Dinner Ladies

What Dinner Ladies does

Dinner Ladies Ltd. is a London-based bespoke catering, events, and venue management company founded in 2015 by Lily Cai (Co-Founder & Managing Director) and Emily Plunket (Co-Founder & Executive Chef). The company operates from LABS Triangle, Chalk Farm, and serves corporate clients, weddings, and private events across London and Southeast England, with a stated differentiation around 'playfully punchy, Asian-inspired menus' and a 100% female kitchen team. Its revenue model is a portfolio of professional services quotes-based catering — corporate event catering, wedding catering, workplace/office catering, festive events, and immersive supper clubs — augmented by managed-services revenue from two exclusive venue management contracts (Apothecaries' Hall secured in 2024 and St Albans Cathedral secured in September 2025), plus small transaction-fee streams from public supper club tickets and merchandise (Recipe Calendar 2026 at £17). Underlying capabilities are in-house culinary design, event styling, venue management, and a curated supplier network of sustainable UK producers (Ren's Pantry, WildFarmed, Secret Smokehouse, Shrub, NewGround Coffee). The company is B Corp certified, a Living Wage employer, and runs the Sharing Plates community initiative with The Felix Project and City Harvest. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations are powered by a team of 14 full-time staff plus freelance event crews under a Squarespace-built web presence.

Name

Dinner Ladies

Legal name

Dinner Ladies Ltd.

Website

https://dinnerladiesltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dinner Ladies is a London-based bespoke catering, events, and venue management company founded in 2015, serving corporate, wedding, and private clients with Asian-inspired menus and operating exclusive contracts at Apothecaries' Hall and St Albans Cathedral.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Catering Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotel & Resort Banqueting (In-House Catering) (THAHAKAC), Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)

Keywords

• Bespoke event catering
• Corporate event catering
• Wedding catering services
• Workplace office catering
• Venue contract catering

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Event Catering: Bespoke catering for corporate events including canapés, bowl food, standing receptions, seated dinners, and conferences. Clients include Google, Facebook, Net-A-Porter, Tatler, New Balance, Aesop, Segro and many others. Pricing is quote-based and tailored per event.
2. Wedding Catering: Full-service wedding catering including bespoke menus, table design, styling, and on-site service. The company works with exclusive venues across London to deliver tailored wedding experiences.
3. Workplace / Office Catering: Daily or ad-hoc office catering deliveries including buffets, bowl food, breakfast spreads, and team celebrations. Also includes crew catering for fashion shoots and production days.
4. Venue Contract Catering: Sole catering partnerships with venues such as Apothecaries' Hall and St Albans Cathedral, where Dinner Ladies acts as exclusive caterer and venue manager. This provides recurring contract revenue.
5. Supper Club Events: Public ticketed supper club events and private client supper clubs. Tickets sold online (e.g., St Albans Cathedral Flower Festival Afternoon Tea at £45, Soul Plates Supper Club at £55). Also offers immersive themed supper clubs.
6. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including the Dinner Ladies Recipe Calendar 2026 priced at £17. Proceeds partially support the Sharing Plates initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dinner Ladies is a London-based bespoke catering, events, and venue management company that designs and executes culinary experiences for corporate clients, weddings, workplaces, and venue partners. Core offerings include corporate event catering, wedding catering, workplace/office catering, festive events, immersive supper clubs, and exclusive venue management at Apothecaries' Hall and St Albans Cathedral. The company differentiates through Asian-inspired bold flavour menus, in-house creative styling, and a female-led, B Corp-certified operating model.

Product overview

Dinner Ladies operates as a single integrated catering and events business offering multiple service lines: corporate event catering (receptions, dinners, awards, conferences), wedding catering, workplace/office catering, festive events, and immersive supper clubs. The company also holds exclusive contract catering and venue management partnerships with historic London venues (Apothecaries' Hall, St Albans Cathedral). Public-facing ticketing for supper clubs and special events is available through their online platform. The business also sells merchandise including a Recipe Calendar. The portfolio is unified under one brand with no modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sharing Plates: Community initiative where clients can add extra meals for those in need, helping feed those affected by homelessness in the local community in Camden.
• Wasted Supper Club
• Dinner Ladies Academy

Products and services

• Corporate Events Catering Bespoke corporate event catering including team celebrations, client conferences, brand activations, corporate receptions, dinners, awards ceremonies, and all-day catering for businesses across London.
• Wedding Catering Full-service wedding catering with bespoke Asian-inspired menus, event styling, and end-to-end coordination from invitations to day-of execution at prestigious London venues.
• Workplace Catering Office catering delivering bold flavours through colourful bowls, wholesome spreads, daily deliveries, and team celebrations. Includes crew catering for fashion shoots and production days.
• Festive Events Catering End-of-year Christmas and festive celebration catering featuring themed canapés, three-course dinners, buffets, and interactive food stations for corporate and private clients.
• Supper Clubs Immersive themed dining experiences including Wasted Supper (zero-waste concept), Chinese New Year, and Rooted seasonal celebrations. Includes public ticketed events and private bespoke supper club bookings.
• Contract Catering and Venue Management Exclusive venue management and sole catering partnerships with historic London venues including Apothecaries' Hall and St Albans Cathedral, handling all event catering and café operations.
• Event Tickets Platform Public-facing ticketing platform for supper club events, afternoon teas, and special events with online booking and payment.
• Recipe Calendar 2026 A5 landscape desk calendar featuring seasonal recipes from Dinner Ladies chefs with hand-drawn illustrations by Bee Davies. Proceeds support the Sharing Plates initiative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Apothecaries' Hall nearly doubled its monthly sales target for June and July 2024 in Dinner Ladies' first tender year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St Albans CathedralcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dinner Ladies won a sole catering contract for St Albans Cathedral in September 2025, taking over event catering and the Abbot's Kitchen Café. This is the company's second major sole contract win. Alan Hartwell, COO of St Albans Cathedral, cited Dinner Ladies' innovative and vibrant offerings as key to attracting a wider audience.
• Apothecaries' HallcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Dinner Ladies became venue manager and sole caterer at Apothecaries' Hall in 2024 — their first exclusive venue contract. The Hall is the oldest Livery Hall in London. Dinner Ladies manages all event catering, venue marketing, sales, and client relationships.
• The Felix ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDinner Ladies partners with The Felix Project to administer its Sharing Plates initiative, redirecting surplus ingredients into high-quality, nutritious meals for hungry Londoners. The partnership enables corporate clients to contribute to food insecurity relief through catering orders.
• Ren's PantryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRen's Pantry supplies herbs and spices to Dinner Ladies. Founded by Ren Patel in North London, the supplier provides small-batch Indian spices and offers spice masterclasses to the Dinner Ladies team. Ren is a female-founded business championed by Dinner Ladies.
• WildFarmedminorOthersFlour supplier working with small-scale farmers passionate about organic, regenerative farming practices. Supports Dinner Ladies' sustainability goals.
• Secret SmokehouseminorOthersAll smoked fish sourced from Secret Smokehouse, run by Max who moved the family business from West Scotland to London Fields. Provides specialty smoked fish for Dinner Ladies' menus.
• ShrubminorOthersEthical, authentic wholesale grocer committed to farmer partners. Works directly with fifty market gardens and farms, focusing on seasonality, quality, regionality, and soil health to provide Dinner Ladies with finest ingredients.
• City HarvestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing charity partner of Dinner Ladies. City Harvest rescues surplus food and redistributes it to over 375 charities in London. At the Wasted Supper Club, leftover food was packed into 30+ meals distributed by City Harvest.
• AIEI / BEAMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDinner Ladies' network includes affiliations with AIEI and BEAM associations, which help amplify the promotion of partner venues and their offerings to a wider audience of event buyers.
• NewGround CoffeeminorOthersCoffee supplier for Wasted Supper Club events. One of only seven B Corp certified coffee roasters in the UK, employing ex-convicted persons and fully carbon neutral. Provides sustainable coffee for Dinner Ladies' events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dinner-ladies

Compliance1 record

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 Dinner Ladies