What Sterling Spoon Culinary Manager does

Sterling Culinary Management, also referenced as Sterling Spoon Culinary Management, is a privately-held, chef-driven corporate food service management company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1996 by John C. Metz Jr., a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef with prior tenures at multiple prestigious New York restaurants, the company operates under parent holding company Sterling Hospitality (established 2005 with Tom DiGiorgio) and delivers on-site food service to enterprise and institutional clients. Core service offerings include managed corporate cafes, specialty dining, coffee bars, pantry services, micro markets, full-service catering, and design and consulting services via subsidiary Sterling Hospitality Development. Named enterprise clients include AFLAC Headquarters in Columbus, Georgia, and Universal Production Services' Assembly Studios Lot via subsidiary Sterling Studio Kitchen, with additional segments in healthcare/senior living and sports/entertainment venues.

Revenue is generated through five primary streams: contract food service management (managed services with corporate and institutional clients), catering and events (including film production catering), restaurant operations through wholly-owned brands (Marlow's Tavern at 20 locations across Florida and Georgia, The Woodall in Atlanta's Westside, and Spinning Room in Dalton, Georgia), design and consulting services via Sterling Hospitality Development, and micro market concepts. The company employs 11-50 corporate staff and operates exclusively in the southeastern United States, with no proprietary technology platform disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with a vertical segmentation approach, supported by four named Market Partners (Mark Bailey, Keith Prichard, Marty Pearlman, Bryan Eder) responsible for regional contract development. The company is founder-controlled with no disclosed institutional investors or external funding rounds.

Name

Sterling Spoon Culinary Manager

Legal name

Sterling Culinary Management

Website

https://sterlingspoon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sterling Culinary Management is a chef-driven corporate food service management company providing on-site cafes, catering, coffee bars, pantry services, micro markets, and restaurant consulting to enterprise clients across the southeastern United States, operating under parent Sterling Hospitality with 20 Marlow's Tavern locations in Florida and Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Food Service Management

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB), Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)

Keywords

• Corporate food service management
• Contract catering services
• On-site dining management
• Restaurant operations
• Hospitality consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Food Service Management: Management fees and cost-plus contracts with corporate and institutional clients for operating on-site restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, and pantry services. Revenue derived from managing dining facilities for clients such as corporate headquarters and film production studios.
2. Catering & Events: Catering services for corporate events, special occasions, and on-site production catering at film studios. Includes Studio A Café operations and support for special events, pantry, and craft services.
3. Restaurant Operations: Revenue from owned and operated restaurant brands including Marlow's Tavern, The Woodall, Spinning Room, and Sterling Studio Kitchen. These are direct-to-consumer dining establishments.
4. Design & Consulting Services: Sterling Hospitality Development provides restaurant consulting including feasibility studies, site selection, architectural design, kitchen design, interior design, project management, and brand development for external clients.
5. Micro Market Concepts: Micro market operations and consulting services for client facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sterling Culinary Management (Sterling Spoon) provides chef-driven corporate food service management including on-site restaurants, specialty dining, coffee bars, pantry services, micro markets, and full-service catering for corporate and institutional clients. The company operates under the Sterling Spoon brand for contract food service and owns four restaurant brands: Marlow's Tavern (20 locations), The Woodall, Spinning Room, and Sterling Studio Kitchen. Sterling Hospitality Development offers restaurant consulting including feasibility studies, site selection, architectural design, kitchen design, interior design, project management, and brand development.

Product overview

Sterling Culinary Management (also known as Sterling Spoon Culinary Management) operates as a hospitality and food service management company that is chef-driven and culinary-trained. The core offering is corporate on-site food service management including on-site restaurants, specialty dining, coffee bars and pantry, micro market concepts, and catering and events. These services are delivered through its primary brand Sterling Spoon at corporate client facilities. The company also operates a portfolio of sub-brands under its parent Sterling Hospitality: Marlow's Tavern (20 upscale American tavern locations across Florida and Georgia), The Woodall (an upscale globally-inspired restaurant in Atlanta's Westside), Spinning Room (a community restaurant in Dalton, Georgia), and Sterling Studio Kitchen (production catering for Universal's Assembly Studios Lot). Design and building consultation is provided through Sterling Hospitality Development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sterling Spoon Culinary Management Chef-driven corporate food service management offering on-site cafes, specialty dining, coffee bars, pantry services, and catering for corporate clients. Operates with a Farm to Fork initiative and Health Checks program focused on fresh, wholesome, house-made daily menus.
• On-Site Restaurants Full-service on-site café and restaurant operations managed at corporate client locations, featuring contemporary dining environments with top-quality cuisine.
• Coffee Bars & Pantry On-site coffee bar and pantry services offering grab-and-go options for corporate clients.
• Micro Market Concepts Self-serve micro market dining concepts for corporate environments, managed by Sterling's team.
• Catering & Events Full-service catering and events catering for corporate clients, supported by Sterling Studio Kitchen.
• Sterling Hospitality Development (Design & Building Consultation) Comprehensive restaurant consulting including feasibility studies, site selection, lease negotiation, architectural design, kitchen design, interior design, project management, and brand development.
• Marlow's Tavern Upscale American tavern concept featuring gourmet-level classic dishes in a modern, contemporary atmosphere. Operates 20 locations in Florida and Georgia serving American tavern fare.
• The Woodall Upscale, modern, globally-inspired restaurant on Atlanta's Westside offering seafood, steaks, and sandwiches with sophisticated southern luxury.
• Spinning Room Community gathering place in Dalton, Georgia featuring appetizers, ice cold beers, and sommelier-selected wines, helmed by Executive Chef John C. Metz.
• Sterling Studio Kitchen Culinary production services operating the Studio A Cafe at Universal Production Services' Assembly Studios Lot, providing on-site production catering, special events, pantry, and craft services.

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Universal Production ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSterling Studio Kitchen operates the Studio A Café, the dedicated dining facility for the Assembly Studios Lot managed by Universal Production Services. Sterling is also the preferred on-site production caterer and provides support for special events, pantry, and craft services at the studio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Centerplate: Hospitality and food service provider for sports and entertainment venues. Comparable to Sterling's sports/entertainment segment and event catering capabilities.
• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management company with a major corporate dining and contract catering business. Closely comparable to Sterling's on-site corporate cafe and contract management offerings.
• Aramark: One of the largest global contract food service and facilities providers, serving corporate, healthcare, education, and entertainment clients. Directly comparable to Sterling's contract management core but at vastly greater scale.
• Compass Group: World's largest contract food service company operating brands like Eurest and Chartwells. Directly comparable contract catering model for corporate and institutional clients.
• Elior North America: Contract food service operator serving corporate, healthcare, and education markets across North America. Comparable outsourced dining and catering model to Sterling's contract management business.
• Guckenheimer: Specialist corporate dining and on-site restaurant operator serving Fortune 500 workplaces. Highly comparable chef-driven corporate cafe model with similar B2B contract structure to Sterling.
• Restaurant Associates: Premium corporate dining, cultural institution, and special event caterer known for chef-driven hospitality. Closely aligned with Sterling's Sterling Spoon positioning around upscale corporate dining.

Broad incumbents

• Seasons 52 (Darden): Fresh, seasonally inspired upscale casual dining concept under Darden. Comparable to The Woodall's positioning around globally-inspired, chef-driven upscale dining.
• Delaware North: Major hospitality and food service company with strong sports/entertainment venue and travel hospitality exposure. Comparable to Sterling's venue catering and Sterling Studio Kitchen work, though at much greater scale.
• Bonefish Grill (Darden): Upscale casual-dining chain under Darden, comparable to Marlow's Tavern in menu style and target diner. Provides benchmark for casual upscale restaurant chain economics in the Southeast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-spoon-culinary-manager

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Sterling Spoon Culinary Manager