What Union Square Events does

Union Square Events is a New York-headquartered hospitality services company founded in 2005 by Danny Meyer as Hudson Yards Catering and rebranded to its current name in 2017. The company operates as a subsidiary of Union Square Hospitality Group and delivers catering, venue operations, workplace dining, and hotel food-and-beverage management under the "Enlightened Hospitality" philosophy. Its customer base spans four primary verticals: sports and entertainment venues, cultural institutions, corporate workplaces, and hotels, with additional exposure to airport lounges and private clubs.

The operating backbone is the 70,000 square foot Industry City commissary in Brooklyn (opened 2024), which houses 33,000 square feet of kitchen space, 10,000 square feet of cold-room and storage, a dedicated pastry kitchen, a 120-seat family meal room and auditorium, and a client tasting room with R&D kitchen. This facility centralizes production for catering, events, wholesale, and co-packing, supporting a portfolio of branded restaurant and bar concepts including Westmoreland (The Frick Collection), Yellow Magnolia Café (Brooklyn Botanic Garden), the Brasserie at Delta One Lounge JFK, Cedric's at The Shed, the Post Bar at Saratoga Race Course, Après at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, Box Frites (Nationals Park), Papa Rosso, Blue Smoke: On The Road, and the exclusive Shake Shack partnership in U.S. sports arenas.

Union Square Events generates revenue through enterprise contracts and managed-services agreements rather than transactional consumer sales. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company monetizes across long-duration venue operating partnerships (e.g., NY Marriott Marquis, Conrad New York Downtown, JetBlue BlueHouse, Delta Sky Club, multiple MLB/NFL/NHL venues), event catering engagements, monthly workplace dining programs, and a hospitality consulting arm (Hospitality Lab by Union Square Events). GTM is direct enterprise sales with referral momentum coming from USHG's brand and exclusive venue partnerships across cultural institutions, hotels, and sports facilities. Headcount is 251-500, with all revenue concentrated in the United States across Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest regions.

Name

Union Square Events

Legal name

USHG IP, LLC and USHG, LLC

Website

https://unionsquareevents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Union Square Events is a USHG-affiliated hospitality services company providing catering, venue management, workplace dining, and hotel F&B operations to sports venues, cultural institutions, hotels, airports, and corporate clients across the U.S., supported by a 70,000 sq ft Brooklyn commissary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality and Event Catering Services

NAICS

Food Services and Drinking Places (722), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotel & Resort Convention Venues (Convention Hotels) (THAHAAAC), Sports & Arena Event Venues (Stadiums, Arenas) (THAHAAAF), Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Event catering services
• Venue hospitality management
• Corporate dining services
• Sports arena concessions
• Hotel food beverage

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Catering & Events: Customized event catering services for corporate events, weddings, galas, and private celebrations across various cultural, corporate, entertainment, and private venues. Drawing on the principle of extending Enlightened Hospitality, they partner with clients to create memorable events and experiences.
2. Sports & Cultural Venue Operations: In-house catering, culinary management, and operation of retail F&B outlets within sports arenas, museums, theaters, airports, and specialty venues. They oversee daily operations, culinary management, and programming of concessions and on-site restaurants.
3. Workplace Hospitality: Corporate dining services including on-site cafes, executive dining, pantry and coffee programs, and corporate drop-off catering. They work with corporate partners to fuel teams and create dining experiences.
4. Hotel F&B Management: Partnership with hotel operators to elevate food and beverage programs including destination restaurants, cocktail bars, in-room dining, and banquet services. Events range from 10 to 2,800 guests.
5. Hospitality Lab Consulting: Hospitality consulting services including full-scale restaurant design and hospitality consulting for corporate and retail clients, guided by the principles of Enlightened Hospitality.
6. Restaurant & Bar Operations: Operation of restaurants and bars across various settings including sports arenas, cultural institutions, and hotel properties. Brands include Shake Shack (exclusive in sports arenas), Papa Rosso, Blue Smoke on the Road, and Box Frites.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Union Square Events delivers large-scale catering, event hospitality, and food & beverage management for cultural, corporate, sports, and entertainment venues. The company also operates workplace dining programs, hotel F&B services, and branded restaurant concepts, all supported by a 70,000 sq ft commissary facility in Brooklyn.

Product overview

Union Square Events is a multi-faceted hospitality organization offering catering, events, sports and cultural venue operations, workplace hospitality, hotel venue management, and consulting services. The company operates branded restaurant and bar concepts (Westmoreland, Brasserie, Cedric's, Yellow Magnolia, Post Bar, Après, Little Island) as well as food hall brands (Shake Shack arenas, Papa Rosso, Blue Smoke On The Road, Box Frites). Its core platform includes off-premise catering and on-site dining for corporate, cultural, entertainment, and private venues, supported by a 70,000 sq ft Innovation Kitchen commissary facility. Hospitality Lab Consulting provides concept development and assessment services as an add-on module.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hospitality Lab: Consulting division offering hospitality consulting services for world-class organizations, including full-scale restaurant design and corporate/retail client consulting.
• Shake Shack
• Blue Smoke
• Box Frites
• Papa Rosso
• Delta One Lounge Brasserie
• Westmoreland
• Cedric's
• Yellow Magnolia Café
• The Post Bar
• Après
• Little Island
• Babette, Lil's, Inklings

Products and services

• Catering and Events Off-premise and on-site customized catering services for corporate events, weddings, galas, fundraising events, and private celebrations at cultural, corporate, entertainment, and private venues.
• Sports and Cultural Venue Operations In-house catering, culinary management, and operation of retail F&B outlets within sports arenas, museums, theaters, airports, and specialty venues.
• Workplace Hospitality Corporate dining solutions including on-site cafes, executive dining, conference catering, pantry and coffee programs, and drop-off catering for businesses.
• Hotel F&B Management Food and beverage program management for hotel operators including destination restaurants, cocktail bars, in-room dining, banquet services, and event catering, scaled for events of 10 to 2,800 guests.
• Hospitality Lab Consulting Hospitality consulting services including full-scale restaurant design, hospitality program assessment, and concept development for corporate and retail clients, guided by Enlightened Hospitality principles.
• Westmoreland at The Frick Collection All-day cafe at The Frick Collection offering American cuisine from small bites to full-sized entrées with cocktails inspired by the museum's collection.
• Brasserie at Delta One Lounge JFK 140-seat Brasserie restaurant at Delta One Lounge at JFK offering curated three-course meals with seasonal, crafted menus.
• Yellow Magnolia Cafe at Brooklyn Botanic Garden Cafe at Brooklyn Botanic Garden offering modern American menu with weekday lunch, seasonal brunch, afternoon tea, and curated monthly dinners celebrating sustainability and seasonality.

Quantifiable outcome

• Events scale from 10 to 2,800 guests
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BSE GlobalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBSE Global is a partner in workplace hospitality services. The partnership involves providing corporate dining solutions and food service management for BSE Global's operations.
• Third PointcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird Point is a corporate partner for workplace hospitality services, receiving corporate dining and food service solutions from Union Square Events.
• Flexpoint FordcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFlexpoint Ford is a partner receiving workplace hospitality services including corporate dining and food service management.
• New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNYSE is a corporate partner for workplace hospitality, receiving dining services and food service solutions from Union Square Events for their financial institution operations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Delaware North Companies: Sports venue hospitality, airport dining, and concessions management at major stadiums and airports. Competes with USE for premium venue catering contracts including Delta lounges and arena concessions.
• Great Performances: NYC-based off-premise catering and events company serving cultural institutions, nonprofits, and corporate clients. Closely comparable to USE's catering and venue event operations.
• Constellation Culinary Group: Off-premise catering and corporate dining operator focused on corporate, cultural, and event clients. Comparable to USE's Catering & Events and Workplace Hospitality segments.
• Levy Restaurants (Compass Group): Direct competitor operating sports and entertainment venue hospitality, premium concessions, and restaurant partnerships across major U.S. arenas and stadiums. Most direct comparable to USE's sports venue operations.
• Sodexo Live! (formerly Centerplate): Specialized venue hospitality division operating concessions, catering, and F&B at stadiums, convention centers, and entertainment venues. Strong direct overlap with USE's sports & cultural business.
• Abigail Kirsch: NYC off-premise catering company specializing in cultural and corporate venues. Direct peer for USE's exclusive venue partnerships at museums and landmark properties.
• Restaurant Associates (Elior): Corporate dining, cultural institution, and event catering operator with deep presence in NYC. Direct competitor for USE's workplace hospitality and museum/cultural contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Aramark Sports & Entertainment: Large incumbent operating venue hospitality across sports, entertainment, convention, and business dining. Competes with USE for arena and event catering contracts but serves a much broader portfolio.
• Highgate Hotels: Hotel operator with significant food & beverage programs. USE leadership (Erik Palmer) previously held a VP role at Highgate. Relevant comparable for USE's hotel & resort hospitality management segment.

Regional players

• SSR (Sodexo, Premium airport lounges): Operates premium airport lounges globally. Comparable to USE's Delta One and JetBlue lounge operations in concept, though SSR operates at larger scale internationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unionsquareevents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-square-events
• Instagraminstagram.com/unionsqevents
• Xx.com/unionsqevents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Union Square Events