Cini-Little International

What Cini-Little International does

Cini-Little International is an independent professional consulting firm founded in 1968 and headquartered in Frederick, Maryland, with a second headquarters in Toronto, Canada. The firm delivers specialized consulting across four core service modules: foodservice design, waste planning, management advisory services, and laundry consulting. It serves enterprise clients across six primary verticals—workplace/corporate, healthcare, education, hospitality, retail/entertainment, and sports/public assembly—with marquee projects including Universal Studios Beijing, CHUM Montreal, Obama Presidential Center, Oklahoma City Convention Center, Scotiabank Arena, and corporate foodservice programs for Google, Netflix, Bloomberg, Nike, and Accenture. The firm has no equipment-sales or operator affiliations, preserving its role as a pure independent advisor to architects, developers, owners, and operators of large-scale commercial facilities.

Service delivery spans the full project lifecycle from program development through construction administration, executed by university-trained, FCSI-member consultants stationed at 22 office locations across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Differentiated methodologies include an eight-phase waste consultation process that begins before schematic design, 3D modeling-based kitchen visualization, and cloud-based secure collaboration technology enabling real-time client engagement. The waste management practice—originating in the Toronto office in the late 1980s in response to Canadian municipal requirements—now operates approximately 180 active projects. The firm productizes thought leadership through the Cini Sessions video/podcast series and downloadable educational guides, and holds AIA Approved Provider status plus WBE and WOSB certifications.

The company is privately held and women-owned, with no disclosed external institutional investment, funding rounds, or M&A activity. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise engagement with architect and design-community partnerships, augmented by thought-leadership marketing, an AIA continuing-education channel, and industry award recognition (FCSI, FE&S, NYCxDesign). Revenue is not publicly disclosed; headcount is reported at 51–100.

Name

Cini-Little International

Legal name

Cini-Little International, Inc.

Website

https://cinilittle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cini-Little International is an independent consulting firm founded in 1968 that delivers foodservice design, waste planning, management advisory, and laundry consulting to enterprise clients across workplace, healthcare, education, hospitality, retail, and sports/public assembly sectors globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice and Waste Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Specialized Design Services (5414), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE) (EDAAALAG)

Keywords

• Foodservice design consulting
• Commercial kitchen planning
• Waste management consulting
• Laundry facility design
• Hospitality operations advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Germantown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foodservice Design Consulting: Project-based consulting fees for foodservice facility design, covering program development through construction administration. Services include schematic planning, design development, contract document development, bid and contract award support, and construction supervision.
2. Waste Planning Services: Whole building waste logistics and planning consulting, including equipment evaluation, generation analysis, recycling studies, design review, and manual development. The waste practice has grown to approximately 180 active projects.
3. Management Advisory Services: Custom-tailored advisory services including master planning, operating programs, operator selection (RFP), operations analysis, market/feasibility studies, and financial analysis and projections.
4. Laundry Consulting: Design services and workflow analysis for commercial laundry operations, including operations assessment and pre-opening assessment for hotels and hospitals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cini-Little International provides independent professional consulting in foodservice design, waste planning and logistics, management advisory services, and laundry facility design for commercial and institutional facilities. The firm supports clients through the full project lifecycle—from program development and feasibility studies through schematic design, contract documents, bid award, and construction administration—serving workplace, healthcare, education, hospitality, retail/entertainment, and sports/public assembly sectors across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan.

Product overview

Cini-Little International is an independent foodservice consulting firm offering four core service modules: Foodservice Design, Waste Planning, Management Advisory Services, and Laundry Consulting. The firm provides end-to-end consulting from program development through construction administration, complemented by educational resources including the Strategic Waste Management Guide, the Sustainable & Efficient Foodservice Spaces Guide, and the Cini Sessions video series. The company serves diverse market sectors including workplace, education, healthcare, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and sports/public assembly venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foodservice Design Comprehensive foodservice design consulting covering program development, schematic planning, design development, contract document development, bid and contract award, and construction supervision for commercial kitchens and foodservice operations across workplace, healthcare, education, hospitality, retail/entertainment, and sports/public assembly venues.
• Waste Planning Whole building waste logistics and planning consulting, including equipment evaluation, generation analysis, recycling studies, design review, and manual development for sustainable waste management solutions across commercial and institutional facilities. The waste practice averages approximately 180 active projects and operates through a proprietary eight-phase consultation process starting at programming before schematic design.
• Management Advisory Services Custom-tailored strategic consulting including master planning, operating programs, operator selection (RFP), operations analysis and development, market/feasibility analysis, mix analysis, proforma development, financial analysis, surveys and focus groups, and benchmarking for foodservice operators and developers.
• Laundry Consulting Laundry facility design services and workflow analysis covering operations assessment and pre-opening assessment for commercial and institutional laundry facilities, including hotels, hospitals, and other large-volume operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Waste diversion rates of 60-70% at operational maturity for well-designed waste programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Compass Group: World's largest contract foodservice and support services company with deep institutional relationships — competes with Cini-Little for enterprise foodservice relationships and offers design/consulting-adjacent services through its subsidiaries.
• TriMark: Large U.S. foodservice equipment distributor with in-house design services and consulting — competes with Cini-Little on design advisory while also supplying equipment, but is materially larger and conflict-interested versus Cini-Little's independent model.
• Middleby Corporation: Global foodservice equipment manufacturer with integrated design, consulting, and turnkey solutions through brands like Middleby Design Group — a broad incumbent with overlapping foodservice design capabilities as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Ali Group: Italian-headquartered global foodservice equipment manufacturer with multiple commercial kitchen and design brands — competes indirectly through bundled equipment-plus-design offerings to large hospitality and institutional clients.
• Hobart: Major foodservice equipment manufacturer (ITW Food Equipment Group) and long-standing authority on commercial kitchen design — overlaps with Cini-Little's foodservice design work through equipment-led specification and reference designs.
• RATIONAL: Global leader in commercial combi-oven technology with deep kitchen design and workflow advisory expertise — comparable to Cini-Little's advisory work for foodservice operations at scale, though focused on a single equipment category.
• Aramark: Global contract foodservice and facilities operator serving sports, healthcare, education, and corporate clients — comparable to Cini-Little's client verticals but operates as an employer/operator rather than independent design consultant.
• Sodexo: Global contract foodservice operator with significant healthcare, education, and corporate presence — overlaps with Cini-Little's institutional client verticals and offers design and advisory services through its integrated solutions team.
• Sysco: Largest U.S. foodservice distribution company with design consultancy and supply chain advisory services — adjacent to Cini-Little's foodservice advisory work, particularly for operator clients seeking design-plus-procurement solutions.

Direct peers

• Shambaugh: Foodservice design, engineering, and construction firm delivering integrated design-build services across commercial kitchens — directly overlaps with Cini-Little's foodservice design and planning offering while also adding construction execution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbBfVDkXO6ZP36JGBhaCpCQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/CiniLittle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cini-little-international
• Xx.com/cinilittle

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Cini-Little International