DUCASSE Conseil

What DUCASSE Conseil does

DUCASSE Conseil is a French culinary consulting firm founded in 2002 and headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, operating as a subsidiary of Ducasse Paris (parent legal entity DE GUSTIBUS). The firm delivers bespoke advisory services to enterprise clients across four catering verticals: commercial restaurants and franchises; hotels and luxury resorts; onboard environments including luxury cruise ships, aircraft, and space missions; and collective catering covering corporate cafeterias, schools, and healthcare facilities. Service deliverables span operational audits, culinary identity and concept development, recipe creation, menu engineering, kitchen layout design (using AutoCAD-certified consultants), staff training, and recurring quality audits. The firm is differentiated by direct access to the Alain Ducasse chef network and to Ecole Ducasse for training, and by long-dated, category-defining engagements in technically demanding sub-segments — most notably space food engineering with CNES and ESA since 2004, and luxury cruise culinary programs with Ponant Explorations since 2015.

The underlying technology is primarily human expertise and codified methodology rather than software IP. Differentiated proprietary assets include recipes engineered for extreme environments (60 ISS-approved recipes, packaged in aluminum-manganese alloy tins produced with Hénaff at 1,000 units per year) and a substantial cruise culinary library (1,000+ recipes for Ponant since 2017). The firm also operates a digital TOOLBOX resource library covering maritime, healthcare, school, corporate, and in-flight catering topics, which functions as a content and lead-generation asset rather than a product.

DUCASSE Conseil generates revenue through professional-services engagements priced bespoke per project; pricing is not publicly disclosed and clients are quoted on inquiry. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales and referral-driven, supported by a project-portfolio website, newsletter, social media, and on-site industry events at client properties. Projects are executed on-site at client establishments in 35+ countries, deployed via a core team supplemented by Ducasse network consultants. Reported headcount is 1-10 employees, but project scale (e.g., 100 chefs trained and 8 audits/year for Ponant) implies significant use of the broader Ducasse Paris ecosystem. The firm is privately held under Ducasse Paris with no disclosed external investors or funding rounds.

Name

DUCASSE Conseil

Legal name

DE GUSTIBUS

Website

https://ducasse-conseil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DUCASSE Conseil is a French culinary consulting firm and Ducasse Paris subsidiary that delivers bespoke advisory services — concept design, recipe development, kitchen engineering, training, and quality audits — to enterprise clients across commercial restaurants, luxury hotels, cruise lines, aerospace, and collective catering sectors in 35+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Catering Coordination & Bar Service Management (Non-restaurant) (HSACAAAH), Venue Sourcing & Site Coordination (HSACAAAD)

Keywords

• Culinary consulting services
• Restaurant menu development
• Onboard catering consulting
• Culinary training programs
• Foodservice consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Issy-les-moulineaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant consulting services: Bespoke consulting engagements for restaurants, hotels, cruise lines, and institutional caterers. Projects include operational audits, culinary identity development, recipe creation, staff training, kitchen engineering, and quality follow-up. Revenue generated through professional service engagements with enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DUCASSE Conseil is a culinary consulting firm that delivers bespoke restaurant and foodservice advisory services for enterprise clients worldwide. Services span operational audits, culinary identity creation, recipe development, menu engineering, professional kitchen design, staff training, and recurring quality follow-up across commercial, hotel, onboard (cruise, aircraft, space), and collective catering sectors. Each engagement is tailored to the client's specific context and delivered on-site by consultant chefs drawn from the Alain Ducasse network.

Product overview

DUCASSE Conseil operates as a culinary consulting firm offering specialized advisory services across four distinct catering segments: commercial (independent restaurants and franchises), hotel (resorts and hospitality establishments), onboard (cruise ships, aircraft, and space missions), and collective (schools, corporate cafeterias, and healthcare). The portfolio is organized around core consulting deliverables including operational audits, culinary concept creation, recipe development, staff training, quality follow-up, and opening assistance. The company also maintains a TOOLBOX resource library providing best practices and guidance on various catering topics. Services are delivered through teams of chef consultants with expertise transmitted from the Alain Ducasse network, and the company collaborates with Ecole Ducasse for formal training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Culinary Consulting Services Bespoke consulting services for restaurant and catering establishments, including culinary expertise, recipe development, menu design, and operational optimization tailored to commercial, hotel, onboard, and collective catering sectors.
• Hotel Catering Consulting Tailored restaurant and F&B consulting for hotels and resorts, creating bespoke dining experiences that harmonize with establishment identity and guest expectations.
• Onboard Catering Consulting Culinary concept development for cruise ships, aircraft, and space missions, combining operational rigor with creativity to deliver unique gastronomic experiences at sea, in the air, and beyond Earth's atmosphere.
• Collective Catering Consulting Specialized consulting for school canteens, corporate restaurants, and healthcare facilities, designing customized culinary solutions that balance quality, efficiency, and accessibility.
• Commercial Catering Consulting Market-responsive consulting for independent restaurants, groups, and franchises, developing customized offers that combine culinary creativity with methodological rigor.
• Training Programs Professional development services for restaurant and hotel staff, including culinary techniques, service standards, hospitality practices, and menu-specific training delivered by expert chefs.
• Kitchen Layout Design Professional kitchen layout design via an AutoCAD-certified consultant chef, including review of kitchen plans, workflow recommendations, and alignment of food offerings with equipment selection.
• Space Catering Solutions Specialized culinary solutions for space agencies and space tourism operators, including recipe development for zero-gravity and extreme environments, tested on polar voyages before space deployment. Recipes are packaged in aluminum-manganese alloy tins adapted to ISS reheating systems and meeting strict biological safety requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000 recipes created since 2017 for Ponant cruise line
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• OrbiteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Orbite is a luxury space tourism agency. DUCASSE Conseil was engaged to share expertise with CNES during the first space tourist training seminars, introducing prospective space tourists to meals in space and participating in round table discussions.
• CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Since 2004, DUCASSE Conseil has partnered with CNES and ESA to create innovative space food recipes ('Food for Extreme Pleasure by Alain Ducasse'). The partnership has produced recipes for astronauts aboard the International Space Station, with 1,000 aluminum-manganese alloy tins produced annually and 60 recipes created. Recipes undergo extreme condition testing on polar voyages before space deployment.
• ESA (European Space Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004DUCASSE Conseil works in conjunction with ESA alongside CNES to develop space catering solutions that meet international space authority requirements for the ISS.
• HénaffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Hénaff, renowned for canned food expertise, to create and manufacture space meal containers. Hénaff provides the specialized aluminum-manganese alloy tins adapted to ISS reheating systems while meeting strict biological safety requirements.
• Ecole DucassecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcole Ducasse, established by Alain Ducasse in 1999, is a renowned culinary and pastry arts training center with three schools in France. DUCASSE Conseil collaborates closely with the school to offer tailored training programs, leveraging shared pedagogical approaches and expert chef instructors.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HVS International: Global hospitality consulting firm providing valuation, investment, and operational advisory to hotels, resorts, and leisure properties. Overlaps with DUCASSE Conseil in hotel F&B strategy but is broader in real-estate and investment advisory.
• Elior Group: Major French contract catering multinational with in-house culinary innovation and brand consulting arms, and a documented DUCASSE Conseil customer (Elior North America). Overlaps in collective catering and culinary identity development.
• Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality: Global commercial real estate firm with a hospitality practice covering hotels, resorts, and leisure asset advisory, including F&B positioning. Comparable as an enterprise hospitality advisor while operating as part of a wider portfolio.
• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management giant with internal culinary innovation and consulting capability serving enterprise, healthcare, education, and remote-site clients. Comparable at the contract-catering consulting layer, though at vastly larger scale.
• Institut Paul Bocuse: French culinary school and consulting/training brand founded under a competing Michelin-renowned chef name. Comparable to DUCASSE Conseil for chef-school-driven culinary advisory, with overlapping target customers in hospitality and F&B.
• JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group: Real estate services division of JLL providing hospitality investment advisory including select F&B strategy work. Comparable to DUCASSE Conseil at the high end of luxury hotel advisory, though F&B is a sub-component of a much larger real-estate practice.

Others

• Ecole Ducasse: Sister culinary and pastry arts school under the Ducasse Paris group, founded by Alain Ducasse in 1999 with three French campuses. Functions as a talent and training enabler for DUCASSE Conseil projects rather than a direct competitor, but participates in the broader Ducasse culinary ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Cini-Little International: Independent foodservice consulting firm serving hospitality, healthcare, education, and commercial dining clients globally. Directly comparable to DUCASSE Conseil in that it sells bespoke F&B strategy, kitchen-design, and operational advisory on a project basis to enterprise operators.
• Sterling-Rice Group: Brand strategy and culinary innovation consultancy working with food, beverage, and hospitality clients on positioning, menu development, and product launches. Comparable for its combination of marketing strategy and food expertise targeting enterprise culinary operators.
• Andrew Freeman & Co. Hospitality and foodservice PR, marketing, and consulting firm specializing in restaurant and hotel F&B strategy. Comparable to DUCASSE Conseil for the enterprise-hotel and luxury-restaurant consulting segment and the chef-driven brand storytelling approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 DUCASSE Conseil