RESTO FRANCE EXPERTS

What RESTO FRANCE EXPERTS does

Resto France Experts (RFE) is a French professional association founded on February 21, 2019, headquartered at 66 avenue des Champs Élysées, Paris, that federates engineering consultancies (bureaux d'études) and equipment manufacturers serving the professional restaurant and collective catering sector. As of October 2024 the network comprised 191 individual members representing approximately 110 companies, organized into two governance colleges — Consultants and Fabricants — with a third college, 'Expertises Associées', approved in March 2026 to extend membership to adjacent professions. RFE does not deliver engineering, manufacturing, or catering services directly; instead, it functions as a curated collaborative network whose members jointly bid on, design, and execute restaurant and catering infrastructure projects for both public and private clients, including airports (ADP CDG), hospitals (APHM Marseille), transport authorities (RATP), industrial sites (Airbus Nantes), defense (Economat des Armées), sports venues (Groupama Stadium), and educational institutions (Lycée Toulon, Campus EDF, Lycee professionnel in Bangui).

The association's portfolio of programs and content products includes the Académie RFE training program (offering themed modules at a symbolic €100 fee), the Memento Zero Plastic publication on engineering for plastic alternatives in collective catering, a 30-step integration guide co-produced with SYNEG, a series of Business Cases documenting multi-member project deliveries, and the France Cuisine Concept endowment fund launched in July 2024 to support humanitarian kitchen projects in francophone Africa. Its flagship operational asset is the rotating annual '24H RFE' event, held 14 times between June 2019 and October 2025 across French and international venues (Toulouse, Prague, Venice, Lausanne, Marseille, Lyon, Valencia, Brest, Porto, Bordeaux, Marrakech, Futuroscope), supported by participation at industry trade shows EquipHotel and SIRHA and an active digital presence on LinkedIn, YouTube, and a member newsletter.

RFE's revenue model is that of a traditional membership association: recurring membership fees (cotisations) from consultant and manufacturer members supplemented by marginal Academy module fees and event sponsorship. Governance is led by President Marc Grandmougin, with a Treasurer (Daniel Sevrin), Secretary General (Alexander Lohnherr), and a Communications and Press Relations lead (Carole Rocher). Strategic partnerships with Synetam (representing 87 manufacturers with €1.5 billion turnover), Cramif (occupational risk prevention), Food Service Vision (market intelligence), and Microlide (traceability technology) extend the association's reach into adjacent industry bodies, regulators, and data/technology vendors.

Name

RESTO FRANCE EXPERTS

Legal name

Resto France Experts

Website

https://restofranceexperts.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Resto France Experts is a French professional association founded in 2019 that federates 191 members across roughly 110 engineering consultancies and equipment manufacturers serving the professional restaurant and collective catering sector in France and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Standards, Norms & Technical Regulatory Bodies (BPADAAAJ)

Keywords

• Restaurant engineering consulting
• Professional kitchen design
• Catering facility planning
• Kitchen equipment manufacturing
• Hospitality project management

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Association operates through membership fees (cotisations) from consultant and manufacturer members
2. Academy Fees: Symbolic fee of 100€ per training module for Academy sessions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Resto France Experts is a professional association/network bringing together expert consultants (engineering firms) and equipment manufacturers in the restaurant and catering industry. The organization facilitates collaborative project delivery for hotel-restaurant and collective catering projects across France and internationally, offering the Académie RFE training program, publications (Memento Zero Plastic, Guide d'intégration en 30 étapes, Business Cases), the annual '24H' events series, and a humanitarian foundation (France Cuisine Concept) launched in 2024.

Product overview

RESTO FRANCE EXPERTS is a professional association/network that unites consultants (engineering firms) and manufacturers in the hospitality and restaurant industry. The organization does not offer a unified software product but provides a portfolio of services including expert consultation, project management, training through the Académie RFE, and knowledge resources such as the Memento (plastic alternatives guide) and the 30-step integration guide. Members collaborate on collective catering projects and share expertise via business cases and working groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Académie RFE: Training academy providing professional development modules for members covering topics such as waste management, ergonomics, energy efficiency, and AI in the industry.
• France Cuisine Concept
• Mémento Zéro Plastique

Products and services

• Académie RFE A training academy for members of the association offering thematic training sessions delivered by member experts on topics such as waste management, ergonomics, energy efficiency, food regulations, and AI applications in professional kitchens, priced at 100€ per module.
• Memento Zero Plastic (Mémento Zéro Plastique) Practical guide providing engineering solutions for managers and professionals in collective catering to transition toward plastic alternatives while maintaining service quality and efficiency, addressing the AGEC and reuse decree requirements.
• Guide d'intégration en 30 étapes Integration guide co-created by member engineering firms and manufacturers, prefaced by the SYNEG, explaining 30-step maintenance procedures and industry best practices for professional catering facilities.
• Business Cases Operational project case studies co-realized by at least 3 member companies, illustrating the network's collaborative dynamics; the first business case showcased the Cuisine Centrale d'Ermont project.
• France Cuisine Concept Solidarity endowment fund launched by Resto France Experts supporting humanitarian restaurant and hospitality projects in French-speaking countries (Benin, Central African Republic, France), providing equipment, installation, follow-up, and personnel training for professional training kitchens.

Quantifiable outcome

• Network of 191 members representing over 110 companies as of 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CCILF (Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Luso-Française)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2024Luso-French Chamber of Commerce facilitating international exchanges. Met during 24H Porto event to discuss business opportunities between French and Portuguese hospitality professionals.
• France Cuisine ConceptcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Humanitarian foundation launched by Resto France Experts supporting kitchen projects in francophone countries. Provides equipment, training, and follow-up for professional cooking facilities in schools and community kitchens. Conducting projects in Benin, Central African Republic, and France.
• SynetamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2023Formerly SYNEG & UNITAM, now merged into Synetam representing 87 manufacturers with 1.5 billion € turnover and 7,000 employees. Represents equipment makers for catering and culinary arts.
• Observatoire PROMOCUISINES/SYNEGminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Industry observatory tracking sales data for large kitchen and laundry equipment. RFE references their market statistics for industry trends.
• Cramif (Assurance Maladie - Risques professionnels)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021Regional health insurance partnership to improve professional risk prevention in collective catering sector. Created joint working group to analyze work situations and reduce accidents.
• Food Service VisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert entity providing market analysis and trend insights for the food service industry. Presented at 24H Bordeaux on market mutations.
• CINOV (via Meditea Academy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization exploring creation of European University Diploma for restaurant engineering professions through partnership with European universities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• CINOV: French federation of consulting, engineering, and digital professions. CINOV is a partner of Resto France Experts via Meditea Academy and shares the same DNA of federating independent professional firms, including on European diploma initiatives.
• FEDA (Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association): US trade association for foodservice equipment distributors and manufacturers' agents. Closely analogous to RFE in its role as a B2B convener and standards/education provider for the commercial kitchen supply chain.
• FCSI (Foodservice Consultants Society International): Global association of foodservice consultants and suppliers, with similar missions of professionalising restaurant/catering engineering. FCSI is the most direct international analogue to Resto France Experts, offering education, certification, and networking for foodservice design professionals.
• MAFSI (Manufacturers' Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry): North American association of manufacturers' sales agents in the foodservice industry. Comparable to RFE's manufacturer college in bringing together commercial intermediaries and producers with shared training and networking programs.
• CFESA (Commercial Food Equipment Service Association): North American association of firms servicing commercial food equipment. Provides training, certification, and networking for service agents — comparable in structure and member services to RFE's consultant/manufacturer network.
• CESA (Catering Equipment Suppliers Association): UK trade association for catering equipment manufacturers, distributors, and service companies. Operates a similar convening and advocacy model for the British professional kitchen sector, with comparable trade show engagement.
• Synetam: French federation representing 87 catering equipment manufacturers with €1.5 billion turnover. Synetam is both a Core partner and a natural counterpart on the manufacturer side, with overlapping membership and policy advocacy for the French professional catering sector.
• CICF (Chambre de l'Ingénierie et du Conseil de France): French chamber representing engineering and consulting firms, including specialties that overlap with RFE's consultant college. Shares the professional federation structure and advocacy mission for independent technical firms.

Broad incumbents

• NAFEM (North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers): North American trade association for foodservice equipment manufacturers with significant scale. A broader incumbent in the same space, providing industry data, advocacy, and the biennial FCSI-endorsed trade show platform.
• SYNHORCAT (Syndicat National des Hôteliers, Restaurateurs, Cafetiers et Traiteurs): French trade union representing hospitality and catering operators. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but shares the French professional catering ecosystem and overlapping event/convention presence (e.g., EquipHotel).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcqpu9JKLeevxZ5QnqjPCMA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/resto-france-experts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 RESTO FRANCE EXPERTS