Bentos Catering
Bentos Catering is a Columbus, Ohio-based scratch-made catering and corporate cafe operator founded in 2015, serving large organizations and small-to-mid-size businesses with recurring workplace lunch programs, turnkey Bentos Cafe management, and full-service buffet catering.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bentos Catering does
Bentos Catering is a Columbus, Ohio-based scratch-made catering and corporate cafe operator founded in 2015 by Shannon Bowman. The company produces 5,000+ meals per week from a rotating menu of 250+ items and serves large organizations, corporations, and small-to-mid-size businesses across the Columbus metro. Its service lines include recurring workplace lunch programs, turnkey on-site cafe management under the Bentos Cafe brand, a full-service buffet tier, and ancillary snack and grab-and-go SKUs. Differentiators cited in the source material include scratch preparation, menu breadth, and dietary accommodation capability.
Its business model is B2B contract feeding. Recurring workplace lunch programs are priced at $13.50-$16.00 per person, while a full-service buffet tier is offered at $1.50 per person per day, with snacks sold as incremental SKUs. Bentos targets large organizations as its primary segment while also serving small businesses, generating revenue through per-meal and per-employee recurring contracts rather than consumer or transactional channels. Operationally, the company runs lean with an 11-50 person team and is bootstrapped, with no disclosed external funding.
Bentos does not disclose proprietary technology, software platforms, or AI capabilities. Its competitive basis is culinary execution, menu variety, and operational integration inside client workplaces, and its growth to date appears to be funded entirely through operating cash flow rather than external capital.
Bentos Catering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bentos Catering
- Legal name
- Bentos Catering
- Website
- https://bentoscatering.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bentos Catering is a Columbus, Ohio-based scratch-made catering and corporate cafe operator founded in 2015, serving large organizations and small-to-mid-size businesses with recurring workplace lunch programs, turnkey Bentos Cafe management, and full-service buffet catering.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bentos Catering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Corporate Catering Services
- NAICS
- Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (722310), Special Food Services (7223)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Drop-Off / Delivery Catering (THAFAIAI), Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Drop-Off Catering & Boxed Meals (HSACAGAB)
Keywords
Where Bentos Catering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bentos Catering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Corporate Lunch Catering: Recurring catering contracts for businesses with tiered pricing based on frequency (1-5 days per week). Includes one-time event catering. Pricing ranges from $13.50 to $16.00 per person depending on frequency.
- Event Catering: One-time and ongoing event catering services for parties and special events with custom menus available.
- Bentos Cafe Operations: Full-service cafe management for large private or shared spaces with kitchen and dining facilities.
- Full-Service Buffet: Premium service option at $1.50 per person per day for offices of 50+ including setup, serving, cleanup, and leftover donations. Free service for 100+ associates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | 5 days/week plan - Best value |
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | 3-4 days/week plan - Mid-tier |
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | 1-2 days/week plan - Entry tier |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Full-service buffet option |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Bentos Catering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bentos Catering is a Columbus, Ohio-based food service company founded in 2015 that provides scratch-made corporate lunch catering, event catering, corporate cafe management, and snack services to businesses. Its signature offering is a rotating weekly menu of more than 250 scratch-made items delivered to workplaces, supported by drop-off delivery, on-site cafe operations, and event catering for corporate clients.
Product overview
Bentos Catering is a Columbus, Ohio-based catering company founded in 2015 by Shannon Bowman. The company operates as a single unified scratch-made food service offering rather than a modular platform. Its core products include Corporate Lunch Catering (with recurring subscription tiers), Event/Party Catering, Bentos Cafe (turnkey cafeteria management), Snack Services, and Small Business Catering. All offerings feature scratch-made, customizable meals that accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, keto, paleo, nut-free, dairy-free, and fish/shellfish-free dietary requirements. The company delivers over 5,000 freshly made meals per week to Columbus businesses, offering a rotating menu of 250+ chef-crafted items including Mediterranean rice bowls, tacos, pasta dishes, and Asian-inspired meals. Service options range from simple drop-off delivery to full-service buffet experiences with setup and teardown.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Corporate Lunch Catering
- Event Catering
- Cafe Management
- Snack Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 5,000 freshly made meals per week served
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bentos Catering
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Bentos Catering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bentos Catering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bentos Catering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Guckenheimer: Corporate foodservice management company operating managed cafes and dining programs for mid-to-large employers. Comparable managed corporate cafe offering (Bentos Cafe) at much larger scale.
- Aramark: Global foodservice and facilities contractor providing managed dining, catering, and refreshment services to corporations and institutions. Comparable contract foodservice and corporate catering capability at massive scale.
- Compass Group: World's largest contract foodservice company with extensive corporate dining, vending, and catering operations. Provides the broadest competitive threat via national procurement relationships.
- Cafe Services: Corporate cafe and dining management firm serving mid-size employers with on-site food programs. Directly comparable contract foodservice and corporate cafe positioning to Bentos Cafe.
Emerging players
- DoorDash for Work: Corporate meal benefits and catering platform from the leading delivery marketplace. Comparable B2B workplace lunch use case and emerging threat to single-metro caterers as corporate procurement consolidates.
- Ordermark: Technology platform that helps restaurants manage online delivery and catering orders at scale. Adjacent enabling technology comparable to the operational tooling Bentos would need to scale catering operations.
Direct peers
- ezCater: Largest online marketplace for corporate catering in the U.S., connecting businesses with local caterers for group orders. Directly comparable B2B catering focus and recurring corporate lunch use case as Bentos.
- Fooda: Workplace food platform partnering with local restaurants for daily pop-ups and managed corporate cafeterias. Comparable B2B focus on employer-subsidized workplace meals and cafe management.
- Cater2.me: Corporate catering program operator offering managed lunch programs for tech and enterprise offices. Closely comparable recurring corporate lunch subscription model with on-site service options.
Regional players
- Corporate Caterers (Columbus): Long-standing Columbus-based corporate and event caterer. Direct local competitor in the same metro, competing for the same Columbus employer accounts and event catering contracts.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bentos Catering social profiles
Digital presenceBentos Catering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bentos Catering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bentos Catering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bentos Catering 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 Bentos Catering
What does Bentos Catering do?
Bentos Catering is a Columbus, Ohio-based food service company founded in 2015 that provides scratch-made corporate lunch catering, event catering, corporate cafe management, and snack services to businesses. Its signature offering is a rotating weekly menu of more than 250 scratch-made items delivered to workplaces, supported by drop-off delivery, on-site cafe operations, and event catering for corporate clients.
Is Bentos Catering a public or private company?
Bentos Catering is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bentos Catering founded?
Bentos Catering was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bentos Catering based?
Bentos Catering is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bentos Catering make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Corporate Lunch Catering is the primary driver. The others are event Catering, bentos Cafe Operations and full-Service Buffet.
Who are Bentos Catering's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Guckenheimer, Aramark, Compass Group and Cafe Services. Emerging players are DoorDash for Work and Ordermark. Direct peers are ezCater, Fooda and Cater2.me. Corporate Caterers (Columbus) is listed as a regional player.
Does Bentos Catering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bentos Catering.
What industry is Bentos Catering in?
Bentos Catering's product category is Corporate Catering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAIAH, Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering), with a secondary code of THAFAIAI, Drop-Off / Delivery Catering. Its NAICS code is 722320.