Corky's Catering

What Corky's Catering does

Corky's Catering is a privately held, Illinois-based catering company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Arlington Heights, IL. The company provides off-premise catering services to corporate, wedding, social, and picnic event clients across the Chicagoland metropolitan area, including documented service coverage in Chicago, Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard, Glendale Heights, Bloomingdale, Medinah, Wood Dale, Addison, and Arlington Heights. Service tiers span drop-off delivery, delivery with setup, full-service catering with on-site staff, and complete event management, with pricing handled on a quote-based, transaction-fee model rather than published tiers.

The core product portfolio includes corporate catering (boxed lunches, themed events, breakfast and lunch programs), wedding catering (food, rentals, bar service, venue selection, floral, photography, music), social event catering, and picnic catering with on-site grilling capabilities. Specialized offerings include bar packages, pig roast catering, and rehearsal dinner services. In 2005, the company launched a sister brand, Cork Catering & Special Events, dedicated to finer foods and upscale event management, providing a two-tier brand strategy covering both value and premium segments of the regional market.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model, primarily through website-driven quote requests supplemented by phone-based inside sales (630-396-3030) and on-site delivery. Marketing channels are limited to a content website with a blog (Corky's Corner), Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The company has 11-50 employees, no disclosed revenue, no institutional funding, no parent company, no proprietary technology platform, and no documented AI, API, or automation capabilities. It is independently operated with Marjorie Greene serving as CEO.

Name

Corky's Catering

Legal name

Corky's Catering

Website

https://corkyscatering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corky's Catering is a privately held, Arlington Heights, Illinois-based catering company founded in 1978 that provides off-premise food service and event management for corporate, wedding, social, and picnic clients across the Chicagoland area, supplemented by an upscale sister brand, Cork Catering & Special Events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (72231)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE), Beverage Services (Bar Catering, Mixology, Beverage Programs) (THAHAKAJ), Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders) (THAHAKAN), Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB)

Keywords

• Catering services
• Event catering
• Wedding catering
• Corporate catering
• Picnic catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Addison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Catering Services: Corky's generates revenue through catering services for corporate events, weddings, social events, and picnics. Services include drop-off catering, delivery with setup, full-service catering with staff, and complete event management. Pricing is quote-based, not publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Corky's Catering provides catering and event services for corporate events, weddings, social gatherings, and picnics across the Chicagoland area. Services range from simple drop-off delivery to full-scale event management with staff, including menu planning, rentals, bar packages, and venue coordination. The company has operated continuously since 1978 and operates a sister brand (Cork Catering & Special Events) for upscale event services.

Product overview

Corky's Catering operates as a catering service company offering a unified portfolio of food service offerings rather than a platform-based architecture. The core product is full-service catering across corporate, social, wedding, and picnic event categories, supported by specialized offerings including breakfast, lunch, bar packages, drop-off catering, pig roast catering, and rehearsal dinner services. The company also operates a sister brand, Cork Catering & Special Events (launched in 2005), which focuses on finer foods and upscale event management. Services range from simple drop-off catering for small groups to full-scale themed events serving thousands of guests, with offerings spanning menu planning, event coordination, rentals, beverage service, and venue selection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cork Catering: Sister company dedicated to finer foods, upscale events and complete event management, launched in 2005.

Products and services

• Corporate Catering Full-scale corporate event catering including boxed lunches for business meetings, themed spreads for thousands of attendees, and staff meals from breakfast to dinner; offered to businesses across the Chicagoland area.
• Wedding Catering Complete wedding catering including food, event planning, rentals, beverage service, venue selection, floral, photography, and musical entertainment for couples in the Chicagoland area.
• Social Events Catering Catering for birthday parties, anniversaries, bridal showers, baby showers, and personal social gatherings, including hundreds of catering, rentals, and service options.
• Picnic Catering Picnic catering from small backyard parties to full-scale themed corporate events with on-site grilling, producing thousands of picnics annually in the Chicagoland area.
• Drop-Off Catering Affordable delivery catering solution offering pickup and delivery of food without service staff; the original core service of Corky's since 1978.
• Bar Packages

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cork Catering & Special EventsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Cork Catering is a sister company launched in 2005 dedicated to finer foods, upscale events, and complete event management. It allows Corky's to offer higher-end services while maintaining their affordable core brand positioning.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Calihan Catering: Chicago caterer offering event catering, drop-off, and corporate meal programs. Directly comparable to Corky's in service mix and Chicago market focus.
• Food for Thought Catering: Long-standing Chicago-area caterer offering corporate catering, weddings, and social events with drop-off and full-service options. Mirrors Corky's mix of services and Chicagoland focus, with comparable menu variety.
• Paramount Events: Chicago catering company providing event catering for corporate functions, weddings, and large-scale events. Similar service tier and Chicagoland geographic focus as Corky's full-service catering business.
• Catering By Michaels: Established Chicago caterer serving corporate and social events with on-site service and drop-off catering. Directly comparable in service model and target market to Corky's full-service offerings.
• Blue Plate Catering: Chicago-based event caterer specializing in weddings, corporate events, and social gatherings with full-service event production. Comparable in customer segments, geographic scope, and event coordination services.
• Jewell Events Catering: Chicago-based full-service caterer specializing in corporate events, weddings, and social gatherings. Directly comparable to Corky's in geography, customer base, and full-service event offerings including bar packages and event coordination.
• Big Delicious Planet Catering: Chicago-based corporate and social event caterer offering both drop-off and full-service options. Comparable to Corky's in customer mix, geographic focus, and event management capabilities.
• FIG Catering: Event caterer serving corporate and social events with full-service offerings. Comparable to Corky's in customer base and bundled event services including bar packages.
• Kenmare Catering: Full-service catering company serving corporate, social, and wedding events. Comparable business model and drop-off to full-service spectrum similar to Corky's service portfolio.

Regional players

• Boka Catering: Restaurant-affiliated catering arm of the Boka Restaurant Group in Chicago, offering upscale event catering. Comparable in Chicago market and wedding/corporate segments but skews higher-end, similar to Corky's sister brand Cork Catering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/corkyscatering
• Facebookfacebook.com/corkyscatering
• Instagraminstagram.com/corkyscatering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cork-catering-and-special-events

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Corky's Catering