Great Lakes Culinary Designs

What Great Lakes Culinary Designs does

Great Lakes Culinary Designs (GLCD) is a private, Southfield, Michigan-based commercial foodservice design firm founded in 2015 as the design division of the Great Lakes Portfolio, which also includes Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co. and Great Lakes West. The company provides end-to-end culinary design and engineering services for restaurants, bars, healthcare facilities, corporate dining operations, private clubs, and universities, with a documented portfolio of 21+ named projects concentrated in the Detroit metro area and selective national reach enabled through the parent group's sales teams.

GLCD's core offering spans the full project lifecycle: schematic design, design development, construction/coordination documentation (including permit-quality plumbing and electrical rough-ins, health-department approvals, and custom fabrication details), design build services with Guaranteed Maximum Price alignment, equipment procurement, warehousing, installation (uncrating, setting in place, silicone and sealing), service and warranty management, and opening smallwares packages. Technical production is anchored in industry-standard CAD (AutoCAD, Revit) and Building Information Modeling (BIM), with a dedicated BIM Technician producing utility drawings and rough-ins for architect and contractor coordination. The team's differentiation rests on cross-disciplinary talent, including a Director of Design with over 30 years of foodservice experience, a Creative Design Team Lead who is a former Executive Chef, and a Technical Production Lead whose background is in automotive quality and document control.

Commercially, GLCD operates as a professional services and equipment procurement business on a project-based, turn-key engagement model. Revenue is generated from design fees, equipment sales pass-through, and installation/warranty service revenue, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Customer acquisition is driven primarily by word-of-mouth referrals and the parent companies' networks, and growth from the original two-associate team in 2015 to eleven named team members by 2025 has been incremental and role-specific, reflecting capacity build-out rather than rapid scale. The firm has won regional industry recognition including the RD+D 2019 Best Full Service Restaurant Design award and two Hour Detroit Restaurant of the Year designations (2018, 2019).

Name

Great Lakes Culinary Designs

Legal name

Great Lakes Culinary Designs

Website

https://glcds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Culinary Designs is a Southfield, Michigan-based commercial foodservice design firm providing end-to-end culinary design, engineering, equipment procurement, and installation services for restaurants, healthcare facilities, corporate dining, and private clubs nationally via the Great Lakes Portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Southfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Culinary Design Services: Provides comprehensive culinary design services from conception to opening day, including schematic design, design development, and construction/coordination documents. Services include design build opportunities, equipment procurement, warehousing, installation, and opening smallwares packages.
2. Equipment Procurement: Equipment procurement services as part of turn-key solutions, including uncrating, delivery, setting in place, silicone and seal installation, and handling service and warranty issues.
3. Design Build: Partnership with design build contractors aligning with Great Lakes Ventures to develop Grosse Maximum Price (GMP) and ensure cost-effective processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Culinary Designs provides commercial foodservice design, engineering, and equipment procurement services for restaurants, healthcare facilities, corporate campuses, and hospitality venues. Services span schematic design, design development, construction/coordination documents, equipment procurement, warehousing, installation, and post-opening warranty management. The firm delivers turn-key culinary design solutions as the design division of the Great Lakes Portfolio, leveraging CAD, Revit, and BIM tools.

Product overview

Great Lakes Culinary Designs provides a comprehensive suite of culinary design and project execution services for commercial foodservice operations. The core offering centers on professional foodservice design services encompassing schematic design, design development, and construction/coordination documentation, complemented by a full turn-key execution through design build services, equipment procurement, warehousing, installation, and post-opening support. The company serves diverse hospitality venues including restaurants, healthcare facilities, corporate campuses, and private clubs throughout Michigan and nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Culinary Design Services Professional foodservice design services including layout planning, equipment specification, and workflow optimization for commercial kitchens, restaurants, and hospitality venues. Encompasses schematic design, design development, and construction/coordination documentation phases.
• Design Build Services Partnering with design build contractors to develop Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) and ensure cost-effective project execution aligned with client objectives.
• Equipment Procurement Sourcing and procurement of commercial foodservice equipment as part of the turn-key project solution for clients.
• Equipment Warehousing Storage of new commercial foodservice equipment until the project is ready for installation.
• Equipment Installation Services Uncrating, delivery, setting in place, silicone and sealing services for commercial foodservice equipment, with final connections handled by licensed trades.
• Service and Warranty Management Post-installation handling of service and warranty issues so clients can focus on their customers.
• Opening Smallwares Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful completion of 21+ projects across Michigan including award-winning restaurants (Prime + Proper, Parc)

Named customers21 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company that powers the Great Lakes Culinary Designs design division. Part of the Great Lakes Portfolio of companies providing turn-key solutions for culinary projects.
• Great Lakes WestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent division that provides support and resources to Great Lakes Culinary Designs. Combined with Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co. to form the Great Lakes Portfolio. National Accounts team works with GLCD design team.
• Eli Tea of BirminghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTea provider for White Wolf Japanese Patisserie. OMI Matcha from Eli Tea of Birmingham used in Matcha Mille Crepe dessert.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Clark Associates: Large foodservice equipment distributor and parent of Webstaurant Store and Restaurant Depot. Operates in adjacent foodservices space as a diversified incumbent comparable to GLCD's parent Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co. ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Cini-Little International: International foodservice consulting and design firm serving restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, and institutional clients. Direct competitor with broader geographic reach and similar turn-key service approach.
• Foodservice Design Specialists: Specialized foodservice design consultancy focused on commercial kitchen planning and equipment layout. Comparable as a niche foodservice design services provider serving restaurant and hospitality clients.
• Hall Associates: Foodservice design consulting firm providing kitchen planning and equipment design services for restaurants and hospitality venues. Direct peer in the commercial foodservice design market.
• Ricca Newmark: Foodservice design consultancy providing kitchen design, equipment specification, and project management for restaurants, hospitality, and institutional clients. Comparable as a full-service foodservice design firm with similar client base.
• Hoppmann Design Group: Foodservice design firm providing kitchen layout, equipment specification, and consulting for hospitality and institutional clients. Comparable as a specialized commercial kitchen design consultancy.
• pesk Inc: Professional Engineering Services for Kitchens firm specializing in foodservice engineering, kitchen ventilation, and mechanical design for commercial kitchens. Direct peer focused on the engineering and technical documentation side of foodservice design.
• JMH Associates: Foodservice consulting and design firm providing kitchen planning, equipment specification, and project management for hospitality and institutional foodservice operations. Direct peer offering similar design services.
• Clevenger Associates: Foodservice design and consulting firm specializing in commercial kitchen planning and foodservice facility design. Direct competitor offering similar schematic design, design development, and construction documentation services.
• Rippe Associates: Foodservice design and consulting firm providing kitchen and restaurant design services for hospitality, healthcare, and institutional clients. Directly comparable as an independent foodservice design consultancy serving similar end-markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-culinary-designs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Great Lakes Culinary Designs