The Clean Plate Club

What The Clean Plate Club does

The Clean Plate Club is a privately held, family-owned full-service catering and event design company founded in 1980 in Nashville, Tennessee, operating from its headquarters at 423 Houston Street. The company provides on-site catering and integrated event design services (including décor, florals, rentals, and lighting coordination via curated industry partners) across weddings, corporate events, social gatherings, holiday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, and film/television production sets throughout the Nashville and Middle Tennessee region.

The company's offering is built on a bespoke, "blank-page" menu development process led by senior culinary and sales staff, with Executive Chef Dave Williams (30 years of culinary experience across Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, and the Brown Hotel; 12 years at the company) and Senior Sales/Event Specialist Harrison Williams (25 years in special events, with prior work involving A-list celebrities and world leaders). Founder Monica Holmes, her son Chris Holmes (co-owner/operations), and Chris's wife Lisa Holmes (Office Manager) form the leadership core of a multi-generational family business that explicitly avoids cookie-cutter events in favor of customized proposals priced per-person with separate line items for beverage, staffing, rentals, and a 21% Operations Fee on hard costs.

Commercially, the company runs a sales-led motion with inquiries routed through a Typeform-integrated website, email, and phone. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; bookings require a $2,500 Save-the-Date Retainer, with 50% of the balance due 30 days before each event and the final balance due 5 days prior. The business has no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no app or software products; its competitive position rests on long-tenured culinary and event talent, a 45-year Nashville brand, and an established network of venue partnerships (The Parthenon, The Cordelle, Oz Arts, Cannery Hall, Saint Elle, The Ruby, Clementine Hall, MIX Nashville, Curated Events) plus institutional ties to N.A.C.E. Nashville and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.

Name

The Clean Plate Club

Legal name

The Clean Plate Club

Website

https://cleanplateclubevents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Clean Plate Club is a family-owned, full-service caterer and event designer founded in 1980 in Nashville, Tennessee, serving weddings, corporate events, social gatherings, holidays, bar/bat mitzvahs, and production sets throughout Middle Tennessee with bespoke menus and integrated event design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Full-service catering
• Event design services
• Wedding catering
• Corporate catering
• Production set catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Catering Services: Full-service catering for events of all sizes including weddings, corporate events, social events, holidays, bar/bat mitzvahs, and production catering. Revenue is generated through per-person menu pricing with additional line items for beverage, staffing, rentals, and venue coordination. Menu prices are billed per person, with staffing, rentals, and other services listed as separate line items in proposals.
2. Event Design Services: Full event design services offered alongside catering, allowing clients to have comprehensive event planning handled by the company. This includes event design, décor, florals, rentals, and lighting coordination through industry partners.
3. Tasting Services: For weddings and large-scale events with Food & Beverage totals under $4000, private tastings are available for a fee of $400 for up to four guests. Free tastings are provided for events exceeding $4000 with signed contract and retainer in place.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Clean Plate Club provides full-service catering for events of all sizes, including weddings, corporate events, social gatherings, holiday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, and production set catering in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Each event begins with a blank-page consultation to develop a customized menu, with food preparation, presentation, and service staff delivered on-location at client venues. The offering is complemented by full event design services covering décor, florals, rentals, and lighting coordination through curated industry partners.

Product overview

The Clean Plate Club is a full-service catering and event design company founded in 1980, offering catering services as its primary product complemented by event design services. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio including passed hors d'oeuvres, plated dinner menus, buffet menus, and interactive station menus across categories such as Asian, Mexican, and Southern cuisine. Event design services encompass décor, florals, rentals, and lighting. Production catering for film and television sets is also offered, featuring flexible scheduling and quick turnaround. The company specializes in custom menu creation aligned with event themes and serves diverse occasions including weddings, corporate events, social gatherings, and bar/bat mitzvahs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero customer complaints on food quality - rated 12/10 by wedding clients

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Curated EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner featured on the Clean Plate Club community page. Provides event space and potentially refers clients to Clean Plate Club for catering services.
• The ParthenonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHistoric Nashville venue partner for events. Clean Plate Club provides catering services for events held at this landmark location.
• Saint ElleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNashville event venue partner featured on the community page for potential referrals and event collaboration.
• The CordelleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNashville event venue partner for events and celebrations.
• Oz ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArts-focused venue partner in Nashville for creative and cultural events.
• Cannery HallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNashville event venue partner offering event spaces for various occasions.
• N.A.C.E NashvilleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional association of Catering & Event Professionals chapter in Nashville. Membership indicates industry engagement and networking.
• Nashville Convention & Visitor CorpminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial convention and visitors bureau for Nashville. Partnership supports corporate event marketing and referrals for the company's corporate catering services.
• The RubyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNashville event venue partner for catering collaboration.
• Clementine HallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent venue partner in Nashville for corporate and social events.
• MIX NashvilleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNashville event venue partner for catering services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Beyond Details Catering & Event Design: Nashville-based full-service caterer offering weddings, corporate events, and event design with on-site service. Directly comparable in customer segments (weddings and corporate), geographic market, and bundled service model.
• The Party Chef: Nashville full-service catering company specializing in weddings, corporate, and private events with custom menus and on-site service. Comparable target customers, custom menu approach, and Nashville metro focus.
• Copper Kettle Catering: Long-standing Nashville area caterer providing full-service catering for weddings, corporate events, and social gatherings. Competes directly for the same Middle Tennessee clientele and event types.

Regional players

• Margot Café & Bar / Catering: Nashville farm-to-table restaurant that also offers off-premise catering for events. Comparable chef-driven menu approach and Nashville geography, though their primary business is restaurant dine-in rather than dedicated catering.
• Arnold's Country Kitchen: Iconic Nashville Southern food institution with event catering offerings. Comparable Nashville footprint and local-brand strength, but anchored on a sit-down restaurant rather than dedicated full-service event catering.

Broad incumbents

• Aramark: Global food service and catering conglomerate serving corporate, sports, entertainment, and institutional clients. Broad incumbent in the same industry, though its scale and portfolio approach differ from a boutique Nashville wedding/social caterer.
• Sodexo: International food services and facilities management company with significant corporate and event catering operations. Overlaps in corporate event catering but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a regional boutique caterer.
• Compass Group: Global contract foodservice and support services group operating multiple event and corporate catering brands. Industry incumbent with overlapping corporate catering capabilities at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thecleanplateclub
• Instagraminstagram.com/cleanplatenash
• Xx.com/cleanplatenash
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-clean-plate-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 The Clean Plate Club