rebounded.
According to a Fitch Ratings analysis published early this year, “revenues are expected to grow to almost $1.3 billion in 2022 compared to $871 million in 2019 (pre-pandemic) given significant new contract wins.” The revenue figure listed for the Top 50 reflects only FM’s estimate of revenues generated by the company’s hospitality sales, including on-site food and beverage services, which represented 69% of revenues in 2021 according to Fitch and which FM estimates represented around that much in 2022 as well. Other business lines not reflected in the Top 50 revenue figure for Legends include merchandise distribution and sales (15% of 2021 revenues per Fitch); consulting and agency businesses (4%); and attractions operations, including development and management of properties (4%).
Among moves made over the past year are the acquisition of Maestroe Sports & Entertainment, which works with emerging sports leagues and led to the launch a new division, Legends Growth Enterprises, to help the company expand into “growth” sports leagues. On the culinary end, highlights over 2022 include partnering with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson at Yankee Stadium and launching a highly curated wine program that highlights California vintners at SoFi Stadium, home field of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. It also launched checkout-free stores at Nissan Stadium in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans 2022 NFL season and most recently was finalizing a deal to reopen and operate the storied Loeb Boathouse restaurant in New York City’s central Parkl.
 

Reston, Va.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $760
2021: $700
2020: $601
2019: $760(e)
2018: $690

Contracts: 280

Business Mix
52%—Dining Operations
35%—Facilities Services
5%—Retail/C-stores
5%—Vending
2%—Catering
1%—Office Coffee

Segments Served
43%—B&I
32%—College/University
10%—Hospitals
8%—Museums/Perf. Arts Ctrs.
3%—Conference/Convention Ctrs.
2%—K-12 Schools
1%—Arenas/Stadiums
1%—Transportation

Contact Information
1741 Business Ctr. Dr., Suite 200
Reston, Va. 20190
(703) 757-5500
thompsonhospitality.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Warren Thompson, President/CEO

Recent initiatives
The largest minority-owned food and facilities management company in the country saw a year of tremendous expansion in its retail food service division in 2022, opening/acquiring 27 new restaurants, chiefly in the greater Washington metropolitan area, and in South Florida. This expansion consisted of both organic growth—the company opened new units of its existing concepts like Matchbox, Big Buns Darn Good Burgers and Milk & honey—as well as through acquisition of such brands as Wiseguys Pizza, Velocity Wings, Social House, and Locals Tacos and Tequila. Select menu items from each of these iconic brands will also be offered in contract food service accounts.
The company’s expansion was not limited to the restaurant division as 2022 also saw the awarding of contract food service business (along with its partner of 25 years, Compass Group) from such new clients as CarMax, BlackRock, Bank of America, and Miss Porter’s School—the latter, launched in partnership with FLIK Independent Schools, represents Thompson’s entry into the independent school market. It also added Paine College and Coahoma Community College to the Historically Black Colleges & Universities (“HBCUs”) it is privileged to serve.
Additionally, Thompson Hospitality has increased its use of Data analytics, as a means of enhancing its restaurant offerings and operations. 
 

Philadelphia

2-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $600
2021: $300

Contracts: 179

Business Mix
48%—Concessions
30%—Catering
22%—Other Services

Segments Served
38%—Arenas/Stadiums
36%—Parks/Recreation Ctrs.
10%—College/University
9%—Convention/Conference Ctrs.
5%—Museums/Perf. Arts. Ctrs.
2%—Casinos/Other

Contact Information
150 Rouse Blvd.
Philadelphia, Pa. 19112
oakviewgroup.com

TOP EXECUTIVES
Chris Granger, president, OVG360
Kenneth Gaber, president, OVG Hospitality

Recent initiatives
OVG360 is a division of Oak View Group (OVG), a global sports and entertainment company founded in 2015 that has since built and opened four arenas in major markets, including Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and UBS Arena on Long Island, and is in the process of creating an NBA arena and surrounding entertainment district in Las Vegas. 
The OVG Hospitality food & beverage division was created following OVG’s acquisition of Spectra Food Services & Hospitality in November 2021. It has more than doubled in size since, currently managing food and beverage operations at 356 venues across the world. Last year, OVG Hospitality acquired Houston-based Spectrum Catering, Concessions & Event Services, which expanded its reach into non-traditional areas such golf tournaments, music festivals and immersive experiences, and UK-based Bovingdons, which marked OVG’s official foray into international full-service hospitality.
OVG Hospitality also manages F&B at two newly built, state-of-the-art venues—Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif. and Moody Center at the University of Texas, Austin—both of which opened in 2022 and are owned and operated by OVG. The division will also oversee food and beverage at CFG Bank Arena, the soon-to-open Baltimore arena that just underwent a $200 million renovation, and it will provide hospitality services for various other arena development projects that are currently underway, such as Co-op Live in Manchester, UK. 
As its most recent initiative, OVG Hospitality in February announced a new Hospitality Advisory Council with NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal, Grammy and Emmy award-winning performer and best-selling cookbook author Trisha Yearwood to provide the company with creative thinking around the guest experience, including menu design and expansion, the elevation of premium fare, local food sourcing, and opportunities for community impact via MBE/WBE programs, sustainability, and animal welfare.
OVG Hospitality had already been busy over the past year in elevating the guest experience (and its menus) via a focus on technology, an emphasis on local sourcing and sustainability and a purposeful commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The company is a pioneer of venue-wide self-checkout, “just walk out technologies,” and modular trailers and containers used to increase flexibility and throughput. With this focus, menu offerings (and per caps) can expand while wait times simultaneously decrease. This approach is a hallmark of OVG venues, from Austin’s award-winning Moody Center to the red-hot Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs to the exciting, new CFG Bank Arena in downtown Baltimore. 
Sustainability is core to the OVG story, from local sourcing that reduces vehicle miles traveled (and associated carbon emissions) to ambitious zero-waste, zero single use plastic, and food donation programs. For example, it cultivates hydroponic gardens at multiple locations to grow fresh, sustainably sourced greens onsite, it embraces partners and providers that support humane animal welfare policies, and its team at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Ga. invested in two 1,500-pound ORCA metal vessels that are each capable of diverting up to 438 tons of food waste per year from the landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also avoiding expensive food waste. 
Finally, like sustainability, diversity is a core value of OVG Hospitality and is manifested, for example, in its recently launched companywide Supplier Diversity Program, part of its commitment to providing maximum opportunity to local, small, and diverse suppliers throughout its network. The result is a more interesting menu, with more community participation, and a shared economic impact.  
 

Scottsdale, Ariz.; Chicago; Orlando

4-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $589 
2021: $537
2020: $485
2019: $487

Contracts: >250

Business Mix
100%—Dining Operations

Segments Served
100%—K-12 Schools

Contact Information
9366 E Raintree Dr.
Scottsdale, Az. 85260
(480) 551-6550
cenavera.com

KEY EXECUTIVES:
Brian Albertson, CEO, SLA Management
Jonas Falk, CEO, OrganicLife
Monty Staggs, CEO, Southwest Foodservice Excellence
Sara Murphy, VP of Marketing, Southwest Foodservice Excellence
Ivan Mothershead, VP of Corporate Development, Cenavera Nutrition

Recent initiatives
Cenavera combines three K-12 market specialist contract companies, including 2022 Top 50 firms #10 Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) and #33 SLA Management along with OrganicLife.
Menu concepts and recent initiatives for each of the three include…
SFE: SFE introduced multiple retail-inspired menu items such as Nashville hot chicken, kolaches, and honey and fruit overnight oats last year and is expanding its plant-based recipe portfolio through partnerships with a Phoenix-area vegan chef to develop and test new recipes, and the Humane Society of the U.S. to train and educate its frontline teams. 
Also in 2022, SFE launched new café brands, continued its grant writing assistance and launched nutrition education programs. The Adventure Café, Cool Eats Café and Easy Choice Kitchen, represent the styles and expectations of elementary, middle and high school students, respectively and SFE continued its commitment to help district partners identify, apply for and earn grant funding, earning them over $3 million in funds. The company’s nutrition education program, SFE Future Foodies, includes hands on education through the Roving Chef program, and enhanced resources to support school farmer’s markets and gardens
SLA Management: A provider of freshly prepared cook-on-site meals for the charter school market, SLA last year introduced the Think Big Kitchen, a café concept that encourages students to fuel their minds for the classroom and to fuel their passion for the next big thing in their life. The company also remains dedicated to its Green Apple initiative, which encourages and enables students, parents, and schools to take the initiative to reduce waste, focus on community farmers, improve water cleanliness, and save trees.  
OrganicLife: OrganicLife provides chef-driven, restaurant-quality foodservice fare for schools in Illinois with all new recipes having to fulfill four flavor criteria: nutrient dense, flavor-packed, scratch-cooked, and unequivocally delicious. This year’s culinary developments were created in tandem with student insight and 4-star Chicago-area chefs. They include the Condiment Craze Flavor Station, with more than 50 umami-packed dipping options; boneless wings of both the chicken and plant-based varieties, hand-tossed in a sticky, sweet, or savory sauce; and Nuoc Nuoc, OrganicLife’s Asian street-food-inspired, on-trend, BYO bowl concept. Complementing its recipe development is OLU, OrganicLife’s ever-evolving, always fun nutrition education program. This year, OLU’s course on cooking brought World Champion Pizza Chef Professor Pizza Tony Scardino to districts to teach the art and skill of pizza making.
 

Ashburn, Va.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $512
2021: $219
2020: $310
2019: $600
2018: $515

Contracts: 35(e)

Segments Served
100%—Transportation

Contact Information
20408 Bashan Drive, Suite 300
Ashburn, Va. 20147
(703) 729-2333
www.foodtravelexperts.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Michael Svagdis, CEO, North America

Recent initiatives
Revenue for London-based international conglomerate SSP Group’s North American operations in fiscal year 2022 ballooned 134% year-on-year from fiscal 2021 despite a short slump in January 2021 caused by the emergence of a new COVID variant that impacted travel (the company’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30) but then rebounded with first half sales ending up averaging 74% of 2019 levels. During the second half, Q3 sales averaged 91% of 2019 levels and Q4 strengthened to 98%, driven by a sustained recovery in domestic air travel despite staffing challenges for much of the summer. In its annual report, SSP says it sees “significant potential for further expansion in North America—a $6bn market in which we currently only have a 10% market share. North America is central to our growth plans, and we envisage it becoming a much bigger part of the Group over the next few years.”
Recent moves from SSP America included opening a Farmers’ Market restaurant at the Indianapolis Airport that serves up a menu of foods and products grown, produced and packaged by more than 60 Indiana Grown members from throughout the state. Meanwhile, it added Hunt & Fish Grill to its portfolio at LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B where it already operates 12 restaurants with two more in development. Last year saw the grand opening of Oakland Draft House featuring Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and two Peet’s Coffee locations at Oakland International Airport.
 

Dallas, Pa.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $497.155
2021: $405.169
2020: $358.464
2019: $441.830
2018: $385.246

Contracts: 410

Business Mix
90%—Dining Operations
7%—Catering
1%—Vending
2%—Other

Segments Served
39%—Hospitals
33%—College/University
17%—K-12 Schools
6%—B&I
5%—Senior Dining

Contact Information
Two Woodland Drive
Dallas, Pa. 18612
(800) 675-2499
metzculinary.com

TOP EXECUTIVES
John C. Metz Sr., executive chairman
Jeff Metz, president/CEO

Recent initiatives
Metz has continued to expand online and mobile ordering and its partnerships with Grubhub, Tacit and Order2Me on college campuses and in healthcare, as well as its TXT&TELL feedback tool in higher education and independent schools. The company also has entered into an agreement with Amazon Just Walk Out and is planning for a 2023 roll-out, while its use of Leanpath food waste prevention technology has been well received by its teams and clients.   
Another recent initiative is Chef2Home, which offers chef-made meals, including medically tailored options, delivered from Metz kitchens to homes and congregate settings. Each Chef2Home meal is frozen fresh and the product of chefs working closely with registered dietitians to ensure that each ingredient is appropriate based upon the health condition of those for whom the meal is being made. Chef2Home serves health plans, hospitals/health facilities, government programs, AAAs and case managers as well as for emergency relief meals. 
Metz also introduced its divisional and regional chefs to support accounts in the field, where, led by Corporate Chef John Selick, they have provided assistance with large caterings, training and support. They’ve also rolled out numerous successful culinary programs and updates like Robust Global Cuisine recipes (Shawarma, Cuban, Hawaiian, Indian, Jamaican, etc.) that were created as a concept enhancement to be featured throughout the menu and concepts. One of the biggest hits has been Birra Tacos, which features a plant-based protein.  
The culinarian team also spearheaded Metz’s Street Eats Promotion, a fun, easy-to-execute pop-up-inspired promotion designed to offer a creative wow to the guests by taking always-available staples and having chefs put their creative spin on them to produce offerings such as loaded fries, quesadillas, poutine and noodle bowls.    
 

San Antonio, Texas

3-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $365.8*
2021: na
2020: $403
* does not include facilities services and other non-food operations

Contracts: 200

Business Mix
59.171%—Facilities Services*
32.771%—Dining Operations
5.849%—Catering
1.918%—Office Coffee
0.263%—Other Services*
0.025%—Concessions
0.004%—Retail/C-stores
* not included in 2022 revenue total above

Segments Served(e)
98.13%—B&I
0.96%—College/University
0.53%—Hospitals
0.20%—Transportation
0.18%—Government Facilities

Contact Information
1017 Central Parkway North, Ste. 100
San Antonio, Texas 78232
(210) 495-6021
guckenheimer.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Paul Fairhead, CEO

Recent initiatives
ISS has started to scale many existing solutions designed to support clients returning to the office, mostly in a hybrid format. Digital ordering options like pre-ordering, app-based, and kiosk ordering represent a significant portion of our sales mix now.
The company also piloted and partnered with robotic food solutions to better support a flexible, hybrid workforce and realize improved client financials, while still delivering a quality food experience. One great example is Yo-Kai Express, a high-tech vending machine that dispenses great ramen.
In addition, AI powered virtual recruiting bot IRIS was introduced to help support recruiting efforts across all lines of business in North America by successfully guiding employees through the recruiting and onboarding process.
ISS’ kitchens have spent significant time focusing on food waste reduction to support the company’s ambitious goal to halve food waste by 2025, primarily by leveraging the Winnow waste tracking platform.
In terms of culinary changes promoting sustainability, ISS has continued and enhanced its plant-forward focus via the “Power Plant” program that drives plants as the center of the plate and emphasizes plant-forward, super-seasonal eating; a partnership with the Humane Society that includes recipe development, plant-forward training, and certification; a plant-forward kitchen-certified mentor program through the CIA; and as a founding partner in the Joining of the Beans is How coalition.
To support its people, ISS implemented a learning series and “leading a fair kitchen” initiative in support of the #FairKitchens movement that promotes a more resilient and sustainable foodservice and hospitality industry.
It also launched Brick and Mortar, a community-based solution that connects ISS and its client partners with local, independently-owned food entrepreneurs to rebuild their businesses post-COVID. By integrating select participants into its daily food programming through an on- site residency, ISS looks to strengthen the connection between client employees and the businesses in the surrounding communities.
 

Islandia, N.Y.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $344.800
2021: $222.325
2020: $208.382
2019: $182.250
2018: $171.790

Contracts: 205

Business Mix
54%—Dining Operations
45%—Other
1%—Catering

Segments Served(e)
76%—K-12 Schools
20%—Prepared Meals
4%—Senior Dining

Contact Information
1800 Motor Pkwy.
Islandia, N.Y. 11749
(631) 424-2700
whitsons.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Paul Whitcomb, President/CEO

Recent initiatives
Whitsons partnered with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to increase healthy, sustainable plant-based menu offerings to school districts through a program called Veggabóls, which it says is the first 100% plant-based K-12 concept in the country. As a U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion, Veggabóls is a signature step in Whitsons School Nutrition’s goal of providing at least 10% plant-based menu offerings by 2024.
Veggabóls offers healthy and sustainable plant-based recipes developed by a team of HSUS chefs, who modified several of Whitsons’ top school menu options as plant-based recipes, along with developing new proprietary recipes such as the Fiesta Rice and Beans Veggabóls and the BBQ Chickpea and Rice Veggabóls. Supplementing these choices are the many additional plant-based meal options in the Whitsons recipe database.
In addition, the FM Best Concept Award winning K-12 Pop-Up Shops are designed to generate a lot of excitement in a short period of time, keeping K-12 menu offerings fresh and enticing and ultimately increasing meal participation.
Whitsons continues to add new concepts to the Pop-up Shop portfolio, which includes Yard Bird and its “original chicken sandwich,” served grilled or crispyon a brioche bun, with lettuce, tomato, pickles and secret sauce; Sabrosos Tacos where students can customize soft or hard taco shells with chicken, beef or black beans and an assortment of flavorful toppings like mango salsa, pickled cabbage, pico de gallo, jalapenos and pickled red onions; Ciabatta Sams with various sandwich combinations served on ciabatta bread, including Neptune’s Fish and Chips (served with tomato, pickle and special sauce), The Tuscan (balsamic roasted veggies and a combo of provolone and mozzarella cheeses) and The Country Turkey Megan (turkey special loaded with coleslaw, Thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese and tomato); Nashville Hot Kickin’ Chicken, servng crispy chicken with a hefty dose of spice thanks to a cayenne pepper coating and spicy sauce drizzled over the top, served on a warm potato bun with coleslaw and pickles; Seoul Taco, a fusion of Korean-style taco fillings placed on a traditional Mexican-style tortilla with the choice of beef, chicken, shrimp or tofu served with various toppings; Incredibowls, serving grain bowl combinations like Chicken Fiesta Rice Bowl, Mediterranean Hummus Quinoa Bowl, BLT Quinoa Bowl, Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowl and Vegetarian Rice Bowl; and the Wing Shack, serving a choice of boneless or regular wings with the flavor of the day like Honey BBQ, Hot Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, Honey Sriracha, Thai Chili and plain.
Another recent Whitsons initiative is an emerging Halal program in several client school districts—and intended to expand to more in the coming school year—that offers cultural authentic recipes like Chicken Shawarma, Chana Masala, Palak Chana, Vegetable Biryani and Afghan Pizza created to provide clients with traditional halal cuisine.
Whitsons has also continued to enhance its mobile menu platform which brings menu planning, nutrition information, meal ingredients and real-time allergen information to the fingertips of students, parents and school district staff. Districts may also opt to add the meal pre-ordering tool, which gives secondary students the opportunity to customize and pre-order grab-and-go meals and increase the speed of service.
Meanwhile, the company has also launched its new Enhancing Life program to support local communities in different ways in which it hosts a different initiative such as 9/11 Day of Service, Coats for Our Communities, Enhancing Life for the Holidays and Community Togetherness on MLK Day.
Another initiative is the Whitsons’ Nutrition Safari program, designed to make learning about nutrition a fun, exciting adventure for elementary students. Last year, the company introduced new characters representing different food themes that reinforce good nutrition and physical activity so now students can join Luke the Lion, Jillian the Giraffe and Hardy the Hyena and their new friends Sammy the Squirrel, Walter the Bookworm and Talia the Toucan as they go on a culinary adventure right at school. Together, the new friends try new foods and learn how to stay healthy and strong through nourishing food and physical activity. Students are also introduced to a variety of nutrition topics through themed monthly marketing materials and coordinated menu offerings. They can visit Whitsons’ special Lunch Lab, where they can learn hands-on all about the company’s Harvest of the Month items. The program can even reach students when they’re not in school through monthly Safari videos on the Whitsons YouTube channel.
To support its associates, Whitsons also recently introduced its Whitsons General Manager University program, which is designed to provide all newly hired and/or promoted general managers with the support they need to succeed, given that getting new team members up to speed can improve job performance by up to 11% and improve customer retention by 12-16%. 
 

Lutherville, Md.

2-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $275
2021: $250

Contracts: 280

Business Mix
100%—Dining Operations

Segments Served
90%—K-12 Schools
10%—College/University

Contact Information
1402 York Rd.
Lutherville, Md. 21093
(410) 339-3950
www.sagedining.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Paco Rodriguez, president

Recent initiatives
SAGE introduced a new program called U+SAGE to track and reduce food waste in all of its kitchens and dining halls, while the All Foods Fit Nutrition Campaign
supports the company’s nutrition philosophy that there are no “good” or “bad” foods because people eat many different foods for many different reasons and that food supports physical, social, emotional, mental, and cultural well-being—which in turn supports overall health. To educate its communities on All Foods Fit, SAGE will be highlighting the five components—or reasons we eat—of the All Foods Fit campaign: Fuel, Culture, Exploration, Togetherness, and Enjoyment.
Meanwhile, to better accommodate students who must navigate common food allergies, SAGE has introduced the Free Style Top Allergen-Free Station
that features a variety of fresh, delicious menu items free of the top 12 food allergens. It lets community members with common allergies feel comfortable knowing the food at Free Style is safe to eat and that they can always count on the station to provide a complete meal without any of those top 12 allergens. As a result, students with allergen issues will be able to get their lunch quicker so they can have more time socializing with their friends or other activities. 

Meridian, Idaho

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $250
2021: $267
2020: $253
2019: $270
2018: $245

Contracts: 71

Business Mix
100%—Dining Operations

Segments Served(e)
64%—Hospitals
18%—Senior Dining
17%—B&I
1%—K-12 Schools

Contact Information
700 East Franklin Road
Meridian, Id. 83642
(208) 884-5766
thomascuisine.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Alison Patt, president/CEO

Recent initiatives
In the past year, Thomas Cuisine made a strategic decision to double down on the right partnerships and shift away from other initiatives in the belief that its success is closely tied to the success of its partners—hence, ensuring alignment and smart, steady growth was a critical focus of 2022.  
To that end, the company entered the independent schools market, which it identified as one that is hungry for REAL, scratch-made, nutrient-dense food, and it debuted new menu offerings that are tailored for students, maximizing flavor and quality. It also realized significant growth within the senior living market.  
With the changing landscape around recruiting, retention, and engagement, Thomas wanted a strong leader with commitment to its culture, so it added a new Chief People Officer, Heather Krentler, known as a creative people leader with a proven track record in the food management industry.  
Also in 2022, the company created a project management function to support new client openings and strategic IT implementations, launched a new kitchen management solution to support recipes and ordering as well as track and reduce waste, and tested and launched a new food and physical safety program, focusing technology and team support to continue its safety record.  
On the culinary end over the past year, Thomas launched several new concepts focused on scratch-cooked, REAL food, including modern Mexican cuisine concept Sabroso, which features signature tacos and sopes prepared with premium farm-to-fork products; build-your-own salad and grain bowls topped with seasonal veggies and signature salsas; and fresh-baked desserts and signature beverages. 
It also enhanced its Field of Greens culinary concept offering customers a wide range of tasty and healthy options with new menu items like signature salads, grain bowls and wraps all made with fresh ingredients that are sourced locally when possible. Company culinarians also developed the Laminated & Dusted boutique bakery concept featuring fresh made croissants, pastries, and loaf breads and the past year also saw the launch of the etc (Express Thomas Cuisine) micro-market platform offering healthy, convenient, fresh food in an unattended retail environment 24/7.  
As part of its REAL foods mission, Thomas also entered a new proprietary partnership for its own label of grass-fed, grass-finished beef and launched a new seasonal foods guide to chefs across the company that provides clarity on seasonal fruits, vegetables and grains by region and by month, along with feature recipes.  we continue to seek our food as close to the source as possible.  

Homestead, Pa.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $244
2021: $195
2020: $130
2019: $240
2018: $225

Contracts: 77

Business Mix
70%—Dining Operations
15%—Retail/C-stores
15%—Catering

Segments Served(e)
90%—College/University
10%—B&I

Contact Information
285 E. Waterfront Drive, Ste 200
Homestead, Pa. 15120
412-461-2000
parkhurstdining.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Jeff Broadhurst, president/CEO, Eat ‘n Park Hospitality Group 

Recent initiatives
At the start of the fall 2022 semester, Parkhurst Dining implemented its 100 Days of Socialization initiative, an engagement and retention program that goes beyond the classroom to create connections around food. As this generation of students desires “experiences,” the company believes that using its dining venues for social activities, food demonstrations, and opportunities to connect is vital, especially in the first 100 days and beyond to help new students and their families become more rooted in their campus community. 
The company provides its operations teams with a framework to develop interactional engagement events during critical times throughout the student lifecycle, with a special focus on eight milestones within the first 100 days for first-year students. The program encourages site leaders to customize the events, activities, and interactions through each of the eight milestones, providing maximum impact for their specific guests while meeting the business needs of clients. The focus is on attracting, onboarding, and relationship-building with new students, parents, and campus community members to drive engagement and retention.
Meanwhile, through its new Well on Your Way program, Parkhurst equips guests with nutritional information to make informed decisions about their diet and food choices. The  aim at each location is to make an exciting array of nutritious foods accessible to everyone and to support the physical, mental, and social well-being and distinct dietary needs of each guest. 
In addition to ensuring wholesome, nutritious, and plant-forward options are integrated seamlessly into menu cycles, Parkhurst encourages guests to try new dishes and learn about the food’s health benefits, changing the way they look at their relationship with “healthy” eating. The company also strives for its dining locations to serve as social hubs for communities, where people can come together to build relationships at theme meals and pop-up events that promote social wellness.
 

Dripping Springs, Texas

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $228.052
2021: $196.557
2020: $180.492
2019: $142.690
2018: $129.300

Contracts: 127

Business Mix
100%—Dining Operations

Segments Served
90%—Hospitals
8%—Eldercare
1%—College/University
1%—Hospitality/Resorts

Contact Information
12495 Silver Creek Rd.
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620
(800) 229-2028
hhs1.com

TOP EXECUTIVES
Bobby Floyd, Chairman/CEO

Recent initiatives
In 2022, HHS introduced its Retail Standards Playbook, a guide for all phases of operational delivery that as an operational onboarding and development tool provides its team with detailed best practices ranging from customer service strategies and marketing initiatives to menu concepts and sustainability programs, enablibg them to remain equipped to best serve customers, promote the company’s Food Forward Philosophy and enhance the HHS brand. 
Within the Playbook, HHS developed customer service training and scripting for team members to use as a guide for better engaging customers and improving the retail experience. To measure its effectiveness, the company implemented its Retail and Patient Feedback Surveys and Mystery Shopper Programs, which allow it to collect anonymous feedback so it can effectively track and monitor trends, review the effectiveness of its training and identify opportunities to improve its service. 
Also as part of its customer focus, HHS introduced Menu at a Glance, a fresh redesign of its weekly menu offerings created to drive excitement among customers and keep them aware of upcoming features throughout the week. Additionally, it revamped its nutrition labeling, allowing customers to make more informed decisions about their food choices based on ingredients and nutritional information. 
New major menu concepts included the addition of Tailgate and FareFest to the FlavorPort hand-held street food dining concept, which continues to be a success at accounts, delivering a 15-18% increase in revenue on FlavorPort days. FareFest features foods reminiscent of fairs and carnivals while Tailgate features popular favorites from stadiums nationwide. FlavorPort. 
HHS also standardized its 13 core menu concepts offered at all locations. A few high-level highlights include:
● Char: Grilled or griddled favorites offered at breakfast and lunch
● Grab: Fresh, nutritious prepackaged cold selections for on-the-go
● Harvest: Local, sustainable, and bountiful greens, salads, and fruit
● Hot Pick: Warm packaged meals ready-to-go
● Indulge: Hand-crafted sweets prepared onsite
● Meatless: Plant-based, nutritious meals 
● SavorAM: Freshly prepared, hot breakfast items
● Stack: Homemade sandwich selections
● Slice: Freshly baked pizzas, calzones, and flatbreads made with locally sourced ingredients
Operationally, the company implemented menu-sharing across all of its culinary accounts through which its chefs share their weekly menus to receive feedback from the team while allowing best-practice collaboration. HHS believes menu-sharing encourages creativity, enabling it to see what’s successful and pushing forward new initiatives based on results. 
The past year also saw the implementation of a styrofoam reduction plan that aims to eliminate all styrofoam containers within the next year or two and replace them with faster compostable materials. 
On the technology front, HHS is currently working with different vendors for new digital menus across its customer accounts and has two pilot locations testing new back-of-house and front-of-house menu and recipe management systems. 
Finally, for the education partner at Yavapai College in Prescott, Az, HHS is implementing a 24-hour self-check-out market that provides students and staff access to quality food day or night.
 

Troy, Mi.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $215
2021: $145.5
2020: na
2019: $162.5
2018: $134

Contracts: 560

Business Mix(e)
36%—Retail/C-stores
32%—Vending
15%—Catering
12%—Dining Operations
4%—Office Coffee
1%—Other Services

Segments Served(e)
56%—B&I
22%—College/University
15%—Hospitals
2%—Transportation
2%—Museums/Perf. Arts Ctrs.
1%—K-12 Schools
1%—Corrections
1%—Convention/Conference Ctrs.

Contact Information
700 Stephenson Hwy
Troy, Mi. 48083
(248) 414-1700
continentalserves.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Mitch Kusiak, senior executive vice president  

Recent initiatives
Continental expanded its footprint in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York over the past year with the acquisition of the Cuyahoga Franklin Group while its 2022 focus was on making its collective offerings more accessible while still customizing them to clients’ needs. Key initiatives included…
• Food Your Way Campaign: To help reintroduce the company in a post-COVID working world and to emphasize its variety of customizable offerings, Continental developed a comprehensive marketing campaign that illustrates how it creates programs tailored to how clients envision food and beverage supporting their workplace.
• Market+ Concept: As the company continues to see flexibility and convenience as the two most important factors to food service, it has developed an enhanced, dynamic market experience that can provide services like meal delivery, made-to-order hot food and barista bars to give companies all the offerings they desire without needing to invest in a full café or kitchen.
• Hot Food Delivery: In partnership with EAT Club, Continental rolled out its corporate hot food delivery program to businesses in the Greater Detroit Metro Area that featured chef-crafted offerings with the convenience of in-app and online advanced ordering.
Also in 2022, convenience and flexibility were top of mind for furthering Continental’s culinary programming involving the question was how to develop new, inventive dishes that work across all workplace environments while still delivering the high quality, standard clients and guests expected. This led to the creation of the new Food Innovation Team, a collection of the company’s leading chefs, which came up initiatives such as expanding on-demand, quick-serve hot food options across markets with chef-crafted, flash-cooked favorites like breakfast quiches and hearty chicken pot pies as well as an order-ahead delivery service; partnering to develop onsite, organic garden concepts at client locations to take expand sustainability and local sourcing initiatives and produce the freshest ingredients while adding an interactive element for guests; and  optimizing menus with a robust guest feedback program to highlight the most popular signature concepts and regularly feature them across cafés and markets.
 

Irwin, Pa.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $207
2021: $172
2020: $147
2019: $186
2018: $167.1

Contracts: 604

Business Mix
98%—Dining operations
1%—Concessions
1%—Other

Segments Served(e)
90%—K-12 Schools
10%—Senior Dining

Contact Information
580 Wendel Road, Suite 100
Irwin, Pa. 15642
(888) 272-8016
thenutritiongroup.biz

TOP EXECUTIVE
Ed Caswell, CEO  

Recent initiatives
Nutrition Group chefs have created 14 new menu items touching every flavor palate from savory to sweet over the past year to enhance excitement in the cafeteria and encourage overall participation. They include crispy oven roasted chickpeas; Chick’n Slamwich with the new Signature Sauce; Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Biscuit; and Korean BBQ Meatball Bowl with oven roasted veggies.
New nutrition education programs include Savor the Flavor in which students taste test different food groups, Fruity Friday in which students create and customize their own fruit salads and Get Egg-cited About Breakfast, an event table promoting healthy options and relatable reasons for students to enjoy breakfast. 
Nutrition Group also created Pure Promise, which establishes an 85-point certification standard that ensures customers continue to enjoy a safe, healthy environment and nutritious food while Cafeteria Connections provides monthly updates from the Purchasing and HR Teams that cover everything from food presentation and best purchasing practices to helpful recruiting and onboarding tips. Meanwhile, Food Tips from Chef Guy give timely and helpful hacks to maximize food quality and cost.
The company also has set up Task Forces that meet monthly and serve to further enhance collaboration between operational personnel and support services.
Finally, to support employees and the communities where it operates, the company established TNG Charities, which also sponsors grants to support students’ future endeavors. 
 

Chesterfield, Mo.

Revenue (in $millions)
2022: $200(e)

Contracts: 250(e)

Segments Served(e)
100%—K-12

Contact Information
16401 Swingley Ridge Rd Ste 600
Chesterfield, Mo. 63017
(636) 812-0777
opaafood.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Kevin Short, CEO

Recent initiatives
Founded in 1978 specifically to serve K-12 schools, Opaa! today operates in more than 800 schools in more than 250 public school districts across seven Midwestern states, with the highest concentration being in Missouri and Kansas, according to its website. The company offers its primarily small, rural district client base a comprehensive array of K-12 meal services, including catering and nutrition education in addition to traditional breakfast, lunch and after-school snack offerings.
 

Fairfax, Va.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $190
2021: $187
2020: $181
2019: $460
2018: $468

Contracts: na

Segments Served(e)
35%—Government
20%—Senior Dining
20%—Military
10%—Parks/Recreation Centers
10%—Hotel/Resort
5%—B&I

Contact Information
3055 Prosperity Ave.
Fairfax, Va. 22031
(703) 849-9300
guestservices.com   

TOP EXECUTIVE
Nico Foris, CEO

Recent initiatives
Founded in 1917, Guest Services operates as a hospitality management company and National Park Service concessionaire in the United States providing services to a wide variety of markets.
 

Minnetonka, Minn.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $183
2021: $142
2020: $136
2019: $148
2018: $141

Contracts: 397

Business Mix(e)
96%—Dining Operations
2%—Catering
1%—Vending
1%—Office Coffee

Segments Served(e)
70%—K-12 Schools
18%—B&I
5%—Commercial Bakery/Grab & Go Wholesaling
4%—College/University
2%—Government Facilities
1%—Senior Dining

Contact Information
5570 Smetana Drive
Minnetonka, Minn. 55343
(952) 945-0505
taher.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Bruce Taher, president/CEO  

Recent initiatives
Due to the tight labor market and the need for more quality products that are prepared ready to serve, Taher has expanded its production of bakery and grab & go products to both its own units and the broader market. It is expanding its corporate owned production facility at one and running two shifts at others.
 

Syracuse, N.Y.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)

2022: $172.500

2021: $125.022

2020: $154.218

2019: $188.000

2018: $167.899

Contracts: na

Segments Served(e)

50%—B&I

30%—College/University

15%—K-12

5%—Other

Contact Information

124 Metropolitan Park Drive

Syracuse, N.Y. 13088

(800) 466-9261

www.adc-us.com

TOP EXECUTIVE

Martin Wells, CEO

Recent initiatives

This was a banner year for ADC’s growth, which it attributes to additions in the company’s culinary and technology programs. Culinary additions of concepts and programs over the past 12 months have included…

• Greater shift of plant-based to center of the plate proteins as well as the overall menu mix, which added five new concepts/LTO’s to the portfolio around plant-based entrees;

• Updating stale brands more frequently, focusing on on-trend or ahead-of-trend concepts—something that can be risky at times but proved very successful over the last year for ADC;

• Focus on ingredient quality over quantity with local/in-season and fresh outselling large quantity, bulk produced by almost two to one;

• Use of social media to help crowd-source new ideas and programs—getting customers engaged and involved resulted in shifting the perception of value and variety;

• Complete overhaul of the grab & go program both in dining and micro-markets.

Meanwhile, tech programs being introduced include the launch a an in-house developed mobile ordering and payment application that was designed after the leading mobile ordering/pay applications and is expected to rival alternatives currently on the market. ADC believes that having it made in house gives it the flexibility and nimbleness to adapt to any change in the industry or environment.

The company also made a major addition of pre order and post-pay technology at many of its existing and newly acquired accounts and undertook a full overhaul of its website to accommodate and inform current and potential customers. Traffic has increased exponentially since the overhaul and analytics show is that the rebuild was a major success.

Finally, one of the most unique and successful launches ADC had in 2022 was of its membership meal plan, an all-inclusive plan that gives students full access to the campus dining program anywhere, any time, from full meals to snacks and between-class pick-me-ups.

Great River, N.Y.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $155
2021: $155
2020: $120
2019: $135
2018: $120

Contracts: 100

Business Mix
40%—Catering
24%—Dining Services
1%—Concessions
35%—Other Services

Segments Served
35%—College/University
35%—B&I
30%—K-12 Schools

Contact Information
3500 Sunrise Highway, Bldg 100, Suite 100
Great River, N.Y. 11739
(631) 567-8200
lessings.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Michael Lessing, CEO

Recent initiatives
Lessing’s focused on “less is more” over the past year, limiting its menus to provide a consistent quality with less interruptions from supply chain issues by choosing menu items that were readily available, with backup items always ready to go and fill in if there were issues. Another major recent initiative was increasing all online ordering, takeout and delivery options in many customer accounts, a big success that helped increase sales while keeping customers safe and reducing the close contact between customers and dining employees. 
 

Oldsmar, Fla.

Revenue (in $millions)
2022: $150(e)

Contracts: na

Segments Served
100%—Corrections

Contact Information
477 Commerce Blvd.
Oldsmar, Fla. 34677
(813) 854-4264
trinityservicesgroup.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Dennise Johnson, CEO

Recent initiatives
The largest contract firm operating in the corrections market, Trinity is active in 40 states and offers not only full-service contracted foodservice to correctional facilities but ancillary services like program analysis, bulk procurement sourcing, menu creation/management/recipe guidelines, dietitian support (including therapeutic and religious diet planning), custom reporting/tracking and management consulting services. Its Trinity Take-Out concept is a customizable meal program offering unique entrees and desserts inmates can purchase as rewards for good behavior or morale boosters and staff can use to buy various customizable options, offering an additional revenue stream. Meanwhile, the WORK. FEED. SUCCEED. vocational training program prepares inmates for a career in the food service industry upon their release through comprehensive classroom and hands-on instruction through which they learn to work in a commercial kitchen, feed their peers and succeed in a professional food service environment. The program is fully customized to cover all elements of food safety and retail food operations, including sanitation, kitchen safety, food safety, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and cooking skills. Instructions can even provide ServSafe education and certification.
 

Fairfield, N.J.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $132.7
2021: $49.098
2020: $71.741
2019: $91.457
2018: $88.400

Contracts: 108

Business Mix
94%—Dining Operations
6%—Vending

Segments Served
100%—K-12 Schools

Contact Information
3 Edison Place
Fairfield, N.J. 07004
(973) 882-8070
pomptonian.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Mark Vidovich, president

Recent initiatives
Pomptonian once again transformed its service in the K-12 market as a result of the pandemic and the evolving requirements of school districts and is pleased to see students return to in-person learning. Districts participating in the National School Lunch Program were able to offer meals to all students at no charge. 
The company was able to use its purchasing power to address supply chain challenges and procure quality ingredients to support the menus it offers in K-12 systems while providing interactive and web-based menus to customers has also been quite a success as parents and students can access the menu on an app or website. Hence, in just a few clicks, they can see the nutrition profile of food served, provide feedback, and access other important information on the lunch program.  
During the past year, Pomptonian has taken students it serves and their taste buds on an adventure by offering promotions such as Flavors Around the World, which celebrates a different country each Wednesday in March. Additionally, the company offers a Farm to Tray program serving a minimum of one local fruit and vegetable each month. 
 

Zeeland, Mi.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $118
2021: $97.176
2020: $97.911
2019: $130
2018: $125

Contracts: 64

Business Mix
81%—Dining Operations
8%—Catering
6%—Vending
5%—Other Non-Food Services

Segments Served
22.4%—B&I
62.5%—College/University
10.4%—Convention/Conference Ctrs.
2.8%—Senior Dining
1.9%—K-12 Schools

Contact Information
1 Royal Park Dr., Suite #3
Zeeland, Mi. 49464
(616) 748-1700
creativedining.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Jim Eickhoff, president/CEO

Recent initiatives
In 2022, Creative Dining Services tripled the size of its corporate culinary department to continuously create new concepts with trend-forward culinary ideas. In June, its Culinary Innovation Council hosted Chef Lab, an interactive ongoing culinary training program for company chefs across the country with training sessions focused on brain/science creativity, flavor mapping, and functional foods to go along with hands-on sessions in the kitchen.
The company has also continued to provide account-level education on the CIA Menus of Change Principles of Healthy Eating. Through the month of March, it featured Menus of Change principle #6 focusing on the importance of incorporating healthier good fats while reducing saturated fats. Dishes with good fats and low saturated fats were highlighted throughout Creative Dining menus. 
To further Creative Dining’s commitment to healthy eating and sustainability, an initiative began to increase plant-based offerings at all locations. The goal of this initiative is to have 50% of all offerings be plant-based by 2025. Additionally, the company opened two apiaries in 2022 for educational purposes and sustainable honey production.
 

Lombard, Il.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $93
2021: $78
2020: $50
2019: $69
2018: $60.5

Contracts: 119

Business Mix
95%—Dining Operations
4%—Catering
1%—Vending

Segments Served
84%—K-12 Schools
11%—College/University
1%—B&I

Contact Information
2500 S. Highland Ave., Suite 250
Lombard, Il. 60148
(630) 627-7708
questfms.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Mike McTaggart, Owner/CEO

Recent initiatives
Quest has expanded its presence in the National School Lunch Program in two states, hiring its first VP of NSLP Operations to focus on offering the same high-quality food and sourcing standards they are known for while meeting the specific guidelines for this segment of schools. In a related development, the passage of Illinois Bill 102-1101 through years of advocacy by Quest and others means many more students in the company’s  home state of Illinois will have the opportunity to access nutritious meals through their local school programs. 
Quest also made significant investments in technology in 2022 by expanding its IT support team and creating a robust data ecosystem to provide partners with increased access to data. This development allows the company to pull instant, real-time data and make quick pivots to its food programs, as well as reduce waste and increase productivity, all of which has been significant when navigating a fluctuating supply chain environment. 
Quest also developed a proprietary intranet portal for team members called Quest Life, giving improved access to training materials, safety education, and professional development tools. The new Quest Life website has a social sharing feature for team members to post success stories, celebrate important dates, and share photos from their accounts, further building a sense of community and excellence throughout the organization.
Quest has continued to expand its scratch made Food Philosophy through new partnerships with local and regional suppliers as well as those that prioritize sustainability and humane animal welfare practices. The company has also continued its commitment to working with food companies operated by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, notably with its exclusive café program partner, El Parche Coffee, which represents 100% women-grown and operated farms. 
The café program has increased to over 50 locations across the Quest portfolio and includes coffee, tea, and espresso drinks as well as newly introduced all-natural fruit smoothies and homemade baked goods. In addition to the café program, Quest doubled its catering sales in 2022 through active participation in hundreds of local community events that serve students, alumni, and administrators, ranging from black-tie occasions to field days.
The company also pivoted to meet and exceed expectations following the consumer trend of seeking “homestyle convenience” through a robust expansion of its grab-and-go programs, including new food items, more points of service, and customizable product mixes that include local vendors. These changes have been met with increased participation as students and guests are finding fresh and curated choices with less of a wait time.
 

Manchester, N.H.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $81
2021: $62.4
2020: $53
2019: $71
2018: $65

Contracts: 181

Business Mix
100%—Dining Operations

Segments Served
37.0%—K-12 Schools
34.7%—Senior Dining
28.3%—B&I

Contact Information
749 E. Industrial Park Dr., Dept. CS
Manchester, N.H. 03109
(877) 375-3246
cafeservices.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
J. Brian Stone, CEO

Recent initiatives
The Café Services Corporate Dining Core Menu underwent creative innovation, expansion, and standardization over the past year, an improvement that enabled the company to provide the best custom combination of services for each unique account.  The innovative solutions allow Café Services to offer competitive and attractive menus, with multiple customer interfaces, variable self-check-out configurations, with a new but familiar look and feel to all locations
Meanwhile, the Glendale Dining Services division focused on employee engagement, redesigning its on-boarding and training programs to provide employees with additional benefits and an enhanced employee wellness program. It also strengthened and implemented All Day Dining menus and its retail café menus to its Independent and Assisted Living Communities, providing residents with more options and control over their dining times. Glendale also implemented the Power Bites program, a nutritionally enhanced finger food menu that focuses on assisting dementia residents and provides them with a renewed sense of dignity while dining.
Fresh Picks Café transitioned from classroom meals back into full cafeteria service at all locations, renewing its emphasis on from-scratch cooking by introducing new entrees and expanding its built-to-order menu concepts and stations such as TU Manera! (Tex Mex your way) and Naan Stop. It also incorporated lessons learned during the pandemic by expanding its grab & go options with student classroom dining favorites.  
In addition, Fresh Picks Café enhanced the Fresh Picks University online training resource with the Career Pathways program, which allows employees to pursue career advancement opportunities based on their personal goals and at their own pace. Structured curricula within Fresh Picks University complemented by the assignment of training mentors allows employees to follow a training path that can lead them from an entry level hourly position all the way through to regional and corporate management positions.
Finally, Café Services Corporate Culinary Program rolled out innovations to accommodate the company’s new service methods, which is an integration of online ordering, traditional walk-up service, self-service stations and grab & go markets.
 

Flowood, Ms.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $75
2021: $75
2020: $75
2019: $79
2018: $79

Contracts: 155

Business Mix
90%—Dining Services
10%—Catering

Segments Served
45%—College/University
25%—K-12 Schools
10%—Senior Dining
10%—Boarding Schools
5%—B&I
5%—Club Management

Contact Information
1000 Red Fern Place
Flowood, Ms. 39232
(601) 326-8160
mmihotelgroup.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Ronald Cockayne, president
 

Mansfield, Ma.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $63
2021: $49
2020: $42
2019: $41
2018: $36.6

Contracts: 68

Business Mix
86%—Dining Operations
5%—Catering
3%—Retail/C-stores
2%—Office Coffee
2%—Vending
2%—Facilities Services

Segments Served
72%—B&I
21%—Senior Dining
4%—Hospitals
3%—Independent/Private Schools

Contact Information
905B S. Main St., Suite 203
Mansfield, Ma. 02048
(978) 674-8464
nexdine.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
David Lanci, Co-founder/chairman/CEO

Recent initiatives
Last year saw the introduction of NEXDINE’s TASTEFUL program, created in collaboration by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness and Culinary teams, to provide high quality dining experiences for guests, regardless of their abilities and needs.  TASTEFUL delivers authentic flavors and provides the nutrition each individual requires, while honoring the dignity of each guest by adhering to the tenets of the company’s commitment to 100% fresh ingredients.  
TASTEFUL consists of four distinct elements:
• TASTEFUL Textures: Texture-modified food program designed to enhance the dining experience for people experiencing dysphagia or having difficulty swallowing;
• TASTEFUL Plus: An enriched foods and supplemental nutrition program for individuals who require additional protein or caloric intake;
• TASTEFUL Bites: Designed for individuals with dementia and dexterity issues, it offers bite-sized finger foods that deliver a more nutritious and manageable dining experience.
• TASTEFUL Sips: NEXDINE’s enhanced hydration program incorporates fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to promote proper hydration and better health.
Also in 2022, NEXDINE’s approach to retail dining across all business sectors—corporate dining, senior living, healthcare, and education—saw substantial growth with the introduction of its Ghost Kitchen and Flex Kitchen concepts. The Ghost Kitchen program delivers significant variety and diversity for clients through the company’s array of branded concepts such as Opa (Mediterranean), Manna (grazing bar) and Slow Mo’ (BBQ) while the Flex Kitchen model features quick-connect modular equipment that allows quick changeovers such as converting from featuring Masala— NEXDINE’s branded Indian cuisine concept using a traditional tandoor oven—on one day and Smashed Burger and its burgers cooked to order on a char-broiler the next day.  
Also of note for 2022 is XENDELLA—one of the NEXDINE Hospitality family of companies providing EVS, housekeeping, laundry, plant operations maintenance, patient transport, security, transportation, groundskeeping, and related services—realizing unprecedented growth through its national expansion. Through XENDELLA, NEXDINE is able to provide clients with a full suite of complementary services to meet all of their dining and hospitality-related needs.
 

Tipton, Mo.

Revenues (in $millions)
2022: $60(e)

Contracts: na

Business Mix(e)
75%—Dining Operations
25%—Catering

Segments Served(e)
80%—College/University
10%—Camps/Conferences
5%—K-12
5%—B&I

Contact Information
111 W Moniteau St.
Tipton, Mo. 65081
(800) 575-5516
greatwestern-dining.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
John Nilges, president/chairman

Recent initiatives
Founded in 1990, Great Western provides contracted dining services for schools, colleges/universities, camps, conference centers and businesses. It currently operates campus dining in eight states: Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. 
 

Los Altos, Ca.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $51
2021: $47.9
2020: $46.5
2019: $62.5
2018: $58

Contracts: 66

Business Mix
95%—Dining Operations
3.5%—Catering
1%—Office Coffee
0.5%—Vending

Segments Served
39%—K-12 Schools
30%—College/University
28%—B&I
2%—Government Facilities
1%—Senior Dining

Contact Information
111 Main St., Suite 3
Los Altos, Ca. 94022
(415) 895-2800
epicurean-group.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Mary Clark Bartlett, CEO

Recent initiatives
Epicurean Group is still implanting all its COVID-19 safety protocols originally instituted in 2020 while further improving its online ordering system and expanding its pre-pay pre-order practices. The company’s priority has been on serving healthy, sustainable food that is locally sourced and grown and it keeps focusing on plant based proteins and slow food movement while still ensuring that customers get a wide range of protein and seasonal foods. 
New initiatives include the Plant Inspired Buddha Bowl station, which was designed to help find foods that give power and boost immune systems. Epicurean uses it to help teach guests about healthy food and why it is important to eat healthy, fresh produce, grains, legumes and house made dressings by creating appealing bowl dishes.
Also new is a book compiled by the Epicurean Group culinary team that highlightes recipes from food trucks around the country for company units to use so they can provide a food truck experience without going out and buying an expensive truck.
Operating under the belief that nutritious food boosts productivity and keeps customers healthy, Epicurean in the past year has put a lot of focus on food education through various pop-up events, cooking classes, the Epicurean Group blog and other initiatives to expand customer knowledge on food and how food can increase their overall health. 
Also, whenever possible, the company offers vegetables and herbs grown onsite, focusing on true farm to table movement.
 

Atlanta

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $50
2021: $43
2020: $40.5
2019: $55
2018: $52

Contracts: 34

Business Mix
80%—Dining Operations
12%—Catering
5.5%—Non-food Services
2%—Office Coffee
0.5%—Vending

Segments Served
80%—B&I
18%—Events/Catering/Restaurants/Bars
3%—Museums/Perf. Arts Ctrs.

Contact Information
47 Perimeter Center E, Suite 150
Atlanta, Ga. 30346
(678) 395-7066
sterlingculinarymanagement.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
John C. Metz, Jr., CEO

Recent initiatives
Sterling Spoon in the past year did not introduce any new concepts or menus, rather focusing on rebuilding and reopening many of its cafes, coffee bars and operations. It opened two new distinct food service operations, one in the clubhouse setting in planned communities, as well as 12 new operations in Florida, Georgia and Kentucky. 
Basically, the company has reinvented its business/client model by working on improving and enhancing its sales and business development initiatives to go after new sales and business opportunities. It looks to identify people who need help or find new clients that want to reinvent their food service businesses for the and post-COVID world.
Sterling has been able to regain much of its sales against pre-COVID from a run rate perspective for the year, though overall it was still down, but it sees 2023 trends as looking very promising with eight new contracts signed. 
Operationally, the company enhanced its ghost kitchens, increased its commissary purchasing and production and expanded its online platforms for food ordering, pick-up and delivery to supplement declining sales. It also enhanced its catering platform to drive revenues and increase visibility and name recognition, which helped with client acquisition and satisfaction.
 

Alpharetta, Ga.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $50(e)
2021: na
2020: $49.13
2019: $39.1
2018: $56.4

Contracts: na

Business Mix(e)
70%—Dining Operations
30%—Other

Segments Served(e)
70%—Hospitals
30%—Software Systems

Contact Information
11770 Haynes Bridge Rd. #538
Alpharetta, Ga. 30009
(770) 475-6499
fmg.com

TOP EXECUTIVES
T. David Whitten, chairman/president
Craig Boudreaux, Jr., CEO
 

Bolton, Ma.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $47.8
2021: $42
2020: $40.5
2019: $62
2018: $61

Contracts: 92

Business Mix
61%—Dining Operations
29%—Catering
6%—Vending
4%—Office Coffee

Segments Served
75%—B&I
9%—College/University
6%—K-12 Schools
5%—Government Facilities
3%—Transportation
2%—Hospitals

Contact Information
580 Main St., Suite 1
Bolton, Ma. 01740
(860) 930-5520
epicureanfeast.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Bob Watson, CEO/Co-chair

Recent initiatives
In the past year, operational initiatives undertaken by LPM included…
• an enhanced and expanded proprietary Cloud-based Quality Assurance Program
• an enriched partnership with the Human Society establishing animal protein alternatives
• heightening of the company’s online proprietary customer nutritional resource 
• implementing more cashless checkout operations, including micro-market style services 
• boosting the online pre-order program to include delivery options
On the culinary end, developments included…
• enhanced plant-based menu offerings
• the implementation of a Charred Fired Pizza Oven entree program
• the introduction of seasonal catering menus featuring sustainable and local seasonal ingredients
• transitioning traditional self-service salad bars to hand-crafted made-to order salad stations
• augmenting customary entrée stations to a chef-appointed action station concept
 

Pensacola, Fla.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $47(e)
2021: $46.551
2020: $47.762
2019: $46.977
2018: $40.892

Contracts: 19(e)

Business Mix(e)
98%—Dining Operations
2%—Facilities Services

Segments Served(e)
78%—Military
15%—Senior Dining
7%—Hospitals

Contact Information
2001 North Palafox St
Pensacola, Fla. 32561
(877) 827-2372
gce.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Gary Murphy, senior operations executive
 

Houston

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $45
2021: $33
2020: $27
2019: $39
2018: $37

Contracts: 32

Business Mix
80%—Dining Operations
15%—Catering
2%—Office Coffee
2%—Vending
1%—Retail/convenience stores

Segments Served
80%—Hospitals
10%—B&I
7%—Senior Dining
2%—K-12 Schools
1%—Government Facilities

Contact Information
13111 Northwest Freeway, Suite 600
Houston, Texas 77040
(713) 817-7508
lubyscs.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Todd Coutee, COO

Recent initiatives
Luby’s has focused on plant-based options as well as ingredients that support wellness and cognitive skills. It is taking the approach that nutrition provides healing and wellness and feeling your best makes you a better person, spouse, parent and employee. Hence, the company is mindful on its offerings and also educates patients, residents, students, staff and guests on the importance of making choices and keeping balance in all facets of their lives. Being a scratch concept allows Luby’s not to provide a cookie-cutter program, but tailor fit to each client’s needs. In addition, the company is creating tools for team members to use to control food waste and manage costs, and it is incorporating staff that can help support endeavors to assist clients beyond the core mission of providing a quality foodservice.
 

Dakota Dunes, S.D.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $36.378
2021: $33.824
2020: $27.591
2019: $27.450
2018: $25

Contracts: 53

Business Mix
98%—Dining Operations
1.5%—Catering
0.5%—Facilities Services

Segments Served
100%—K-12 Schools

Contact Information
391 W. Steamboat Dr.
Dakota Dunes, S.D. 57049
(605) 235-0939
lunchtimesolutions.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Amy Lundgren, president/CEO

Recent initiatives
The 2021-22 school year certainly had its share of ups and downs when looking back on food service operations. Lunchtime’s upside was that school food programs saw significant increases in student participation due to free meals and waivers as more children were taking the opportunity to eat school lunch. The company also saw an increase in new school partnerships, that expanded its geographical footprint.  
In contrast, the downside included staffing challenges to serve the increased numbers of meals, continual supply chain disruptions, delivery issues, and vendor challenges. Food needed by schools was not being produced fast enough or in enough quantity to supply the demand, and the trucker shortage was creating a separate set of challenges for Lunchtime in receiving food.  Recruiting and retention to fill and retain much needed positions due to the demand was more than difficult—at times, it was impossible. 
Plans to add several new and tested recipe concepts were changed, as it didn’t take long for Lunchtime to realize that “new to the menu” translated to “hard to source, and even harder to receive.”  Operations teams were limited almost daily due to staffing challenges, so focusing on new recipe options that may or may not have had all ingredients delivered were no longer even feasible to promote or offer.
In response, the company’s priorities shifted and turned to recruiting and retaining their valued teams, along with procuring enough food and supplies to feed the students. Lunchtime teams collaborated, and worked diligently together, providing strong support to one another, even with geographic challenges. Meanwhile, expanded local grower relationships for both produce and beef/bison had a positive impact, helping to balance shortages in these areas. 
The company also took the opportunity to capitalize on compliant substitute items as available.   As many substitute items received had not been tried or tested, feedback was collected from students in conjunction with meal service to gain and gauge satisfaction with many of the items served, compared to what menu items were normally offered. Taking this as an opportunity and gaining student feedback provided Lunchtime a creative culinary blank slate to begin cultivating new and “fresh” options and approaches with concepts that will be available throughout the 2022-23 school year.
 

Westminster, Md.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $34.406
2021: $33.401
2020: $34.265
2019: $33.8
2018: $31.7

Contracts: 49

Business Mix
100%—Dining Operations

Segments Served
65%—Senior Dining
22%—Behavioral Health
8%—Hospitals

Contact Information
1135 Business Pkwy. S., Suite 10
Westminster, Md. 21157
(844) 274-3663
culinaryservicesgroup.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Rich Valway, President/CEO

Recent initiatives
Throughout 2022, CSG explored food service robotics as a form of innovation. There are many early generation food service robots available in the marketplace, and the company tested many of the top-rated options to assess their functionality, reliability and ROI. It has formed an affiliate partnership with PUDU robotics as it found their technology to be far superior to others in the market and is currently using robotics as a complement to dining room service, allowing wait staff to be more attentive to customers while reducing the staff needed, which ultimately reduces cost.
Meanwhile, CSG spent 2022 developing Our Culinary Promise, which is set to launch in early 2023. This framework allows the company to customize menus for every client while setting a high standard of culinary excellence through six pillars—Made in House, Intentional and Aware, Well Served, Chef Created, Sanitation & Safety, and Healthy & Wholesome. Each aligns with a portion of CSG’s newly created Fresh and Focused Audit, which is conducted monthly to ensure it’s delivering on its promise. The goal of the program is to ensure CSG is using fresh, environmentally sustainable ingredients, practicing the highest level of safety standards, and creating memorable dining and service experiences. Consequently, clients can customize their menu and dining experiences to align with what is important to them and their communities.
 

Malvern, Pa.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $33.2
2021: $24.2
2020: $20.5
2019: $38.8
2018: $36.3

Contracts: 47

Business Mix
92.3%—Dining Operations
7.7%—Retail/convenience Stores

Segments Served
60%—K-12 Schools
40%—B&I

Contact Information
257 Great Valley Pkwy.
Malvern, Pa. 19355
(610) 647-5656
brockco.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Andrew Brock, president/CEO

Recent initiatives
Brock migrated away from pandemic-related service models and toward traditional open dining rooms and mobile ordering environments in 2022. Its size and independence have allowed the company to incorporate new program innovations developed over the past two years. Newly led by Director of Culinary Innovation Keith Long, the culinary program focuses on emerging consumer health and allergen trends, preparing fresh food exceptionally well and supporting local and regional merchants.
In 2022, Brock began new programs that align with both its Corporate Dining and Independent School businesses. Sprout, its solution for plant-based meals, showcases vegan and vegetarian options with great flavor, variety and innovation. The sushi program, meanwhile, brings clients at every budget level fresh, premise-rolled sushi while perennial favorite Brock concepts like Burgerlicious, Liberty Cheeesesteak and Power Bowls were updated and enhanced.
In the Independent School portfolio, Brock reinstituted two popular initiatives and designed a new dining option last year, bringing back crEATions, a robust program of innovative and engaging menu development that includes items such as watermelon pizza, shaker salads and cookie dough sundaes. Visits by the company wellness manager to every school for enrichment events with staff and students also resumed and are a popular value add to Brock’s services. Finally, the company rolled out the Fuel Up for Sports food program to guide student athletes in building their meals to support the type of training day regimen they have.
In 2022, Brock exceeded plan revenue by 37% and added many new client partners to its business portfolio, finding that the company’s independence and ability to customize programs are increasingly attractive to clients. 
In tune with industry trends and customer preferences, Brock has markedly accelerated the promotion and use of mobile and pre-ordering systems. Not being bound to any one tech platform, it can employ the most efficient solution for each situation. For example, for independent schools, it uses Nutrislice to provide menus with nutritional and allergen content online and through a mobile app.
Also, Brock’s Fresh Flavors grab & go concept underwent a refresh involving new food selections and packaging, so now all units sell items utilizing the DateCodeGenie labeling system that provides USDA-compliant food labeling.
 

Burlingame, Ca.

Revenue (in $millions)
2022: $32.102

Contracts: 14

Business Mix
85%—Dining Operations
10%—Catering
5%—Office Coffee

Segments Served
100%—B&I

Contact Information
1815 Easton Dr.
Burlingame, Ca. 94010
imagineculinarygroup.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Frank Lapetina, CEO

Recent initiatives
Sustainably prepared, authentic, healthy and seasonal meals continue to be Imagine’s most popular and successful menu concepts while its focus on international cuisines continues to be the hallmark of its success. Menu themes and recipes are shared among our chefs to promote creativity, diversity and variety.
The company’s financial reporting systems provide each client with complete audit support for every invoice that is issued. The level of transparency that the accounting system provides allows the management team to have complete confidence in understanding their cost control efforts and to make informed decisions in managing food and labor costs. Meanwhile, clients are assured that their costs include no mark-ups, corporate allocations or rebates.
 

Lincolnwood, Il.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $31
2021: na
2020: $6.4
2019: $37
2018: $38

Contracts: 12

Business Mix(e)
80%—Catering
20%—Dining Operations

Segments Served(e)
50%—Social Catering
35%—B&I
10%—Museums/Perf. Arts Ctrs.
5%—College/University

Contact Information
7001 Ridgeway Ave.
Lincolnwood, Il. 94403
(847) 982-2608
Foodforthoughtchicago.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Nancy Sharp, founder/CEO

Recent initiatives
Recent initiatives include constant menu upgrades so as to keep up with current trends. In the past year, FFT reintroduced salad bars and buffets as people became more comfortable post-pandemic, and it also adjusted menu items constantly due to product availability and commodity pricing so as to not erode profit margins.
The company also introduced FFT AFAR, a division that focuses on taking on national events.  Last year it executed 11 events outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, with the last one being a five-day event in Orlando where it provided its staffing and led certain segments.
So as to be able to increase its portfolio of clients, FFT also added two commissary kitchens that cater to daily dropoff business for companies that are using free food as an incentive to bring their employees back into the office.
Knowing that competitors will become creative with their menus and plate design, FFT has continued to grow its props offerings and its sales team has pushed props as an experiential focus.
 

Birmingham, Al.

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $30(e)
2021: na
2020: $48
2019: $97
2018: $95

Contracts: na

Segments Served(e)
44%—B&I
30%—Government Facilities
10%—Military
8%—K-12 Schools
4%—Senior Dining
2%—Parks/Rec. Ctrs.
2%—Convention/Conference Ctrs.

Contact Information
431 Office Park Dr., 1st Floor
Birmingham, Al. 35223
(770) 475-6499
southernfoodservice.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Walter E. Berry, president
 

Houston

5-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $27.4
2021: $24.1
2020: $27.2
2019: $34.1
2018: $36.5

Contracts: 31

Business Mix
91%—Dining Operations
5%—Catering
4%—Vending

Segments Served
90%—Hospitals
10%—B&I

Contact Information
1101 S. Wilcrest Dr., Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77099
(281) 568-3131
princefoodsystems.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Charles Prince Sr., president

Recent initiatives
Prince has added over a hundred new plant-based protein recipes to its offerings, and that number is growing weekly as the company has been working with Forward Food for sourcing supplies and they have also helped with the recipe database. The goal to offer as many plant based protein selections to the customer base as possible as it has received excellent reviews in its surveys and so plans to continue expanding in this area.  
On the operational end, the main focus has been expanding the healthcare dining division and online ordering capabilities. Prince has worked with its point of sale partner to the point where all customers can now order online and schedule a pickup time. Also, catering customers can order online, charge the sale to a department or purchase order, and select a level of service.  Custom orders can still be made by phone or email, but most catering has moved to online order, schedule, and payment.
 

Portland, Maine

Revenue (in $millions)
2022: $25

Contracts: ~60

Business Mix
90%—Dining Operations
5%—Catering
5%—Concessions

Segments Served
60%—K-12 Schools
33%—College/University
7%—Senior Dining

Contact Information
411 Congress St
Portland, Maine 04101
(844) 436-3663
genuinefoods.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Jeff Mills, CEO

Recent initiatives
Genuine Foods grew its footprint in Higher Education substantially over the last year and was able to put in place hyper-local sourcing for key ingredients based on region to meet its high food quality standards. It also designed innovative place-based concepts such as La Ventana (“The Window”) that was inspired by a building’s walk-up window and serves as a window into the world of Latin American cuisines, and Going Up Café, which provides affordable, delicious takeaway meals while highlighting the lived experiences of first-generation college students. 
Over the last year, the company has developed expansive, culturally relevant menu offerings inspired by global flavors, from hearty Italian classics to authentic African cuisines and Latin-inspired dishes. It created a year-long superfoods program, spotlighting ingredients from around the world that deliver functional benefits. January’s superfood, tea, for example, amplified entrees (tea-brined chicken), sides (tea leaf salad) and desserts (brown butter matcha cookies). While both culinary concepts were developed for higher education accounts, Genuine Foods is in the process of tailoring many of the most popular recipes to also meet K-12 program requirements.     
The Mangia! Program brought hyper-local growers and producers to one international language school site as a way of introducing American food culture and building relationships with new sourcing partners. Students not only participated in the day-long food fest, but also presented academic projects relating to food and cultural foodways.  
 

San Mateo, Ca.

4-year Revenue Trend (in $millions)
2022: $10.5
2021: na
2020: $11.25
2019: $21

Contracts: 14

Business Mix
72%—Dining Operations
28%—Catering

Segments Served
80%—College/University
20%—B&I

Contact Information
P.O. Box 6789
San Mateo, Ca. 94403
(408) 406-8487
Pacific-dining.com

TOP EXECUTIVE
Rick McMahon, president

Recent initiatives
Pacific Dining contracts primarily with colleges and saw its revenue drop from a record setting annualized rate of well over $20,000,000 for the first two months of 2020 to zero in a matter of three months. It has since renegotiated many of its contracts and is matching services to meet enrollment. It is now experiencing a slow upward trend with an average of 55% of pre-COVID on-campus enrollment.
Recent initiatives include expanding its Artisan Grab n Go selections and developing a new Minimal Touch Catering menu to capture sales lost to COVID restrictions and customer apprehension. Salad bars have moved to manned stations and have been rebranded “Deconstuct,” featuring creative daily salad specials. The company has also placed emphasis in developing its proprietary online preorder and prepayment option for guests and is exploring expanding geographically beyond California in 2023.