What Worrell Design Group does

Worrell Design Group is a Houston, Texas-based foodservice consulting, planning, and design firm providing end-to-end professional services across the built-environment project lifecycle. The firm traces its lineage to Mulhauser, Holmes, and Riggs, founded in 1953, and was re-established under its current name in 1994 by Rodney Worrell after 16+ years with the predecessor practice. Services span programming and master planning, concept development, schematic and design development, construction documents, bid services, construction administration, operator and equipment contractor RFP packages, due diligence assessments, code compliance reports, and feasibility studies. Project design and documentation are delivered using hand-sketching, all editions of Revit and AutoCAD, with collaboration through BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud.

The firm operates as a project-based professional services practice serving enterprise clients across healthcare (MD Anderson, Memorial Hermann, Texas Children's, Houston Methodist, Baylor Scott & White, Harris Health, Baylor College of Medicine), higher education (University of North Texas, Rice University, Del Mar College), hospitality (Auberge Collection, Bowie House Hotel, Goode Company Restaurants), corporate (American Airlines, Shell Oil, Toyota Motor North America, Waste Management), and government/non-profit (City of Houston, Holdsworth Center, Houston Food Bank) sectors. Marketing and client acquisition rely on industry reputation, project portfolio, client referrals, and architect partner networks rather than outbound sales motion.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a per-project basis, with project scopes evidenced by foodservice equipment costs ranging from ~$400K (Waste Management HQ barista/conference pantry) to ~$3.8M (Del Mar College culinary instruction facility) and overall project values up to $200M (Holdsworth Center). The firm has completed over 3,000 projects nationally and internationally and maintains a workforce of 11-50 employees with average tenure exceeding 18 years, indicating a deliberately stable, expertise-driven boutique model rather than a scale-driven practice.

Name

Worrell Design Group

Legal name

Worrell Design Group, Inc.

Website

https://worrelldesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Worrell Design Group is a Houston-based foodservice consulting, planning, and design firm serving enterprise clients in healthcare, higher education, hospitality, and corporate sectors with end-to-end services from programming through construction administration, having completed over 3,000 projects since its 1953 origins.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Design & Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149), Drafting Services (541340)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Foodservice consulting services
• Commercial kitchen design
• Foodservice facility planning
• Institutional kitchen design
• Foodservice construction documents

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foodservice Consulting Services: The firm provides professional foodservice consulting, planning, and design services including programming & master planning, concept development, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bid services, construction administration, operator RFP packages, equipment contractor RFP packages, due diligence assessments, code compliance reports, and feasibility studies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Worrell Design Group provides comprehensive foodservice consulting, planning, and design services to enterprise clients across healthcare, higher education, hospitality, corporate, government, K-12, and specialty/non-profit sectors. Engagements span the full project lifecycle, including programming and master planning, concept development, schematic and design development, construction documents, bid services, construction administration, operator and equipment contractor RFP packages, due diligence assessments, code compliance reports, and feasibility studies. Project documentation is produced in Revit, AutoCAD, BIM 360, and Autodesk Construction Cloud.

Product overview

Worrell Design Group is a single, unified foodservice consulting, planning, and design service rather than a software platform with modules. The firm offers end-to-end professional services spanning the entire project lifecycle from initial programming and concept development through schematic design, design development, construction documentation, bid services, and construction administration. They also provide specialized advisory services including foodservice operator and equipment contractor RFP packages, due diligence assessments, code compliance reports, and feasibility studies. Projects are designed and documented using hand-sketch form and all editions of Revit and AutoCAD, with support from BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foodservice Consulting, Planning, and Design Services

Named customers20 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Clevenger Group: Texas-based foodservice consulting, planning, and design firm specializing in commercial, healthcare, education, and hospitality kitchen design. Most direct comparable to WDG given overlapping service scope, geographic overlap in the Southwest, and similar project-based professional services delivery model.
• JGL Foodservice Design (Josh Gordon & Associates): Specialized foodservice design and consulting firm serving commercial and institutional clients with planning, design, and equipment specification services. Comparable niche specialization and professional services delivery model.
• Hak International: Foodservice facility planning and design consultancy serving hospitality, healthcare, education, and corporate markets. Directly comparable professional services firm offering programming through construction administration services like WDG.
• Ricca Design Studios: Specialized foodservice and kitchen design consultancy serving hospitality, healthcare, education, and corporate clients. Directly comparable niche focus and end-to-end consulting, planning, and design services similar to WDG's offering.
• Edge (formerly Foodservice Design Associates): Foodservice design and consulting firm focused on commercial kitchen planning, equipment specification, and concept development for restaurants, hospitality, and institutional clients. Direct peer in specialized foodservice design services.

Broad incumbents

• SmithGroup: Large integrated design firm with healthcare, higher education, and workplace practices that incorporate foodservice planning. Comparable on healthcare and higher-education client overlap, but operates as a full-service AEC firm rather than foodservice specialist.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with significant hospitality, workplace, and healthcare practices that incorporate foodservice design. Comparable in target verticals (corporate, hospitality, healthcare) but as broad incumbent offering foodservice as part of larger project portfolios.
• WATG: Hospitality-focused architecture and design firm with foodservice planning expertise. Comparable in hospitality segment (hotels, restaurants) and project-based design delivery, but as broader hospitality design firm rather than foodservice specialist.
• HKS: Major architecture and design firm with deep healthcare and hospitality practices including foodservice planning capabilities. Comparable in healthcare client base (large hospital systems) and ability to deliver large institutional projects.

Others

• Foodservice Equipment Reports (FER): Industry publication and consulting resource serving the foodservice equipment and design community. Adjacent ecosystem participant that influences buyer awareness and consultant selection in the foodservice design space WDG operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Worrell Design Group