Food service

What Food service does

Food Service (food-service.de) is a German B2B trade media brand serving the professional out-of-home catering market, operated by Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH, a private specialized publishing group headquartered in Frankfurt am Main (Mainzer Landstraße 251). Founded in 1982 and celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022, the publication delivers industry news, market analysis, executive interviews, and proprietary rankings to decision-makers in chain restaurants, brand gastronomy, communal catering, hotels, and institutional foodservice operators across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

The product portfolio is organized around a digital publishing platform built on an E-Paper delivery system, RSS content syndication, and an online content management system accessed via food-service.de. Core offerings include the foodservice news portal, the E-Paper available across iOS, Android, and browser, three email newsletters (foodservice am Morgen, foodservice Themen, foodservice Extra), and gated premium content via the fs+ tier. Proprietary editorial assets include the Top 100 Ranking of Germany's largest gastronomy companies and the Airport-Ranking covering the 16 largest German airports. The brand anchors two flagship industry events: the European Foodservice Summit (international conference drawing 300+ decision-makers from 25+ countries) and the Internationales Foodservice-Forum (Europe's largest gastronomy congress, held as the pre-event to the Internorga trade fair in Hamburg).

Revenue is generated through four streams: digital subscription (€9/month trial, €239/year annual, €438/24-month multi-year), print+digital bundled subscription, event ticket sales and sponsorship (European Foodservice Summit, Internationales Foodservice-Forum), and content marketing/lead generation through downloadable assets such as the Magazin Food & Beverage. The go-to-market combines self-service subscription purchase via abo.food-service.de, gated content for lead capture, and direct field sales for enterprise event sponsorships. The company maintains a wholly-owned adjacent subsidiary (gvpraxis) covering community gastronomy news and has no external investors or parent company beyond Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH.

Name

Food service

Legal name

Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH

Website

https://food-service.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Food Service is a German B2B trade media brand (founded 1982) published by Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH, providing news, rankings, and live events for professional out-of-home catering operators in the DACH region via digital portal, E-Paper, newsletters, and fs+ premium tier.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Trade Publishing - Foodservice Media

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Trade magazine publishing
• Foodservice industry news
• B2B media platform
• Gastronomy industry rankings
• Hospitality events conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscription: The primary revenue stream comes from digital magazine subscriptions. Subscribers pay for full access to fs+ premium content, all E-Paper issues, and exclusive online rankings.
2. Print + Digital Subscription: Combined print and digital subscription offering for readers who prefer physical magazine copies alongside digital access.
3. Content Marketing / Lead Generation: Magazine publications and downloadable content (such as Food & Beverage magazine) that generate leads through newsletter registrations.
4. Event Tickets and Sponsorship: European Foodservice Summit and other industry events generate revenue through attendee fees and sponsor partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Food Service is a B2B trade publication and online portal serving Germany's professional out-of-home catering market with industry news, market analysis, executive interviews, and proprietary rankings. Its offering is delivered through a digital news portal, an E-Paper magazine, premium subscription content (fs+), email newsletters, and signature industry events including the European Foodservice Summit and the Internationales Foodservice-Forum.

Product overview

Food Service (food-service.de) is a B2B news portal and trade publication for Germany's out-of-home catering market. The offering is organized around a digital portal with premium subscription tiers (fs+), providing industry news and market analysis to foodservice professionals. The portfolio includes specialized topic sections (Airport-Gastro, KI in der Gastronomie, Start-up Contest), industry rankings (Top 100, Airport-Ranking), and the company's flagship industry events: the European Foodservice Summit and the Internationales Foodservice-Forum. Content is distributed via a digital E-Paper edition, three email newsletters (foodservice am Morgen, foodservice Themen, foodservice Extra), and RSS feeds. The publications and events serve as the primary products, with no standalone software platform or SaaS offering described.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FS+: Premium subscription content service
• Food Service E-Paper
• Magazin Food & Beverage

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of continuous publication in the German foodservice market
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• dfv Conference GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026The European Foodservice Summit is organized by dfvcg-events (dfv Conference Group), the events division of Deutscher Fachverlag. This partnership organizes the premier international foodservice conference featuring 300+ decision-makers from over 25 countries, keynotes, executive roundtables, and study tours.
• Real Fábrica de Tapices (Madrid)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026Venue partner for the European Foodservice Summit 2026, hosting the conference at the historic Real Fábrica de Tapices in Madrid, Spain.
• foodlabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation partnership for identifying startup candidates for the annual Start-up Contest featured in Food Service magazine and at the Internationales Foodservice-Forum.
• Frauennetzwerk FoodserviceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's network in the foodservice industry that collaborates with Food Service to identify promising startup candidates for the annual Start-up Contest.
• InternorgacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Internationales Foodservice-Forum (Europe's largest gastronomy congress) is held annually as the pre-event to Internorga trade fair in Hamburg, creating synergy between the magazine's industry conference and the leading hospitality trade show.
• Group of ButchersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned in relation to planned sale of Vion Food Service to Group of Butchers, covered as industry news in the publication.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• QSR Magazine (Winsight): US B2B trade publication focused on quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. Comparable model: trade news, rankings, conferences, and digital subscriptions for industry decision-makers.
• gvpraxis: DFV Mediengruppe's trade title for community catering (GV-Betriebe), a close adjacent B2B publication within the same parent group. Comparable model (subscription + events + rankings) and shared sales infrastructure with Food Service.
• Hotel vor9: German-language B2B hospitality news portal covering hotels, gastronomy, and tourism. Regional peer with overlapping audience in German-speaking hotel and foodservice markets.
• foodservice.eu / foodservice Europe magazine: European-focused B2B foodservice trade publication covering trends, operators, and suppliers across multiple European countries. Direct competitor for international premium content and cross-border events.
• Restaurant Business (Winsight): Leading US B2B media brand for the restaurant industry, combining digital news, rankings, and events. Comparable business model with premium content tier, industry rankings, and large-scale operator events.
• AHGZ (Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung): German B2B trade publication covering hotels and gastronomy, also owned by Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH. Direct peer in food-service trade publishing with overlapping reader base (operators, hoteliers) and complementary editorial scope.
• Nation's Restaurant News: Long-established US B2B trade publication for the restaurant industry. Comparable in legacy brand, exclusive rankings (Top 100), and event/conference business targeting chain operators.
• Caterer and Hotelkeeper (The Caterer): UK-based B2B trade title for hospitality, catering, and hotels. Comparable B2B media model with mix of subscription, advertising, and events targeting operators in the UK out-of-home market.
• Foodservice Director (Informa): US B2B trade publication focused on non-commercial foodservice (hospitals, schools, corporate dining). Comparable business model targeting operators in institutional and contract foodservice segments.

Emerging players

• Hospitality Net: Global digital B2B platform for the hospitality industry with news, research, and supplier directories. Competes with Food Service for international operator and supplier attention online, especially via digital channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/foodservice_de
• Facebookfacebook.com/foodservice.de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Food service