Clevenger Frable LaVallee

What Clevenger Frable LaVallee does

Clevenger Frable LaVallee (operating as CFL Design) is an independent foodservice planning and design consultancy headquartered in White Plains, New York, founded in 1983 by Foster Frable. The firm provides professional services to architects, engineers, planning professionals, and project owners, executing a Design-Bid-Build three-step process that covers facility assessments, schematic and design development, equipment selection, construction documents, competitive bid administration, construction administration, and operational consulting. Its core proposition is professional objectivity: CFL Design does not manufacture or sell foodservice equipment and accepts no commissions on specifications, positioning its recommendations as solely client-advised.

The firm's service portfolio is delivered by a small senior team averaging more than 20 years of tenure and includes four core offerings: Facility Assessments, Design Services, Construction Administration, and Operational Assistance. It has completed over 2,500 projects across seven vertical segments — hotels and resorts, healthcare, education, corporate dining, restaurants and commissaries, cultural attractions, and private clubs — with named credentials on properties such as the Waldorf Astoria, Whitney Museum, MoMA, Grand Hyatt, Yale University, Maimonides Medical Center, GE's Crotonville center, LeeSar central commissary, and Shake Shack's original Madison Square Park location.

CFL Design's revenue model is professional fees paid directly by owners and architects, negotiated per project based on scope and complexity, with no disclosed pricing publicly available. The firm operates a single-office, direct-engagement go-to-market, supplemented by referral-driven growth through architectural and engineering partners and principal-level industry visibility (Foster Frable's columnistship and Kitchen Innovations judging role). Geographic footprint remains concentrated in the US Northeast and Southeast with selective international engagement, including a documented Costa Rica project for Six Senses Hotels & Resorts and a leadership promotion in February 2025 tied to building the international resort hotel practice.

Name

Clevenger Frable LaVallee

Legal name

Clevenger Frable LaVallee, Inc.

Website

https://cfldesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clevenger Frable LaVallee is an independent foodservice planning and design consultancy founded in 1983, serving architects, engineers, and project owners across hotels, healthcare, education, corporate dining, restaurants, and cultural attractions via a proprietary Design-Bid-Build process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Design Consulting

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)

Keywords

• Foodservice design consulting
• Commercial kitchen planning
• Hospitality design services
• Foodservice facility design
• Kitchen equipment consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

White Plains

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Fees: Professional fees paid by owners and architects for food service planning and design services. The company does not manufacture or sell foodservice equipment and receives no remuneration for work aside from professional fees paid by clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Clevenger Frable LaVallee (CFL Design) provides professional food service planning and design services for commercial kitchens and food and beverage facilities. The firm delivers facility assessments, full design documentation, equipment selection, construction administration, and operational consulting through a 3-step Design-Bid-Build process, serving architects, engineers, planning professionals, and project owners without selling or taking commissions on equipment.

Product overview

Clevenger Frable LaVallee (CFL Design) is a foodservice planning and design consultancy offering a unified service model centered around their 3-step project process: Design, Bid, Build. Their core service portfolio includes Facility Assessments, Design Services, Construction Administration, and Operational Assistance. The company does not manufacture or sell foodservice equipment; they provide professional consulting services to architects, engineers, planning professionals, and project owners. Founded in 1983, the firm has completed over 2,500 projects serving hotels, healthcare, corporate dining, education, restaurants, resorts, clubs, and cultural attractions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Facility Assessments
• Design Services
• Construction Administration
• Operational Assistance

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed 2,500+ projects since 1983
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• JME Hospitality Group: Foodservice design and consulting firm specializing in kitchen and back-of-house planning for hotels, resorts, casinos, and healthcare facilities. Comparable in scope (equipment specification, design documentation, construction admin) and client mix.
• Cini-Little International: Established independent foodservice consulting and design firm providing kitchen planning, equipment selection, and construction administration for hospitality, healthcare, education, and corporate dining clients. Directly comparable in service model, vertical mix, and consultant-led delivery.
• The Avery Company: Independent foodservice consulting firm providing facility design, equipment procurement advisory, and operational consulting for hospitality and institutional clients. Direct competitor in the foodservice planning niche.
• Ricca Newmark Design: Foodservice facility design consultancy serving restaurants, hotels, universities, healthcare, and corporate clients with planning, design, and equipment specification services. Closely aligned professional services model targeting the same end markets as CFL.
• Camphor Engineering & Design: Engineering and design consultancy specializing in commercial kitchen and foodservice facility design, with MEP coordination and construction documentation services. Closely comparable technical consulting offering for similar end markets.
• Halliday-Parker & Associates: Foodservice design and consulting firm offering facility assessments, equipment specification, and construction administration for restaurants, hotels, healthcare, and institutional dining. Similar boutique consultancy profile and project-based delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Clevenger Frable LaVallee