Cini-Little International
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersGermantown, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Cini-Little International firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Cini-Little International industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Cini-Little International is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Germantown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices22 records
Markets served
Cini-Little International business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Cini-Little International product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Cini-Little International
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cini-Little International technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Cini-Little International partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cini-Little International competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad 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
Cini-Little International social profiles
Digital presenceCini-Little International compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Cini-Little International financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cini-Little International leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Cini-Little International funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cini-Little International M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cini-Little International
What does Cini-Little International do?
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.
Is Cini-Little International a public or private company?
Cini-Little International is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cini-Little International founded?
Cini-Little International was founded in 1968. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cini-Little International based?
Cini-Little International is headquartered in Germantown, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cini-Little International make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Foodservice Design Consulting is the primary driver. The others are waste Planning Services, management Advisory Services and laundry Consulting.
Who are Cini-Little International's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Compass Group, TriMark, Middleby Corporation, Ali Group, Hobart, RATIONAL, Aramark, Sodexo and Sysco. Shambaugh is listed as a direct peer.
Does Cini-Little International have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cini-Little International.
What industry is Cini-Little International in?
Cini-Little International's product category is Foodservice and Waste Management Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAALAG, Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE). Its NAICS code is 54161.