The Garden Catering

What The Garden Catering does

The Garden Catering (legal entity Synergie Foods Ltd) is a UK-based corporate and event catering company founded in 2004 by husband-and-wife team Graham and Alison, headquartered in Chessington with additional offices in Kingston upon Thames and Chelsea, London. The company delivers catering services to corporate clients, event organizers, film/TV production crews, funeral directors, and large-scale public events across London and Surrey, with a stated capability to scale from intimate functions of 100 attendees to events exceeding 70,000 attendees through proprietary modular outside-catering infrastructure and pavilion bar systems. Core service lines include Office Catering, Event Catering, Outside Catering, Bars & Drinks, Crew Catering, and Funeral Catering, supported by a 12-category menu system (sandwiches, hot/cold buffets, canapés, bowl food, fine dining, BBQ, breakfast, desserts) and an online Menu Builder tool. The company operates a B2B go-to-market targeting enterprise clients (Microsoft, Google, Chanel, De Beers, Walt Disney, Bloomberg, Harrods, LinkedIn, GlaxoSmithKline, PGA European Tour) via direct sales, relationship-based engagement, and website inquiry forms, with payments processed through Stripe and PayPal and invoicing via Liberty Accounts.

Revenue is generated predominantly through transaction-based catering contracts (priced per person or per item; corporate prices exclude VAT) with pricing ranging from £2.75 (mini egg benedict) to £95.00 (whole poached salmon). A secondary subscription revenue stream, The Garden at Home — a weekly meal delivery service operating via iOS and Android apps — was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) at £7.50-£8.95 per recipe plus a one-time £10 cool bag/containers charge, but has been placed on hold as of 2024 to reallocate capacity toward corporate catering demand. The business is bootstrapped, founder-owned, with no external funding rounds disclosed, and operates with 11-50 employees using commercial kitchen infrastructure, proprietary modular marquee systems, and basic SaaS integrations (Stripe, PayPal, Liberty Accounts); there is no AI/ML technology stack disclosed. The Garden holds GDPR compliance certification and has accumulated a 5/5 rating across 110 customer reviews over its 20-year operating history.

Name

The Garden Catering

Legal name

Synergie Foods Ltd

Website

https://thegardencatering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Garden Catering is a London-based corporate and event caterer serving enterprise clients, events, and large-scale public functions across London and Surrey with scalable modular catering infrastructure, founded in 2004.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (72231)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Office Catering (THAFAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB), Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

Keywords

• Corporate catering services
• Office catering London
• Event catering
• Outside catering
• Meal subscription delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Chessington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

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. Corporate Catering Services: One-time transaction-based catering services for corporate clients including office catering, event catering, and outside catering. Services include breakfast, sandwiches, buffets, canapés, fine dining, bowl food, and bar services. Revenue generated per event/order with pricing per person or per item.
2. Private Event Catering: Catering for weddings, funerals, and private celebrations. Set menu options available (Funeral Set Menu A at £13.50, Set Menu B at £15.00) plus custom menu options. One-time transaction model.
3. Garden at Home Subscription: Weekly meal subscription service delivering chef-prepared dishes to homes. Currently on hold due to high corporate catering demand. Recipe prices normally £7.50 per person (some at £8.95), with one-off £10.00 charge for cool bag and containers. Rolling weekly subscription contract.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Garden Catering provides corporate and event catering services across London and Surrey, delivering fresh food for office lunches, corporate events, weddings, funerals, and outside events ranging from 100 to over 70,000 attendees. Its core services include office sandwich delivery, hot and cold buffets, canapés, fine dining, bowl food, bar services, and crew catering for production teams. The company also operates The Garden at Home, a subscription-based meal delivery service, currently on hold due to high corporate demand.

Product overview

The Garden Catering is a corporate catering company operating as a single unified brand offering diverse catering services across London and Surrey. The core offering consists of Office Catering, Event Catering, and Outside Catering divisions, complemented by a comprehensive Menu system with 12 food categories (Breakfast, Cold Canapé, Hot Canapé, Dessert Canapé, Finger Food, Sandwiches, Cold Buffet, Hot Buffet, Bowl Food, Fine Dining, Desserts, Bars & Drinks), plus specialized Funeral Catering and Crew Catering services. The company also operates The Garden at Home, a subscription-based meal delivery service (currently on hold) launched during COVID-19. The Garden Bars provides professional bar services for events up to 70,000 attendees. All services emphasize fresh ingredients, professional presentation on contemporary white china or black slate, and experienced staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Office Catering Corporate catering service delivering fresh sandwiches, hot buffets, finger food, breakfast, and canapés directly to offices and businesses across London and Surrey. Designed for meetings, working lunches, and corporate office functions requiring premium quality and reliable daily delivery.
• Event Catering Full-service event catering for corporate events, weddings, civil ceremonies, award ceremonies, and product launches. Offers canapés, buffets, fine dining, BBQ, bowl food, and bar services delivered with professional staff and equipment.
• Outside Catering Large-scale outdoor event catering using a proprietary modular green marquee system that creates a food-village style concept. Scalable from events of 100 people to over 70,000 attendees, featuring diverse global cuisines including Mexican, Indian, Spanish, and Thai.
• Bars and Drinks Service Professional bar services with unique pavilion bars, smoothie carts, and Fairtrade espresso bars. Operated for over 10 years, managing bars at events ranging from intimate corporate functions to large-volume bars serving up to 70,000 people.
• Funeral Catering Catering for funeral receptions, wakes, and life celebrations with a sensitive, professional approach. Recommends finger food and cold buffets with tea, coffee, and soft drinks. Set menu options available plus custom menus.
• Crew Catering Full-service crew catering for production crews at film sets, television shoots, sporting events, and concerts. Provides fresh and healthy food at competitive prices with full equipment, marquees, and staff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• The Garden at Home Subscription-based meal delivery service delivering chef-prepared restaurant-quality dishes to customers' homes. Offers weekly meal plans with meat, fish, vegetarian, and vegan options delivered in reusable containers via iOS and Android apps to specific London postcodes. Currently on hold due to high corporate catering demand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rated 5/5 from 110 customer reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management company. Provides workplace catering and event catering to large enterprises; competes with The Garden for institutional and corporate food service contracts.
• Compass Group: Global food services and support services major. Operates contract catering and workplace hospitality brands that compete with The Garden for enterprise office catering contracts at scale.
• CH&CO: UK hospitality and contract caterer group operating multiple premium brands. Comparable as a broader incumbent that competes with The Garden for corporate and event contracts while offering wider food service contracts.

Direct peers

• Payne & Gunter: Long-established London heritage caterer operating across corporate, private, and public events. Now part of CH&CO; comparable in service breadth, customer profile, and London heritage positioning.
• Bartlett Mitchell: Independent UK corporate caterer focused on workplace food services and events. Comparable in targeting enterprise office catering, events, and similar fresh-ingredient positioning.
• Lexington Catering: London-based corporate and event caterer serving premium brands across media, fashion, and finance. Highly comparable client mix and service model to The Garden Catering.
• Rhubarb Food Design: Premium London-based event and corporate caterer serving luxury, fashion, and corporate clients. Highly comparable to The Garden Catering in target customers, premium positioning, and event-driven GTM motion.
• Searcys: UK heritage hospitality brand offering event catering, restaurants, and bars at prestigious venues. Comparable in event-driven catering, premium positioning, and bar operations expertise.
• Absolute Taste: London-based caterer specialising in corporate hospitality, fine dining, and private events. Comparable service portfolio (canapés, fine dining, bowl food) and corporate client base.

Regional players

• Bovingdons: Surrey-based event caterer serving weddings, corporate, and private clients in the South East of England. Comparable as a regional premium caterer operating in the same South West London / Surrey catchment as The Garden.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/garden_catering
• Facebookfacebook.com/thegardencatering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-garden-catering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Garden Catering