What Baum + Whiteman does

Baum + Whiteman is a privately-held, Brooklyn-based international food and restaurant consulting firm founded in 1970 by Joe Baum and Michael Whiteman. The firm provides four core services — restaurant and hospitality design consulting, food consultation (menu development and merchandising), annual published trend reports, and speaking presentations — to enterprise clients across luxury hotels, fine-dining establishments, museums and cultural institutions, attractions and public-realm venues, office buildings, and retail/mixed-use developments. Its footprint spans the United States, Canada, India, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, China, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and the UAE.

The firm's go-to-market is direct enterprise sales: engagements are secured through industry reputation, published thought leadership, and referrals from a long-standing network of world-renowned architects and designers, including IM Pei, Frank Gehry, Robert AM Stern, Adam Tihany, Hugh Hardy, David Rockwell, and Milton Glaser. Pricing is custom-quoted per project; the firm does not publish fees or utilize channel partners. Its most visible intellectual property is the Annual Restaurant and Food Trends Report — now in its 23rd edition for 2026 — which is distributed globally and picked up by major industry and consumer media.

Baum + Whiteman is not a technology company and offers no software product, API, or platform; technology is not a meaningful dimension of its operating model. Leadership consists of Michael Whiteman (President, also founding editor of Nation's Restaurant News) and Rozanne Gold (Chef-Director, four-time James Beard Award winner and Julia Child Award recipient). Customer logos include Starwood, Taj, Raffles, Beverly Wilshire, Hotel Arts Barcelona, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty, the National Gallery of Art, Dean & DeLuca, the Rainbow Room, and others. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, consistent with a high-end boutique consultancy that executes roughly one to two major engagements per year.

Name

Baum + Whiteman

Legal name

Baum + Whiteman

Website

https://baumwhiteman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boutique international food and hospitality consulting firm founded in 1970, providing restaurant and hotel design, menu and food consultation, and annual trend reports to luxury hotels, fine-dining restaurants, museums, and major developers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for restaurant design, food consultation, and hospitality projects. Projects range from full restaurant concepts to menu development and design oversight.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Baum + Whiteman is an international food and restaurant consulting firm that provides design services, food consultation, annual trend reports, and presentations/speaking engagements for the hospitality industry. The firm helps hotels, restaurants, museums, and cultural institutions create distinctive dining concepts, develop menus, and design hospitality spaces in collaboration with top architects and designers. Since 1970, they have completed nearly 100 projects spanning luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants, specialty food programs, clubs, and mixed-use developments globally.

Product overview

Baum + Whiteman is a consulting firm offering four core services: Design (restaurant and hospitality space design consulting), Food Consultation (menu and food merchandising), Trend Reports (annual Food & Beverage Trend Reports published since the early 2000s, covering 2015-2026), and Presentations (speaking engagements on food industry trends). The company does not offer a software product but rather provides professional consulting services for restaurants, hotels, clubs, and food-related businesses worldwide. Since 1970, they have been involved in nearly 100 projects including restaurants, specialty food consulting, destination attractions, and public space design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Design Services Full-service restaurant and hospitality design consulting including concept development, space planning, and collaboration with architects and designers to implement restaurant concepts in three dimensions. Targeted at luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants, museums, and large-scale hospitality projects.
• Food Consultation Services Food merchandising and menu consultation services that help restaurants and hospitality clients transform familiar dishes into new taste propositions and make interesting foods feel approachable to customers. Includes menu development and culinary direction.
• Annual Food & Beverage Trend Reports Annual published reports analyzing food and restaurant industry trends, covering topics such as ethnic cuisine, AI in food service, protein trends, and emerging flavors. The firm has published these reports since at least the early 2000s, with the 23rd Annual Report covering 2026 trends.
• Presentations & Seminars Speaking engagements and educational presentations at F&B industry seminars and conventions that explore trends, consumer shifts, and the 'social zeitgeist' reflected in food and beverage trends. Delivered at venues including the Russian Food & Success Gastronomic Academy, Starwood Hotels Bangkok, Hospitality Innovation Planet Madrid, Taj Hotels Mumbai, and World of Flavor CIA Napa.

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Milton GlasercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with renowned graphic designer on restaurant and hospitality design projects
• IM PeicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with world-renowned architect on major restaurant and hotel projects
• Frank GehrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with celebrated architect on restaurant design and hospitality projects
• Robert AM SterncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with prominent architect on restaurant and hospitality design projects
• Adam TihanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with leading hospitality designer on Hotel Arts Barcelona and other projects
• David RockwellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with renowned architect and designer on restaurant and hospitality projects
• Hugh HardycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with architect on Rainbow Room, CitySpace Equinox Singapore projects
• Richard BlochcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Butcher & Banker and other restaurant design projects
• Warren PlatnercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Windows on the World, The American Restaurant Kansas City, and Cellar in the Sky projects
• Morris NathansoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Owen Brennan's Louisiana Kitchen restaurant design
• Mark HamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Metropolitan Museum of Art Members Lounge
• Philip GeorgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Metropolitan Museum of Art Members Dining Room and US Tennis Center Aces restaurant
• Cooper-Robertson ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Brooklyn Botanic Garden demand analysis and master plan
• Total ConceptcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Adam Tihany on Hotel Arts Barcelona dining program

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AvroKO: Restaurant and hospitality design consultancy offering concept, branding, and interior design for hotels and restaurants. Direct competitor for new-build and repositioning restaurant engagements among luxury and lifestyle hospitality brands.
• Jeffrey Beers International: Architecture and design firm specializing in luxury hotels, restaurants, and residential projects. Comparable for premium hospitality concept and design engagements with a similar boutique-to-mid scale footprint.
• Bensley: Hospitality design studio led by Bill Bensley, focused on luxury hotels and destination resorts. Comparable for large-scale, narrative-driven luxury hospitality concept and design work in Asia and other growth markets.
• Yabu Pushelberg: Interior design firm specializing in luxury hotels, restaurants, and residential projects globally. Comparable because they compete for the same high-end hotel F&B and restaurant concept engagements across international markets.
• Stonehill & Taylor: Architecture and interior design firm with a strong hospitality practice including hotels, restaurants, and cultural venues. Comparable for boutique-to-luxury hotel F&B and restaurant design engagements.
• Rockwell Group: Architecture and design firm led by David Rockwell, a long-time Baum + Whiteman collaborator. Comparable because Rockwell Group works across luxury hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues with a similar operator-influenced, experience-led approach.
• Tihany Design (Adam Tihany): Hospitality design firm specializing in luxury hotels and restaurants worldwide; directly comparable because Tihany has co-delivered projects with Baum + Whiteman (e.g., Hotel Arts Barcelona) and serves the same blue-chip hotel and fine-dining client base.

Broad incumbents

• Wilson Associates: Global hospitality interior design firm serving luxury hotels and resorts. Comparable as a broader incumbent competitor for hotel F&B concept and interior design engagements worldwide.
• ForrestPerkins: Hospitality interior design firm (part of Perkins&Will) serving luxury and lifestyle hotels and resorts. Comparable as a broader incumbent competitor for hotel F&B and restaurant interior design programs at scale.
• WATG (Wimberly Interiors): Large hospitality architecture and design firm with broader portfolio coverage than Baum + Whiteman. Comparable as a competitor for luxury hotel master planning and concept work, but operates at significantly greater scale and with full-service architecture capability.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Baum + Whiteman