What Medirest does

Medirest GmbH is a German healthcare-focused contract caterer headquartered in Eschborn and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Compass Group Deutschland GmbH, the German arm of UK-listed Compass Group PLC (the world's largest foodservice company). Founded in 1986, Medirest provides patient and resident catering, staff dining, and retail foodservice for more than 50 hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, and senior care facilities across Germany, serving approximately 32,000 guests daily. Its offering is organized around several proprietary nutrition concepts (balance, smartquality, Catering to You, Gesund genießen im Alter) and production methods (cook-serve, cook-chill, sous-vide, cook-freeze, Steamplicity), with sister brands Kanne Café, Shop2go, and Scolarest extending into retail and educational catering, and PLURAL and orgaMed providing bundled facility management and sterile goods services.

The technology stack is primarily operational: integrated kitchen management software, digital patient and staff ordering platforms (Time2Eat app), digital quality management (Quality Counts), a hospital kitchen benchmarking self-assessment (Zukunftscheck), and an experimental delivery robot (Jeeves). Production is supported by certified processes under ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and 13485, with HACCP, DGE, RAL Gütezeichen, and Bio certifications. Medirest's go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales managed by regional sales leaders, targeting hospital and care facility procurement through consultative concept presentations and participation in industry events such as the Hauptstadtkongress. Revenue is generated through per-meal fees, management fees, and supply margins under multi-year contracts structured as full catering, partial catering, supply/delivery, or dedicated service company (Servicegesellschaft) arrangements.

Name

Medirest

Legal name

Medirest GmbH

Website

https://medirest.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Medirest is a German contract caterer specializing in patient and resident food service for hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, and senior care facilities, operating as a subsidiary of Compass Group and serving approximately 32,000 guests daily across 50+ healthcare sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Catering Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH), Corporate Catering & Office Food Programs (HSACAGAC), Specialty Dietary & Wellness Catering (Vegan, Halal, Kosher, Allergy-Friendly) (THAFAIAK)

Keywords

• Healthcare catering services
• Contract food services
• Patient nutrition management
• Hospital food management
• Senior care meals

Headquarters

HQ city

Eschborn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Catering Services: Medirest generates revenue by providing contract catering services to healthcare facilities (hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, senior homes). Contracts are structured as full catering management, partial catering, supply/delivery models, or service companies (Servicegesellschaften). Revenue is derived from a combination of per-meal fees, management fees, and supply margins, typically under multi-year contractual arrangements.
2. Retail Foodservice Operations: Medirest operates retail food concepts (Kanne Café cafés, Shop2go snack shops, vending machines) within healthcare facilities, generating revenue through direct consumer sales as well as facility management fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Medirest provides contract catering services to hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, and senior care homes in Germany, delivering patient nutrition, staff dining, and retail food concepts (Kanne Café, Shop2go, vending) under flexible contract models. The company deploys proprietary nutrition concepts such as 'balance' (holistic nutrition with health and environmental assessment) and 'smartquality' (efficient kitchen operations), along with multiple production methods including Cook & Serve, Cook & Chill, Sous-Vide, Cook & Freeze, and Steamplicity. Operations are delivered on-site at client facilities and bundled with facility services through sister brands PLURAL and orgaMed.

Product overview

Medirest is a catering specialist for the healthcare sector operating as a single unified product with multiple specialized sub-brands and modules. The core offering includes patient/resident catering for hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, and senior facilities. The portfolio comprises nutrition concepts (balance, smartquality, Catering to You, Gesund genießen im Alter), retail concepts (Kanne Café, Shop2go, Vending), educational catering (Scolarest), and production methods (Cook & Serve, Cook & Chill, Sous-Vide, Cook & Freeze, Steamplicity). Additional services include facility management through PLURAL, medical device reprocessing via orgaMed, and food management consulting through RGP. Digital additions include the Time2Eat ordering app and Jeeves delivery robot.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kanne Café: Market-leading cafeteria concept for healthcare facilities offering coffee, snacks, and retail products for patients, visitors, and staff.
• balance
• smartquality
• Scolarest
• Shop2go
• Catering to You
• Gesund genießen im Alter

Products and services

• Medirest Healthcare Contract Catering Core contract catering service for hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, senior and nursing homes in Germany, providing patient and resident catering, staff dining, and nutrition expertise under flexible contract models.
• balance - Holistic Nutrition Concept Scientifically-validated holistic nutrition concept for healthcare facilities that balances food offerings in terms of health-related and environmentally relevant aspects, using the nutriRECIPE-Index and FootPrint4U software for menu assessment.
• smartquality - High-Convenience Kitchen Concept High-convenience kitchen operations concept for hospitals based on four pillars (process management, culinary quality, personnel, kitchen concept) using centrally-controlled smart appliances, recipe databases, and weekly menu planning.
• Catering to You - À-la-carte Patient Dining Innovative patient catering concept offering à-la-carte meal selection served under silver cloche with dedicated service staff handling patients' dietary needs restaurant-style.
• Gesund genießen im Alter - Senior Nutrition Concept
• Kanne Café - Healthcare Cafeteria Concept Leading cafeteria and coffee bar concept for healthcare facilities offering varied catering options in a stylish café ambiance, with integrated shop for takeaway products, gifts, and care items.
• Kanne Lounge - Autonomous 24/7 Cafeteria Autonomous self-service cafeteria solution for small hospitals, providing 24/7 access to food and beverages for patients, visitors, and staff without on-site staff.
• Scolarest - Educational Institution Catering
• Shop2go - Snacking Concept
• PLURAL - Infrastructure Services
• orgaMed - Medical Device Reprocessing
• RGP - Healthcare Catering Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• Scientific nutrition concept 'balance' improves patient recovery outcomes and can reduce hospital length of stay
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Against Waste e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Medirest participates in the United Against Waste initiative (run on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, BMEL) to reduce food waste in out-of-home catering. Four Medirest facilities have committed to the initiative's goal of reducing self-produced food waste by 50% by 2030. Medirest is the only contract caterer from the healthcare sector participating.
• PLURAL (Compass Group Deutschland GmbH)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPLURAL is a sister company under Compass Group Germany that provides infrastructure services (cleaning, logistics, reception, facility management) to healthcare facilities. Medirest and Kanne Café leverage PLURAL to offer clients a comprehensive multiservice 'one-stop shop' for non-clinical support services alongside catering.
• orgaMed (Compass Group Deutschland GmbH)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerorgaMed specializes in medical device reprocessing (AEMP / Sterile goods supply) and related consulting services. Medirest leverages orgaMed to provide sterile goods management as part of the bundled multiservice offering for hospital clients.
• RGP (RGP GmbH)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRGP is a consulting partner with over 25 years of experience in catering management for healthcare facilities. The company provides expertise in recipe development, kitchen planning, procurement optimization, and overall kitchen management for small and large health institutions.
• Kanne Café GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKanne Café is a sister brand (acquired 2018) operating cafeteria and coffee bar concepts in hospitals, with 38 locations serving over 400,000 healthcare workers annually. Medirest cross-refers clients and jointly exhibits at events. Both brands are managed under shared healthcare leadership within Compass Group Germany.
• CF Gastro (Frischepartner)minorOthersCF Gastro is Medirest's freshness partner for regional food sourcing, supplying fresh produce (salad, fruit, vegetables) and dairy products from local producers in season. Short delivery routes support environmental sustainability and product freshness.
• GEK (Gütegemeinschaft Ernährungs-Kompetenz e.V.)minorOthersGEK is a RAL quality assurance association for nutrition competence in communal catering. Medirest's facilities can obtain the RAL quality mark 'Kompetenz richtig Essen', subject to biennial audits by independent experts, validating high standards of food quality and advisory services.
• Compass Group PLC (Parent)coreOthersCompass Group PLC is the global parent company, the world's largest food service provider operating in 40+ countries with over 500,000 employees and £18.1 billion revenue (as of September 2021). Medirest benefits from Compass Group's purchasing power, brand reputation, global best practices, innovation resources, and capital strength.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE)minorOthersThe DGE (German Nutrition Society) provides nutrition science guidelines and quality standards that form the basis of Medirest's nutrition strategy (since 1988, the ten DGE recommendations). Medirest supports clients in obtaining DGE certifications such as 'Station Ernährung' and 'Fit im Alter'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Compass Group plc (parent/peer): Medirest's ultimate parent and the world's largest contract foodservice provider. Other Compass subsidiaries (e.g., Eurest, Scolarest at scale, Foodbuy) operate parallel healthcare-adjacent models, so portfolio-level dynamics between Medirest and other Compass units serve as a relevant internal benchmark.
• ISS A/S (ISS Healthcare): Global facility services provider with healthcare foodservice as a smaller line within a broad services portfolio. Competes with Medirest in integrated facility contracts at German hospitals.

Direct peers

• Gegenbauer Services: Berlin-based facility services and catering group active in healthcare and senior living segments in Germany. Comparable in operating model: on-site contract catering plus integrated facility services for German hospital clients.
• Dussmann Group: German facility services and catering conglomerate that competes directly with Medirest in healthcare foodservice and integrated facility management. Offers similar menu of patient catering, staff cafeterias, and ancillary healthcare services in the DACH region.
• Elior Group: French-headquartered contract caterer with a healthcare and seniors segment that bid for hospital catering contracts across Europe. Comparable to Medirest in serving patient meals, nutrition concepts, and multi-site facility management.
• Klüh Service Management: German family-owned contract services provider with healthcare foodservice and facility management capabilities, bidding on the same hospital and senior care accounts as Medirest across Germany.
• Aramark (Healthcare): Large multinational contract foodservice and facilities provider with a substantial Healthcare segment serving hospitals and senior living communities in Europe. Competes head-to-head with Medirest on patient and staff catering at German acute and rehab facilities.
• Apetito Catering: German subsidiary of the Apetito group, focused on institutional catering including healthcare, senior living, and education. Directly competes with Medirest on patient catering and Meal-on-Wheels-style programs in Germany.
• Sodexo (Sodexo Healthcare): Global contract foodservice leader with a dedicated Healthcare division that competes directly with Medirest for hospital, senior care, and rehabilitation catering contracts across Europe. Operates in Germany and uses a similar multi-service (food, facilities, sterile services) go-to-market approach.

Regional players

• KDS Klinik-Dienstleistungen & Service: Specialist German hospital service provider focused on clinical support services including catering. Comparable in service model but typically regional rather than national like Medirest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medirest

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Medirest