Zilli Hospitality Group

What Zilli Hospitality Group does

Zilli Hospitality Group is a family-owned, full-service catering and event design company headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin, founded in 1968 as a 13-stool ice cream stand and now operating as the premier caterer in southeast Wisconsin. The company serves the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area, executing hundreds of weddings, corporate events, social celebrations, picnics, holiday parties, and galas annually for guest counts ranging from 10 to 10,000+. Its core products span six event categories (Weddings, Corporate Events, Social Events, Picnic Catering, Holiday Parties, Galas & Fundraisers) supported by custom menu design services with dietary accommodations. A defining operational asset is the company's portfolio of five exclusive venues (Boerner Botanical Gardens, Coast, Greenhouse No. 7 at Mitchell Park Domes, The Historic Pritzlaff Building, Western Lakes Golf Club) plus 24 partner venue relationships, giving it access to 29 total venues across the region.

The business model is direct-to-client professional services delivered through dedicated event designers who guide clients from inquiry through event completion, with sales channels including website inquiries, venue tours, complimentary food tastings, and The Knot/WeddingWire platform listings. Revenue is generated through per-guest catering pricing ranging from $20-$50 for picnics, $30+ for drop-off catering, $50+ for staffed events, and $70-$140 for wedding catering, plus venue management revenue from the five exclusive locations. The company employs 51-100 people, is privately held by the Zilli family across multiple generations, and operates without external institutional investment. Its competitive positioning rests on exclusive venue access, 55+ years of regional brand equity (The Knot Hall of Fame, ICA Catie Awards, 300+ five-star reviews), and a full-service bundled offering that competitors in the Milwaukee market cannot easily replicate.

Name

Zilli Hospitality Group

Legal name

Zilli Hospitality Group Inc

Website

https://zillihospitalitygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Zilli Hospitality Group is a family-owned, full-service catering and event design company founded in 1968 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, serving the greater Milwaukee metro with weddings, corporate events, social celebrations, and five exclusive venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Catering and Venue Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Hotel & Resort Banqueting (In-House Catering) (THAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beverage Services (Bar Catering, Mixology, Beverage Programs) (THAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Event catering services
• Wedding catering
• Corporate event catering
• Event venue management
• Private event planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Waukesha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Full-Service Catering: Core revenue stream providing food and beverage service for events. Includes custom menu design, food preparation, on-site service, bar service, and cleanup. Pricing varies by service style (buffet, plated, interactive stations) and guest count. Drop-off catering starts around $30/guest, staffed events from $50/guest, wedding catering from $70-$140/guest.
2. Venue Management: The company operates five exclusive venues (Boerner Botanical Gardens, Coast, Greenhouse No. 7 at Mitchell Park Domes, The Historic Pritzlaff Building, Western Lakes Golf Club) with all-inclusive pricing that includes venue rental, custom catering, event design, and related services.
3. Event Planning and Design Services: Dedicated event designers provide planning services including venue selection assistance, menu curation, design consultation, vendor coordination, and day-of event management. Services are bundled with catering and venue contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zilli Hospitality Group provides full-service catering, event design, and venue management for weddings, corporate events, social celebrations, picnics, holiday parties, and galas across southeastern Wisconsin. The company custom-designs menus, supplies on-site chefs, servers and bartenders, and operates five exclusive venues bundled with all-inclusive pricing. Dedicated event designers guide each client from initial inquiry through venue selection, menu curation, vendor coordination, and day-of execution.

Product overview

Zilli Hospitality Group is a premier full-service catering and event design company serving southeast Wisconsin, operating since 1968. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of event services organized around six core offerings: Wedding Services, Corporate Events, Social Events, Picnic Catering, Holiday Parties, and Galas & Fundraisers. Central to the offering is a custom menu service featuring buffet, plated, and interactive station catering with dietary accommodations. Zilli also manages five exclusive venues: Boerner Botanical Gardens, Coast, Greenhouse No. 7 at Mitchell Park Domes, The Historic Pritzlaff Building, and Western Lakes Golf Club. The company executes hundreds of events annually at these exclusive venues and partner venues throughout the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wedding Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Event sizes range from intimate gatherings of 10 to corporate events with 10,000+ attendees
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Aramark: Large-scale food service and hospitality provider with significant event, sports, and venue catering operations; provides the broad-incumbent competitive benchmark for large corporate and sports-venue accounts.
• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management giant that operates in event catering and corporate hospitality at scale; relevant as a broad incumbent competitor for enterprise catering contracts.
• Compass Group: Global contract foodservice and support services company with extensive event and venue catering; relevant for understanding scale, pricing, and capability benchmarks Zilli is measured against in enterprise pursuits.

Emerging players

• Burns Original BBQ: Wisconsin-based regional caterer specializing in corporate picnics and large-scale outdoor events; comparable to Zilli's picnic and tailgate segment with a focused niche.
• St. Paul Brewing Co. Midwest venue-and-catering operator combining private event space with on-site food and beverage; comparable to Zilli's exclusive-venue bundled model at smaller scale.

Direct peers

• Saz's Catering: Long-standing Milwaukee-based full-service catering company serving weddings, corporate, and social events; directly comparable in operating model, geography, and target customer base to Zilli.
• Bartolotta Catering & Events: Milwaukee premium event and catering brand operating multiple venues; competes head-to-head with Zilli in high-end weddings, corporate galas, and exclusive-venue catering.

Regional players

• Best Events Catering: Wisconsin-based catering and event services firm offering wedding and corporate catering across multiple venues; comparable operating model with a broader regional footprint.
• All Occasions Catering: Midwest full-service caterer providing corporate, wedding, and social event catering with venue partnerships; structurally similar to Zilli in service mix and delivery model.
• BellaCucina Catering: Chicago-area full-service catering and event company with wedding and corporate focus; similar premium-service model with comparable per-guest pricing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zillihospgroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/zillihospitality
• Facebookfacebook.com/zillihospitalitygroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/zillihospitalitygroup
• Pinterestpinterest.com/zillihospgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zilli Hospitality Group