Entertaining Company
Entertaining Company is a Chicago-based full-service catering firm, founded in 1989, that designs and serves custom menus for weddings, corporate events, galas, social gatherings, and boat events across the Chicagoland and North Shore areas, with specialty expertise in Indian, Jewish, and dietary-restricted celebrations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Entertaining Company does
Entertaining Company is a Chicago-based, full-service catering firm founded in 1989 that designs, prepares, and serves food for weddings, corporate events, galas, social gatherings, and boat events across the Chicagoland and North Shore areas. Its core offering is custom per-event catering assembled through one-on-one client conversations, with a documented specialty in culturally specific events — Modern Indian weddings and South Asian celebrations, Modern Jewish holidays and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, and LGBTQ+ and dietary-restricted weddings — supported by a kosher-style kitchen and accommodations for Jain, Halal, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets without surcharges. Supporting products include the EC Blog (content marketing platform), EC eGift Cards sold through a WooCommerce storefront, and styling/design services for tabletops and entryways.
The business is fundamentally a human-staffed services operation. A small core full-time team in sales, design, marketing, and operations management is supplemented by an on-call freelance workforce of event supervisors, wait staff, bartenders, chefs and cooks, dishwashers, and warehouse and delivery personnel. The firm is a preferred caterer at Chicago's most celebrated venues and holds a partnership with First Lady Cruises for boat and yacht catering on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, and it has executed staffed events with 2,000+ guests. The technology stack is deliberately lightweight: WooCommerce on WordPress via GoDaddy for e-commerce, Stripe for payment processing, and SSL/AES-256 encryption for data handling — there is no proprietary software product or platform.
The revenue model is quote-based, pay-as-you-go professional services for each event, with gift cards sold as a one-time transactional product. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via phone (312-829-2800), email ([email protected]), and website inquiry forms; no third-party aggregators or marketplaces are used. Customer acquisition is supported by content marketing (blog, email newsletter) and earned media (Special Events Magazine, Martha Stewart, The Knot). The company is privately held, founder-operated, headquartered at 1640 W. Walnut Street in Chicago, and has not raised institutional funding.
Entertaining Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Entertaining Company
- Legal name
- Entertaining Company, LLC
- Website
- https://entertainingcompany.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Entertaining Company is a Chicago-based full-service catering firm, founded in 1989, that designs and serves custom menus for weddings, corporate events, galas, social gatherings, and boat events across the Chicagoland and North Shore areas, with specialty expertise in Indian, Jewish, and dietary-restricted celebrations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Entertaining Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Catering Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Off-Premise / Mobile Event Catering (THAHAKAD), Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders) (THAHAKAN)
Keywords
Where Entertaining Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Entertaining Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Full-Service Event Catering: Custom catering for events of all sizes - from small house parties to galas with 2,000+ guests. Revenue generated through per-event service fees including food preparation, staffing, setup, and event service. Includes drop-off catering with complimentary concierge setup, and staffed events with onsite chefs preparing food fresh.
- Gift Cards: EC eGift Cards sold through WooCommerce online store.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Event Catering - pricing varies by event size, menu selection, and service requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Entertaining Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Entertaining Company is a Chicago-based full-service catering company that provides customized culinary and event staffing services for weddings, corporate events, galas, social celebrations, and boat/yacht events throughout Chicagoland and the North Shore. The company specializes in cultural cuisine catering including Modern Indian weddings and Jewish celebrations, offering drop-off and staffed event services with on-site food preparation.
Product overview
Entertaining Company is a Chicago-based full-service catering company offering a portfolio of culinary and event catering services. The core offering consists of wedding catering (including LGBTQ+ and dietary-specific celebrations), corporate events, social gatherings, galas, and boat events. Specialized cultural catering includes Modern Indian Weddings and Modern Jewish celebrations (Mitzvahs, holidays) with Kosher-style kitchen capabilities. Supporting products include an EC Blog for inspiration and EC eGift Cards. The company operates from 1989 and serves the Chicagoland and North Shore areas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wedding Catering Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully catered staffed events with 2,000+ guests while maintaining personal touch
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Entertaining Company
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Entertaining Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Entertaining Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- First Lady CruisescorePartnership with First Lady Cruises enables Entertaining Company to provide boat and yacht catering aboard vessels sailing the Chicago skyline on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. Company brings signature culinary style to yacht events with inspired seasonal boat menus including summer BBQ buffet and taco stand options.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Entertaining Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jewell Events Catering: Chicago-based full-service caterer covering weddings, corporate events, and galas with an emphasis on design and presentation. Closely mirrors EC's premium boutique positioning and Chicagoland service footprint.
- Catering by Michaels: Family-owned Chicago boutique caterer specializing in weddings, corporate entertaining, and private events. Comparable in customization depth, client-concierge sales motion, and regional scope.
- Fooda: Chicago-founded workplace and event catering platform serving corporate food programs and events. Comparable on Chicago footprint and corporate catering demand, though more tech-enabled and self-service oriented.
- Blue Plate Catering: Long-established Chicago full-service caterer serving corporate, wedding, and social events across the metro area. Directly comparable in service mix, premium positioning, and event-driven GTM.
- Hei Ping Catering & Events: Chicago full-service caterer covering weddings, corporate events, and cultural celebrations with custom menus. Comparable in custom menu design and cultural-event expertise.
- Paramount Events: Chicago luxury wedding and corporate caterer emphasizing design, custom menus, and venue partnerships. Directly comparable on premium segment, wedding focus, and venue-affiliation strategy.
- Boutique Bites: Chicago-based boutique catering company focused on weddings, social, and corporate events with custom menus. Comparable in service scale, customization model, and Chicagoland geographic focus.
Broad incumbents
- Lettuce Entertain You Catering & Events: Catering arm of the Chicago-founded Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, offering upscale weddings and corporate events. Comparable on Chicago market and premium positioning, but leverages a much broader restaurant portfolio and operational scale.
- Total Hospitality by Sodexo Live!: Large-scale event hospitality and catering provider operating at major venues and events nationwide. Comparable on premium corporate and gala event catering, though vastly larger in scale, geography, and venue count.
Others
- Trump National Golf Club Chicago Catering: Venue-anchored catering for weddings and corporate events in the Chicago market. Indirectly comparable as a venue-partnered caterer competing for the same Chicagoland wedding/corporate spend pool.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Entertaining Company social profiles
Digital presenceEntertaining Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Entertaining Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Entertaining Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Entertaining Company 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 Entertaining Company
What does Entertaining Company do?
Entertaining Company is a Chicago-based full-service catering company that provides customized culinary and event staffing services for weddings, corporate events, galas, social celebrations, and boat/yacht events throughout Chicagoland and the North Shore. The company specializes in cultural cuisine catering including Modern Indian weddings and Jewish celebrations, offering drop-off and staffed event services with on-site food preparation.
Is Entertaining Company a public or private company?
Entertaining Company is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Entertaining Company founded?
Entertaining Company was founded in 1989. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Entertaining Company based?
Entertaining Company is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Entertaining Company make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Full-Service Event Catering is the primary driver. The others are gift Cards.
Who are Entertaining Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jewell Events Catering, Catering by Michaels, Fooda, Blue Plate Catering, Hei Ping Catering & Events, Paramount Events and Boutique Bites. Broad incumbents are Lettuce Entertain You Catering & Events and Total Hospitality by Sodexo Live!. Trump National Golf Club Chicago Catering is listed as an others.
Does Entertaining Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Entertaining Company.
What industry is Entertaining Company in?
Entertaining Company's product category is Event Catering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAKAE, Wedding & Social Event Catering, with a secondary code of THAHAKAD, Off-Premise / Mobile Event Catering. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 5810.