Zerocater
Zerocater is a B2B corporate catering and cafeteria platform serving 500+ enterprise customers across 13 North American cities with daily meal programs, managed onsite cafeterias, event catering, and CaterAi, a generative-AI event planning agent.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Zerocater does
Zerocater is a B2B corporate catering and cafeteria platform serving enterprise customers across 13+ North American cities. Founded in 2009 and Y-Combinator-backed since 2011, the company operates a four-product portfolio atop a shared platform: (1) CaterAi, a December 2025 generative-AI agent that produces custom menus, staffing plans, and decor for events in under five minutes; (2) Corporate Catering, a recurring daily meal program delivered as buffet or boxed meals with onsite hospitality teams; (3) Corporate Cafeterias, a fully managed onsite dining service with chef-led cooking and barista coffee bars; and (4) Event Catering, a fully managed service for one-time corporate events. The platform layers a mobile and Slack ordering app, an admin dashboard with Workday and HCM integrations, and a network of 1,000+ vetted restaurants and caterers across 92+ cuisine types.
The business model blends subscription-like recurring revenue from daily corporate catering contracts, managed-services revenue from cafeteria build-outs and operations, and one-time revenue from event catering. Per-meal unit pricing ranges from $6 to $24 depending on tier (Nutritious Favorites, Essential, Elite) and city, with add-ons for soup/salad bars, onsite service, and equipment. Flexible subsidy models allow employees to partially or fully self-pay, supporting hybrid-workplace programs with variable attendance. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (custom demos and consultations for Fortune 500 buyers) with a product-led self-serve app layer (iOS, Android, Slack) for day-of ordering and admin oversight.
Zerocater serves 500+ companies including Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, Sony, Samsung, AMD, Cloudflare, Datadog, Home Depot, McKinsey, AbbVie, and Allstate. The company has scaled to approximately $100 million in annual recurring revenue across 13 cities with 101-250 employees, raised over $50 million in cumulative funding across five disclosed rounds (most recently a $15M Series C in February 2023 led by Cleveland Avenue LLC and Remus Capital), and stated a public goal to IPO and become the world's largest global food service provider.
Zerocater firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zerocater
- Legal name
- Zerocater, Inc.
- Website
- https://zerocater.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Zerocater is a B2B corporate catering and cafeteria platform serving 500+ enterprise customers across 13 North American cities with daily meal programs, managed onsite cafeterias, event catering, and CaterAi, a generative-AI event planning agent.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zerocater industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Corporate Food Services
- NAICS
- Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Drop-Off Catering & Boxed Meals (HSACAGAB), Specialty Dietary & Wellness Catering (Vegan, Halal, Kosher, Allergy-Friendly) (THAFAIAK)
Keywords
Where Zerocater is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices13 records
Markets served
Zerocater business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Corporate Catering Services: Recurring subscription-like revenue from corporate catering programs where companies pay per-meal rates for daily catered meals, buffet or boxed meal options. Pricing varies by city and tier (Nutritious Favorites, Essential, Elite) with add-ons for soup/salad bars, onsite service, and equipment.
- Corporate Cafeteria Management: Managed cafeteria services including chef-led onsite cooking, premium snack and micro-kitchen amenities, and full barista coffee experiences. Revenue generated through per-meal pricing plus build-out and management services.
- Event Catering: One-time event catering for corporate events including menus, onsite staffing, equipment, and themed decor. Revenue based on headcount, budget, and service requirements per event.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Nutritious Favorites tier - Basic meal offerings |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Essential ($$) tier - Premium proteins with sides |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Elite ($$$) tier - Highest quality proteins with sides |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Zerocater product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zerocater operates a corporate catering and cafeteria platform that connects companies with a network of over 1,000 vetted restaurants and caterers to deliver daily catered meals, managed onsite cafeterias, and corporate event catering. Its products include CaterAi (an AI-powered event planning agent), Corporate Catering (daily meals with buffet or boxed formats), Corporate Cafeterias (chef-led onsite dining), and Event Catering (managed events with staffing and decor). Pricing is per-meal/per-person with city-based tiers, and the platform includes an employee app, admin dashboard, and taste profiling to personalize menus and reduce waste.
Product overview
Zerocater is a B2B corporate catering and cafeteria platform operating on a platform-plus-products architecture. The core platform consists of a mobile/Slack app (for employee ordering, taste profiling, and payment), an admin dashboard (for menu review, staffing management, and spend insights), and a partner network of over 1,000 vetted restaurants and caterers. Four integrated product lines sit atop this platform: (1) CaterAi — an AI-powered conversational agent for instant menu planning and event coordination; (2) Corporate Catering — daily recurring meal programs with buffet or boxed formats managed by an onsite hospitality team; (3) Corporate Cafeterias — chef-led onsite dining with curated snacks and managed coffee bars; and (4) Event Catering — fully managed event solutions with menus, staffing, and décor. All four products draw on the same restaurant partner network, employee app, and admin dashboard.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CaterAi: AI-powered catering planning service that creates custom menus and coordinates event staff and decor in under five minutes, using proprietary data and large language models.
Products and services
- Corporate Catering
- Corporate Cafeterias
Quantifiable outcome
- 30-75% less food waste compared to traditional caterers or cafeterias
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Zerocater
Customer profileNamed customers28 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Zerocater technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
Zerocater partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators13 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Zerocater competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fooda: Fooda runs corporate cafeteria and catering programs for enterprises, partnering with local restaurants to bring rotating lunch options into offices. Directly comparable to Zerocater's cafeteria and daily catering offerings, with overlapping customer segments.
- ezCater: ezCater is the largest direct competitor in corporate catering, operating a marketplace connecting businesses to restaurants and caterers. Both platforms target enterprise meal programs with similar pricing, partner networks, and self-serve ordering technology.
Broad incumbents
- Compass Group: Compass Group is the world's largest contract foodservice company, operating corporate cafeterias, vending, and managed dining services globally. Competes with Zerocater on enterprise cafeteria contracts at much greater scale.
- Aramark: Aramark provides food, facilities, and uniform services to enterprises, hospitals, and universities. Overlaps with Zerocater in corporate dining and is a credible incumbent that could move down-market into SMB catering.
- Bon Appétit Management Company: Bon Appétit operates corporate, university, and museum cafés with a chef-driven, locally-sourced model. Directly comparable to Zerocater's cafeteria product and explicitly listed as a competitor in Zerocater's comparison pages.
- Guckenheimer: Guckenheimer provides corporate food service management including cafés, catering, and vending. Listed as a direct competitor by Zerocater and competes for the same enterprise cafeteria contracts.
- DoorDash for Work: DoorDash's B2B offering provides meal allowance programs and catering delivery to enterprises using its massive logistics network. Competitor named by Zerocater and benefits from significantly greater scale and logistics infrastructure.
- Sodexo: Sodexo is a global foodservice and facilities management company serving corporate, education, and healthcare clients with cafeteria and on-site dining. Provides a direct broad-competitor threat for enterprise managed-services contracts.
Emerging players
- Andros: Andros is a newer corporate catering technology platform focused on streamlining meal program management for businesses. Listed as a competitor by Zerocater and represents the emerging product-led cohort of catering tech players.
- Platterz: Platterz is a corporate catering marketplace serving Canadian and US enterprises with curated local restaurant partners. Comparable platform model and target customer base, particularly relevant as Zerocater plans its Canadian market entry.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zerocater social profiles
Digital presenceZerocater financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zerocater leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Zerocater funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zerocater M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zerocater
What does Zerocater do?
Zerocater operates a corporate catering and cafeteria platform that connects companies with a network of over 1,000 vetted restaurants and caterers to deliver daily catered meals, managed onsite cafeterias, and corporate event catering. Its products include CaterAi (an AI-powered event planning agent), Corporate Catering (daily meals with buffet or boxed formats), Corporate Cafeterias (chef-led onsite dining), and Event Catering (managed events with staffing and decor). Pricing is per-meal/per-person with city-based tiers, and the platform includes an employee app, admin dashboard, and taste profiling to personalize menus and reduce waste.
Is Zerocater a public or private company?
Zerocater is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Zerocater founded?
Zerocater was founded in 2011. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Zerocater based?
Zerocater is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zerocater make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Corporate Catering Services are the primary driver. The others are corporate Cafeteria Management and event Catering.
Who are Zerocater's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fooda and ezCater. Broad incumbents are Compass Group, Aramark, Bon Appétit Management Company, Guckenheimer, DoorDash for Work and Sodexo. Emerging players are Andros and Platterz.
Does Zerocater have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zerocater.
What industry is Zerocater in?
Zerocater's product category is Corporate Food Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAIAH, Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering), with a secondary code of HSACAGAA, Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise). Its NAICS code is 722320.