What Boston Showcase does

Boston Showcase Company is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned foodservice equipment and supply distributor headquartered in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, with a second warehouse in Brockton (Patriot Warehouse). Founded in 1913 by Max Starr and continuously operated by the Starr family for 112 years, the company designs, supplies, and installs commercial kitchen equipment, tabletop, supplies, seating and tables, and offers white-glove delivery and project management for restaurants, hotels and clubs, educational institutions, healthcare and senior living facilities, and corporate dining operators across Greater Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and Worcester.

The company's core offerings span six interlocking service lines: Layout & Design (delivered by six full-time Project Design Specialists with more than 100 years of combined commercial kitchen experience), Equipment (commercial refrigeration, ovens, ranges, fryers, dishwashers, and ice machines from premium vendors such as Vulcan, Rational, Continental Refrigerator, Perlick, Pitco, and Hestan), Tabletop (dinnerware, glassware, and flatware from Steelite, Libbey, Costa Nova, and Cambro), Supplies (front- and back-of-house consumables), Seating & Tables (front-of-house furnishings), and Delivery & Setup (white-glove installation coordinated to final punch list, with equipment receiving and storage). Boston Showcase also operates BostonRestaurantSupply.com, an e-commerce storefront launched in 2018 for in-stock items with Greater Boston delivery. Notably, 95% of clients who begin with the design and layout process choose BSC for full project execution, anchoring recurring revenue.

Boston Showcase generates revenue primarily through one-time equipment and supplies sales augmented by professional services revenue from design and installation. Pricing operates on NET 30 credit terms once established, with a 50% deposit required on orders of $10,000 or more and cash discounts for ACH or check payments; smaller supply orders have no delivery minimums in Greater Boston. The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (account executives and project design specialists) for large design-and-build projects, an inside sales team for SMB and recurring supply orders, and event-driven project execution tied to new restaurant openings and renovations. The customer base includes Harvard University (continuous service since 1946), Davio's (11 locations, 20+ years), Newport Restaurant Group (18 New England restaurants, 10+ years), Eastern Standard, Chatham Bars Inn, Grill 23, Feast & Fettle, and others. The company has been recognized by The Boston Globe as a Top Place to Work in 2023, 2024, and 2025, employs more than 60 people with an eight-year average tenure, and remains entirely family-owned with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Boston Showcase

Legal name

Boston Showcase Company

Website

https://bostonshowcase.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Boston Showcase is a 112-year-old, fourth-generation family-owned foodservice equipment and supply distributor headquartered in Newton Highlands, MA, designing, equipping, and supplying commercial kitchens for restaurants, hotels, schools, healthcare, and senior living operators across Greater Boston and adjacent New England markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Foodservice Equipment & Supply Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tabletop & Front-of-House Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAF), Bar & Beverage Service Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAG)

Keywords

• Commercial kitchen equipment
• Foodservice design services
• Restaurant supply distribution
• Commercial kitchen layout
• Tabletop and supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton Highlands

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foodservice Equipment Sales: Sale of commercial kitchen equipment including refrigeration, ovens, ranges, fryers, dishwashers, and ice machines from premium vendors.
2. Tabletop Products: Dinnerware, glassware, flatware, and accessories that elevate guest experience.
3. Supplies: Bakery supplies, bar supplies, buffet items, chemicals, cookware, disposables, food storage, front of house items, janitorial supplies, kitchen supplies, linens and apparel, pizza supplies, plumbing, and signs for front and back of house operations.
4. Design & Layout Services: Expert foodservice design services including kitchen layout, equipment specification, and workflow optimization for code compliance.
5. Delivery & Setup Services: White-glove delivery, installation, and setup services including removal and disposal of old equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Boston Showcase designs, supplies, and equips commercial kitchens for restaurants, hotels, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and corporate dining operators across Greater Boston. The company distributes premium commercial kitchen equipment, tabletop, supplies, and seating & tables from hundreds of vendor brands, while providing in-house layout & design services, project management, and white-glove delivery and installation. Ongoing supply orders are fulfilled through inside sales, the Newton Highlands showroom, and the BostonRestaurantSupply.com e-commerce platform.

Product overview

Boston Showcase Company offers a comprehensive suite of foodservice equipment, tabletop, supplies, and design services for commercial kitchens and restaurants. The core portfolio consists of six interconnected service/product areas: Layout & Design (foodservice design with six Project Design Specialists), Equipment (commercial restaurant equipment including refrigeration, ovens, ranges, fryers), Tabletop (dinnerware, glassware, flatware), Supplies (smallwares and consumables for front and back of house), Seating & Tables (furnishings), and Delivery & Setup (logistics and installation). The company also operates BostonRestaurantSupply.com as an e-commerce platform for in-stock items. Services span from full-scale restaurant design projects to single-item supply orders, with free delivery to Greater Boston area and warehousing capabilities through two locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Layout & Design Expert foodservice design tailored for workflow efficiency and code compliance. Includes six full-time Project Design Specialists with over 100 years of combined experience designing commercial kitchens and foodservice operations for restaurant operators.
• Commercial Restaurant Equipment Top-performing commercial restaurant equipment, hand-selected for culinary needs, including refrigeration, ovens, ranges, fryers, dishwashers, and ice machines from premium vendors such as Vulcan, Rational, Continental Refrigerator, Pitco, Hestan, and American Panel.
• Tabletop Dinnerware, glassware, and flatware from premium vendors (Steelite, Libbey, Costa Nova, Cambro) that elevate guest experience, including accessories such as candleholders, carafes, and pepper grinders.
• Supplies Everything needed to prep, cook, pour, and serve — front and back of house. Includes bakery supplies, bar supplies, cookware, disposables, food storage, kitchen supplies, linens, pizza supplies, and janitorial items.
• Seating & Tables Durable, stylish furnishings that shape dining environments and brand feel, offering thousands of custom and classic seating and table options for commercial foodservice operators.
• Delivery & Setup White-glove delivery and installation coordinated to the final punch list. Includes receiving and storage of equipment and supplies at two warehouses until space is ready for delivery, plus removal and disposal of old equipment.
• BostonRestaurantSupply.com E-Commerce Online ordering platform launched in 2018 for immediate pick up or delivery of in-stock foodservice items to the Greater Boston area.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of clients who begin with design and layout process choose Boston Showcase for full project execution
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SteelitecoreOthersPremier vendor partner supplying dinnerware and tabletop items. Featured in multiple project showcases including La Padrona and Shy Bird Fenway locations.
• VulcancoreOthersFeatured vendor partner for cooking equipment. Equipment highlights include ranges and cooking equipment from Vulcan in projects like Limani DC and Rossetti.
• RationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationKey vendor partner for combi ovens and advanced cooking technology. Used in Love Farms project (two Rational combi ovens) and anoush'ella restaurant.
• GlastendercoreOthersBar equipment specialist vendor partner featured in projects including La Padrona, Shy Bird Fenway, Limani DC, and FiDO Pizza.
• Krowne MetalcoreOthersBar equipment supplier featured in Love Farms project and Bernadette restaurant design project.
• Continental RefrigeratorcoreOthersRefrigeration equipment vendor partner featured in La Padrona, Rossetti, and Limani DC projects.
• Advance TabcocoreOthersStainless steel fabrication vendor featured in Posto Bedford and Vergennes Grand Senior Living projects. Builds all products in the USA.
• PerlickcoreOthersBar equipment and refrigeration specialist featured in Trillium Brewing and Rossetti projects.
• PitcocoreOthersHigh efficiency fryer vendor featuring built-in filtration, used in Posto Bedford project.
• Champion IndustriescoreOthersDishwasher equipment vendor featured in Vergennes Grand Senior Living project.
• American PanelcoreOthersWalk-in cooler and freezer specialist featured in Trillium Brewing (four walk-in coolers including retail display cooler) and FiDO Pizza projects.
• Costa NovacoreOthersPortuguese dinnerware and flatware company providing elegant and unique items for La Padrona project.
• CambrocoreOthersTabletop and storage solutions vendor partner listed among major vendors.
• LibbeycoreOthersGlassware vendor partner featured in FiDO Pizza project and listed among major vendors.
• VollrathcoreOthersEquipment and serving systems vendor featured in delivery and setup services.
• Hickory IndustriescoreOthersRotisserie oven specialist featured in Shy Bird Fenway project.
• HestancoreOthersCooking suite equipment featured in Bernadette restaurant project.
• Wood StonecoreOthersPizza oven specialist featured in FiDO Pizza project.
• RandellcoreOthersCustom chef's line and refrigeration featured in Trillium Brewing and Posto Bedford projects.
• WinstoncoreOthersCvap machines featured in Trillium Brewing project.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Central Restaurant Products: Central Restaurant Products is an online and catalog foodservice equipment and supply retailer serving restaurant operators and institutions, comparable in standardized tabletop and smallwares assortment to Boston Showcase's supply side.
• Bargreen Ellingson: Bargreen Ellingson distributes restaurant equipment, supplies, and furniture to foodservice operators across the Pacific Northwest, with overlapping capabilities in design, equipment, and tabletop categories.
• Boelter Companies: Boelter Companies is a regional foodservice equipment, supply, and design company serving restaurants, hospitality, and institutional customers with the same design-plus-equipment-plus-smallwares model as Boston Showcase.
• Wasserstrom: Wasserstrom is a long-standing foodservice equipment and supplies distributor serving restaurants and institutions with design, equipment, and smallwares offerings comparable to Boston Showcase's portfolio.
• Hubert: Hubert is a national foodservice supplies and equipment distributor providing smallwares, tabletop, and equipment to operators, directly overlapping with Boston Showcase's supply and equipment trade channels.
• Edward Don & Company: Edward Don & Company is a national foodservice equipment and supplies distributor serving restaurants, hotels, and institutions, combining equipment distribution with account-managed service in the same way Boston Showcase does.
• TriMark: TriMark is one of the largest U.S. foodservice equipment, supply, and design distributors with design, equipment, and smallwares capabilities that closely parallel Boston Showcase's end-to-end model for restaurants, hospitality, and institutional customers.
• Singer Equipment: Singer Equipment is a Mid-Atlantic foodservice equipment and supplies distributor with showrooms, design services, and a restaurant/hospitality customer base that overlaps directly with Boston Showcase's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Restaurant Depot: Restaurant Depot is a membership-based broadline foodservice supplies warehouse club distributing equipment, smallwares, and disposables — competing with Boston Showcase on the standardized supply side of the business.
• The Chefs' Warehouse: The Chefs' Warehouse is a publicly traded specialty foodservice distributor focused on protein, produce, and ingredients that also sells kitchen supplies and equipment to chefs and restaurateurs — a broad incumbent overlapping with Boston Showcase's chef and restaurant customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BostonShowcaseCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boston-showcase-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/bostonshowcasecompany
• Xx.com/boston_showcase

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Boston Showcase