Sterling Spoon Culinary Management

What Sterling Spoon Culinary Management does

Sterling Spoon Culinary Management operates as the chef-driven food services brand within Sterling Hospitality, a privately held Atlanta-based hospitality holding company founded in 2005 by John C. Metz and Tom Digiorgio. The company combines culinary expertise with financial and operational management to deliver dining experiences to both individual consumers and corporate clients across the Southeast US, with concentrations in the Atlanta metro and Dalton, Georgia. Its core platform is a multi-concept restaurant and food-service portfolio: Marlow's Tavern (modern American tavern fare), The Woodall (contemporary southern cuisine), Spinning Room (Dalton, GA community venue), and Sterling Studio Kitchen (production-studio dining and on-site catering at Universal's Assembly Studios Lot).

The underlying operations rely on chef-led menu development, locally-sourced ingredient sourcing through its Farm to Fork initiative, and a Health Checks program that customizes dining options to guide guests toward nutritious choices. Catering, events, corporate-cafe management, and production-studio food service are delivered through the Sterling Spoon service line, while sub-brand restaurants generate direct consumer revenue through dine-in food and beverage sales. The company employs a traditional physical-restaurant and contract-catering distribution model, with each brand maintaining its own website for customer engagement and a shared corporate leadership team based at 47 Perimeter Center E, Suite 150, Atlanta, GA 30346.

Revenue is generated primarily through food and beverage sales at owned restaurant locations, catering contracts, and contracted studio food-service arrangements. No external funding rounds, public listings, or disclosed revenue figures appear in the available data, and the company operates as a private, founder-led business under Sterling Hospitality with no identified institutional investors.

Name

Sterling Spoon Culinary Management

Legal name

Sterling Culinary Management

Website

https://sterlingculinarymanagement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sterling Spoon Culinary Management operates a multi-concept restaurant and chef-driven food-service portfolio under Atlanta-based parent Sterling Hospitality, serving individual diners and corporate clients across the Southeast US through Marlow's Tavern, The Woodall, Spinning Room, and Sterling Studio Kitchen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant and Food Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)

Keywords

• Restaurant management
• Culinary services
• Catering and events
• Corporate dining
• Chef-driven food service

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant and Cafe Operations: Operating owned restaurant brands including Marlow's Tavern, The Woodall, Spinning Room, and Sterling Studio Kitchen. Revenue generated from food and beverage sales to consumers dining in restaurants and cafes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Sterling Spoon Culinary Management is the chef-driven food services brand of Sterling Culinary Management, operating contemporary, locally sourced dining experiences and catering for corporate and studio clients. The company runs owned restaurant and cafe locations (Marlow's Tavern, The Woodall, Sterling Studio Kitchen, Spinning Room) and provides catering, events, and consulting services under the Sterling Spoon and Sterling Studio Kitchen brands.

Product overview

Sterling Culinary Management operates as a hospitality and culinary management company with multiple restaurant and food service sub-brands. The core offerings include Sterling Spoon (chef-driven food services), Sterling Studio Kitchen (production catering), and parent company Sterling Hospitality which encompasses restaurant brands Marlow's Tavern and The Woodall, along with Spinning Room venue. The company provides culinary and financial management services to clients, combining talented chefs, dedicated employees, and innovative retail approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marlow's Tavern: Features the 'Best of the Best' in American tavern fare served in a modern atmosphere with diverse classic dishes elevated to gourmet level.
• The Woodall
• Sterling Studio Kitchen
• Spinning Room

Products and services

• Sterling Spoon Culinary Management (chef-driven food services brand) Chef-driven food services brand founded by culinary-trained chefs, offering fresh, contemporary dining experiences, corporate cafe dining, and catering for clients seeking affordable luxury hospitality.
• Marlow's Tavern Modern American tavern serving elevated classic dishes in a warm neighborhood atmosphere with a contemporary design.
• The Woodall Contemporary southern restaurant and bar offering familiar favorites with contemporary twists from Chef Metz's globally-inspired kitchen in a neighborly, sophisticated atmosphere.
• Sterling Studio Kitchen (production catering and Studio A Cafe) Culinary services for film/TV production studios including operating the Studio A Cafe at Universal's Assembly Studios Lot and providing on-site catering, pantry, and craft services for special events.
• Spinning Room Community gathering restaurant in Dalton, Georgia featuring appetizers, ice cold beers, and sommelier-selected wines, helmed by Executive Chef John C. Metz.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Universal Production ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSterling Studio Kitchen operates the Studio A Cafe, the newly dedicated dining facility for the Assembly Studios Lot managed by Universal Production Services. Sterling is also the preferred on-site production caterer, supporting special events, pantry, and craft services at the studio.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bloomin' Brands: Multi-brand casual dining operator of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's. Comparable as a multi-brand restaurant holding company, though at substantially larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Aramark: Global contract foodservice and uniform services provider operating across sports, entertainment, business, and education. Comparable at the foodservice contract layer, though vastly larger and broader in scope.
• Sodexo: Global leader in contract foodservice and facilities management across corporate, healthcare, education, and venue segments. Sets the scale benchmark Sterling must match to win enterprise-level contract foodservice deals.
• Compass Group: World's largest contract foodservice and support services company. Defines the upper bound of Sterling's addressable contract foodservice market and competitive set.
• Darden Restaurants: Multi-brand full-service restaurant operator (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grille). Comparable multi-brand casual/upscale dining operating model, but at materially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Patina Restaurant Group: Restaurant and foodservice company operating restaurants, cafes, and catering at cultural venues, convention centers, and entertainment destinations. Closely comparable to Sterling's mixed restaurant-plus-contract-foodservice operating model.
• Ford Fry Restaurants: Atlanta-based, chef-driven multi-concept restaurant group operating several casual and contemporary dining concepts across the Southeast. Closely mirrors Sterling Hospitality's Marlow's Tavern and The Woodall playbook of multi-brand, chef-anchored restaurants in the same Atlanta market.
• Centerplate: Specialty foodservice provider for sports, convention, and entertainment venues. Comparable focus on venue catering and event foodservice, similar to Sterling's production and event operations.
• Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises: Chicago-based, founder-driven multi-concept restaurant group operating dozens of chef-driven casual and upscale concepts. Highly comparable to Sterling's portfolio of differentiated brands under one culinary-led umbrella.
• Restaurant Associates: Contract foodservice company operating cafes, restaurants, and catering for corporate, cultural, and event venues. Closely mirrors Sterling Studio Kitchen's contracted cafe and event catering model for enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-culinary-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Sterling Spoon Culinary Management