Southern Way Catering Inc
Southern Way Catering Inc is a privately held, founder-led off-site catering company founded in 1982 and based in Columbia, SC, serving events of 8 to 8,000 guests across the Southeast via a mobile kitchen, exclusive venue partnerships, and university premium seating contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersColumbia, South Carolina, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Southern Way Catering Inc does
Southern Way Catering Inc is a privately held, founder-led off-site catering company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, founded in 1982 by Jimmy Stevenson. The company operates from two locations — its Columbia headquarters at 100 East Exchange Place and a regional office at 8 Distribution Court in Greer, SC serving the Upstate — and runs a fully-equipped mobile catering kitchen that enables service at any venue across the Southeast. Its core offering is full-service off-site catering for events ranging from intimate 8-guest dinners to large 8,000-guest corporate galas, encompassing weddings, private parties, fine-dining functions, and institutional work.
The business is anchored by a portfolio of exclusive venue partnerships spanning both markets — City Market, The Belvedere, Millstone at Adams Pond, Williams-Brice Stadium, the Pastides Alumni Center, Wavering Place, and The Gallery at Leaside in Columbia, plus The Schoolhouse, The Upper Room, and Zen in Greenville — which function as embedded distribution channels. Beyond event catering, the company operates contracted premium seating environments at Midlands and Upstate universities, and has extended its product surface with a "Good To Go" takeout menu and a formalized Bar Service add-on. Its customer roster includes Governors of South Carolina, Vice Presidents, and Presidents of the United States, indicating a premium positioning in a relationship-driven trade.
Revenue is generated through negotiated per-event contracts (pricing is not publicly disclosed), direct-to-consumer and direct-to-business sales via website, venue partnerships, and direct inquiries, with institutional recurring revenue from university premium seating contracts. There is no public listing, no disclosed funding, and no parent company; the firm appears to remain independently owned and operated after more than 40 years, with ~91 employees.
Southern Way Catering Inc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southern Way Catering Inc
- Legal name
- Southern Way Catering Inc
- Website
- https://thesouthernway.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Southern Way Catering Inc is a privately held, founder-led off-site catering company founded in 1982 and based in Columbia, SC, serving events of 8 to 8,000 guests across the Southeast via a mobile kitchen, exclusive venue partnerships, and university premium seating contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southern Way Catering Inc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Catering Services
- NAICS
- Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (72231)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB), Corporate & Office Catering (THAFAIAA), Catering & Events Food Service (EDALADAC)
Keywords
Where Southern Way Catering Inc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbia, South Carolina
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Southern Way Catering Inc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Off-site Catering Services: Full-service catering for events ranging from intimate dinners (8 guests) to large gatherings (8,000 guests). Services include food preparation, service staff, and event execution at client-specified venues throughout the Southeast.
- Premium Seating at Universities: Actively serves premium seating environments at local universities in the Midlands and Upstate of South Carolina.
- Catering Menu: Provides catering menus for events with downloadable full catering menu PDF available to clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Southern Way Catering Inc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southern Way Catering provides full-service off-site catering across the Southeast US via a fully-equipped mobile catering kitchen, executing events from intimate dinners of 8 guests to large corporate galas of 8,000. Core deliverables include food preparation, professional service staff, beverage/bar service, and event execution at client-specified venues or contracted university premium-seating environments in South Carolina. The offering is built on a 40+ year catering operation featuring Southern cuisine enhanced with fine-dining service standards.
Product overview
Southern Way Catering Inc is a catering company offering off-site catering services across the Southeast with a fully-equipped mobile catering kitchen. The core product portfolio includes an Off-Site Catering service (the primary offering for events of 8 to 8,000 guests), a Catering Menu (downloadable menu PDF for event planning), a Good To Go Menu (takeout service), and Bar Service (add-on beverage service for events). The company specializes in Southern cuisine enhanced by fine dining service for corporate events, weddings, private parties, and has served high-profile clients including Governors, Vice Presidents, and Presidents of the United States. The company also operates premium seating environments at local universities in the Midlands and Upstate regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Off-Site Catering Full-service off-site catering delivered with a fully-equipped mobile catering kitchen, serving events from 8 to 8,000 guests including intimate dinners, elegant weddings, large corporate galas, and private parties at client-specified venues throughout the Southeast US.
- Good To Go Menu Takeout food service offering prepared food items for pickup, targeting individual consumers and small groups who want to enjoy the firm's catering-menu items off-premise.
- Bar Service
Companies that use Southern Way Catering Inc
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Southern Way Catering Inc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Southern Way Catering Inc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered exclusive.
- The SchoolhouseexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Greenville. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- The Upper RoomexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Greenville. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- ZenexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Greenville. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- City MarketexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Columbia, SC. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- The BelvedereexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Columbia, SC. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- Millstone at Adams PondexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Columbia, SC. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- Williams-Brice StadiumexclusiveExclusive venue partnership at University of South Carolina stadium. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- Pastides Alumni CenterexclusiveExclusive venue partnership at USC Alumni Center. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- Wavering PlaceexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Eastover, SC. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
- The Gallery at LeasideexclusiveExclusive venue partnership in Columbia, SC. Southern Way has preferential or exclusive catering arrangements at this venue.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Southern Way Catering Inc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Delaware North: Large hospitality and food-service operator with sports, entertainment, and university venue contracts. Overlaps in premium seating and large-event catering segments.
- Compass Group: World's largest contract food-service company. Competitor in institutional, university, and corporate event catering at the broad portfolio level.
- Aramark: Global food-service contractor with major university, sports, and event concessions contracts. Overlaps directly with Southern Way's university premium-seating business and competes for institutional catering RFPs.
- Sodexo Live!: Sodexo's hospitality and event-services arm (formerly Centerplate) operating premium seating, stadium hospitality, and large-event catering. Direct competition for university and corporate event contracts.
Direct peers
- Affairs to Remember: Atlanta-area full-service caterer specializing in weddings, corporate, and social events. Comparable service model, scale, and Southeastern regional focus.
- Carriage House Catering: Mid-Atlantic/Carolinas full-service caterer serving weddings, corporate, and university events. Comparable regional Southeast positioning and event scale.
- Proof of the Pudding: Atlanta-based premier full-service catering company serving weddings, corporate galas, and large-scale events across the Southeast. Closely comparable in premium positioning, off-premise capability, and high-profile clientele.
- Catering Works: Raleigh, NC-based full-service off-premise caterer serving corporate, university, and private events across the Carolinas. Directly comparable in size, regional geography, and off-premise mobile-kitchen operations.
- Kevin Taylor Catering: High-end off-premise caterer known for premium corporate and private events. Comparable in fine-dining positioning and large-event execution capability.
Regional players
- Hammond's Catering: Southeast US catering company serving weddings and corporate events at premium venues. Comparable regional market focus and venue-partnership model, though smaller in scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Southern Way Catering Inc social profiles
Digital presenceSouthern Way Catering Inc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southern Way Catering Inc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Southern Way Catering Inc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southern Way Catering Inc M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southern Way Catering Inc
What does Southern Way Catering Inc do?
Southern Way Catering provides full-service off-site catering across the Southeast US via a fully-equipped mobile catering kitchen, executing events from intimate dinners of 8 guests to large corporate galas of 8,000. Core deliverables include food preparation, professional service staff, beverage/bar service, and event execution at client-specified venues or contracted university premium-seating environments in South Carolina. The offering is built on a 40+ year catering operation featuring Southern cuisine enhanced with fine-dining service standards.
Is Southern Way Catering Inc a public or private company?
Southern Way Catering Inc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Southern Way Catering Inc founded?
Southern Way Catering Inc was founded in 1982. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Southern Way Catering Inc based?
Southern Way Catering Inc is headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, in the North America region.
How does Southern Way Catering Inc make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Off-site Catering Services are the primary driver. The others are premium Seating at Universities and catering Menu.
Who are Southern Way Catering Inc's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Delaware North, Compass Group, Aramark and Sodexo Live!. Direct peers are Affairs to Remember, Carriage House Catering, Proof of the Pudding, Catering Works and Kevin Taylor Catering. Hammond's Catering is listed as a regional player.
Does Southern Way Catering Inc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southern Way Catering Inc.
What industry is Southern Way Catering Inc in?
Southern Way Catering Inc's product category is Event Catering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACAGAA, Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise), with a secondary code of THAFAIAB, Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties). Its NAICS code is 722320 and its SIC code is 5810.