On Safari Foods

What On Safari Foods does

On Safari Foods is a Seattle-based, founder-owned full-service catering company founded in 1996 by South African-born Teresa Carew. The company provides customizable catering for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations, with menus emphasizing sustainably sourced local ingredients and a 100% humanely raised protein program. Core operations are anchored at a single SODO production kitchen (3317 3rd Ave South), supported by an in-house culinary and waitstaff team and supplier relationships with Charlie's Produce, Painted Hills, Carlton Farms, and Draper Valley. The company also operates the On Safari Espresso Bar in the King5 Building and offers specialized dietary menus including vegan, kosher-style, gluten-free, and allergen-sensitive options, alongside full bar services, dessert and snack catering, and seasonal/themed menus.

The business operates across four distinct revenue streams: event catering services (with order minimums ranging from $250 weekday breakfast to $2,000 weekend), the WorkWalas corporate subscription meal subsidiary launched in 2020, the espresso bar retail outlet, and online ordering for frozen entrees and specialty items for pickup. Pricing for corporate lunches ranges $15-$20 per person, and WorkWalas offers monthly subscription programs structured around per-employee budgets (e.g., $80/employee weekly). Distribution is concentrated in the Seattle/Puget Sound metropolitan area including Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Tacoma, and Everett, with marketing conducted through the company website, social media, email newsletters, and wedding directory listings (Zola, WeddingWire, The Knot).

The customer base is diversified across weddings, corporate clients, private celebrations, and Seattle's Jewish community. Named customer references include an unnamed 100-person office, the King5 Building (espresso bar host), Redfin (co-marketing), and a World Central Kitchen fundraiser. The company maintains founder ownership with Teresa Carew as Founder & CEO and Elizabeth Zipper as Operations & Catering Manager; no external funding, parent company, or institutional investment has been disclosed.

Name

On Safari Foods

Legal name

On Safari Foods

Website

https://onsafarifoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

On Safari Foods is a Seattle-based, founder-owned full-service catering company founded in 1996, serving weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations with sustainably sourced, humanely raised protein menus. It also operates the WorkWalas corporate subscription meal subsidiary and the On Safari Espresso Bar retail cafe in the King5 Building.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Dietary & Wellness Catering (Vegan, Halal, Kosher, Allergy-Friendly) (THAFAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Dietary Catering (Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Allergen-Free, Medical) (THAHAKAK), Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Custom catering services
• Wedding and event catering
• Corporate foodservice
• Sustainable catering
• Kosher-style catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Catering Services: Revenue generated from wedding catering, corporate events, private parties, and special occasions. Pricing varies by event size, menu selection, staffing needs, and day of week. Minimum order amounts apply.
2. Corporate Foodservice Programs: Subscription-based corporate food service including Stipend Program, Enhanced Foodservice Program, Microkitchen Stocking, and Catered Boxes with Home Delivery. Corporate lunches range $15-$20 per person.
3. Espresso Bar Retail: Walk-in and take-out cafe serving coffee, espresso drinks, grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items. Located in King5 Building, open to public Monday-Friday.
4. Online Ordering: Direct-to-consumer online ordering for frozen entrees, pizza dough, and specialty food items for pickup.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

On Safari Foods is a full-service custom catering company that prepares and delivers food for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations across the Seattle metropolitan area. Its core revenue is generated from event catering with menu customization, professional service staff, and bar services, supplemented by a wholly-owned subscription-based corporate meal-delivery subsidiary (WorkWalas) and a walk-in retail espresso bar. The company emphasizes 100% humanely raised proteins, locally and seasonally sourced ingredients, and made-from-scratch preparation.

Product overview

On Safari Foods is a Seattle-based sustainable catering company offering a comprehensive suite of food service solutions. The core offering is full-service catering for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations, supplemented by an On Safari Espresso Bar cafe, Full Bar Services, and specialized dietary offerings including vegan and kosher-style menus. The company also operates WorkWalas as a subsidiary providing corporate subscription meal services. Their product portfolio is structured as a unified catering platform with multiple add-on service modules including seasonal/themed menus, dessert catering, snack catering, and bar services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• On Safari Espresso Bar: Espresso bar located in the King5 Building at 1501 1st Ave S., Seattle, open to the public Monday-Friday 7:30am-2:30pm
• WorkWalas

Products and services

• Full-Service Catering (Weddings, Corporate, Private Events) Full-service customizable catering for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations in the Seattle area, offering globally inspired cuisine made from sustainably sourced ingredients, with chef-prepared menus, professional service staff, and event-day execution.
• WorkWalas Corporate Meal Subscription Wholly-owned subscription-based offsite corporate food service delivering individually packaged meals straight to workplaces, including Stipend Programs, Enhanced Foodservice Programs, Microkitchen Stocking, and Catered Boxes with Home Delivery for Seattle-area companies.
• On Safari Espresso Bar Walk-in retail cafe in Seattle's King5 Building serving coffee, espresso drinks, tea lattes, house-baked pastries, sandwiches, salads, hot soups, and grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items to the public.
• Full Bar Services Professional bartending services for catered events, including full bar setup, beer and wine service, custom signature cocktails, tableside wine service, tray-passed drinks, and specialty bars like boozy milkshake bars.
• Kosher-Style Catering Catering services prepared in keeping with kosher dietary laws, offering both meat and dairy meal options, with kosher meats and full glatt kosher preparation available in a kosher kitchen, including dedicated Passover menus.
• Vegan Catering Menu 100% plant-based catering menu with creative vegan appetizers, entrees, and desserts designed for events.
• Seasonal and Themed Catering Menus Chef-curated holiday and seasonal catering menus for events tied to occasions like Thanksgiving, Chinese New Year, Rosh Hashanah, Oktoberfest, and the World Cup.
• Dessert Catering Dessert catering offering decorated cookies, tarts, cakes (full sheet, half sheet, 9-inch round), cupcakes, cheesecakes, pies, and specialty dessert items for events.
• Snack Catering for Office Kitchens High-quality snack catering for stocked office kitchens, including whole fruit, granola bars, nuts, yogurt, chips, and vegetables with hummus.
• Online Ordering for Pickup (Frozen Entrees, Pizza Dough, Specialty Foods) Direct-to-consumer online ordering for frozen entrees, pizza dough, and specialty food items available for customer pickup at the Seattle headquarters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% humanely raised protein for all meat offerings
• +1 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• RedfinminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 October 2024Co-marketing partnership for Halloween party event. On Safari Foods provided party tips and recipes while Redfin co-branded the content.
• 3100 CellarsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 May 2022Idaho sparkling wine producer featured at On Safari Foods' Bubbly Tasting Fundraiser for World Central Kitchen. Small business support partnership.
• WorkWalascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company providing innovative subscription-based offsite food service model for corporate clients, delivering individually packaged meals to workplaces. Part of On Safari Foods' new approach to corporate catering.
• Charlie\'s ProducecoreOthersProduce supplier with the largest local and organic program in Seattle. They aggregate produce from small farms North of Seattle and East of the mountains, supporting local farmers.
• Painted Hills (Natural Beef)coreOthersBeef supplier providing humanely raised, sustainable beef products as part of On Safari's 100% humanely raised protein program.
• Carlton FarmscoreOthersPork supplier for humanely raised protein program. Used for pork tenderloin and other pork products.
• Draper ValleycoreOthersChicken supplier for sustainable, humanely raised poultry products.
• Shepherd's GrainminorOthersFlour supplier providing direct seed, no-till flour products for pizza dough and baked goods.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering: Seattle-based full-service caterer offering event catering, corporate catering, and wedding services with comparable menu customization and minimum-order structures. Direct geographic and service-line competitor.
• Herban Feast: Seattle caterer specializing in farm-to-table, sustainably sourced cuisine for weddings and corporate events. Direct overlap in sustainable-event catering positioning and Seattle metro service area.
• Act 3 Catering: Seattle-based full-service caterer for corporate events, weddings, and private parties with custom menus and professional service. Comparable offerings, customer segments, and delivery geography.
• Kaspar's Catering: Seattle-area full-service catering company serving weddings, corporate events, and private parties. Overlapping customer segments and Seattle-metro operating geography.
• Bountiful Table Catering: Seattle caterer focused on seasonal, locally sourced menus for weddings and corporate events. Overlap in sustainable-sourcing positioning and Pacific Northwest service area.

Broad incumbents

• ezCater: Largest online marketplace for corporate catering in the US. Competes with On Safari's WorkWalas corporate offering through a national platform with broader restaurant and caterer selection.
• Fooda: Corporate food service platform offering recurring on-site and off-site meal programs. Direct overlap with WorkWalas subscription model and corporate food-service segment.
• Zerocater: Corporate catering platform providing managed meal programs for employers. Competes with On Safari for corporate accounts seeking technology-enabled food program management.
• Aramark: Global food service and facilities management giant serving corporate, sports, and event clients. Represents potential large-scale competitive threat in the Seattle corporate catering market.
• Compass Group: World's largest contract foodservice company. Operates broad corporate, event, and venue catering services that compete with On Safari for large Seattle accounts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OnSafariSeattle
• Facebookfacebook.com/OnSafariSeattle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/on-safari-foods
• Instagraminstagram.com/onsafariseattle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 On Safari Foods