Catering By Kelly's

What Catering By Kelly's does

Catering By Kelly's is a family-owned catering company founded in 1986 by Dan Kelly and headquartered in Williamsburg, Michigan, roughly seven miles east of Traverse City. The firm provides full-service on-site catering for weddings, corporate events, conferences, and milestone celebrations across Northern Michigan, with stated reach 'across the street or across the state.' Its core offering is event-driven catering: custom menu design, food preparation, full setup (china, linen, silverware, glassware), staffed service, and cleanup, backed by a workforce of 75 servers and bartenders.

The product surface spans multiple menu tiers — hors d'oeuvres ($28-$44+/person), plated dinners ($38-$54+/person), buffets ($36-$44+/person), family-style, BBQ, Mexican, vegetarian and vegan selections, plus breakfast/brunch, late-night snacks, soups, and desserts. Beverage service is offered as an add-on at $5-$10 per person (Michigan law prohibits cash bars), and service labor is billed at $34/hour per server/bartender. Distribution runs through a website contact form, phone, email, and a network of preferred-caterer relationships with roughly 20 Northern Michigan venues including Castle Farms, Willowbrook Mill, Garvey Event Barn, A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort, and the City Opera House. The company also bundles its catering with KOTI Scandinavian Cabins group lodging for destination wedding parties.

The revenue model is per-event, per-person and per-hour pricing with a security deposit to reserve dates, Michigan sales tax applied, and check/cash settlement at event conclusion (invoicing available by prior arrangement). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and event-driven: customers self-identify via venues or outreach, then receive custom menu proposals. The firm is privately held under Kelly family ownership, with no disclosed institutional capital, parent entity, or subsidiary structure identified.

Name

Catering By Kelly's

Legal name

Catering by Kelly's

Website

https://cateringbykellys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catering By Kelly's is a family-owned Northern Michigan catering company, founded in 1986, providing full-service custom menus, bar service, and staffed event execution for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions across roughly 20 regional venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wedding & Reception Catering (HSACAGAD), Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Event catering services
• Wedding catering
• Corporate catering
• Banquet service
• Hors d'oeuvres catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Catering Services: Revenue generated through per-person catering fees for events including weddings, corporate functions, and special occasions. Pricing varies by menu selection (hors d'oeuvres from $28-$44/person, dinner from $36-$54/person) plus hourly service charges and bar service fees.
2. Service Labor Charges: Service rate of $34 per hour, per server and bartender beginning at departure from Catering by Kelly's and ending upon return. Covers staffing for events.
3. Bar Service: Full bar service providing glassware, garnishes, and service ice for $5.00 per person. Additional bar package at $10/person includes mixers. Michigan law prohibits cash bars.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Catering By Kelly's provides full-service, on-site event catering in Northern Michigan, including custom menu design, food preparation, professional service staff, beverage/bar service, and complete setup and cleanup for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions. Pricing is per-person based on menu selection, with additional hourly service charges and bar package add-ons; the company supplies all china, linen, silverware, and glassware.

Product overview

Catering By Kelly's is a family-owned catering company offering full-service event catering in Northern Michigan since 1986. The core offering is Full-Service Catering, which provides custom menu design and professional staffing for weddings and events. Additional products include Beverage Service (bar packages with professional bartenders), various dinner menu tiers (Plated, Buffet, Mexican, BBQ, and Family-Style ranging $36-$54+), specialty dietary selections (Vegetarian and Vegan menus), and event dining options (Breakfast/Brunch, Late Night Snacks, Soups, and Desserts). A separate Hors d'Oeuvres Menu product ($28-$44+) offers appetizer-only service. The company also partners with KOTI Scandinavian Cabins for group lodging. All catering includes china, linen, silverware, and glassware with professional service staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Catering Complete on-site catering service including custom menu design, professional food preparation, full setup with all china/linen/silverware/glassware, service, and cleanup for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions across Northern Michigan.
• Hors d'Oeuvres Menu Service

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• KOTI (Knudsen Oberg Traverse Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKOTI is a group lodging partner providing Scandinavian cabin accommodations in Traverse City, Michigan. Catering By Kelly's partners with KOTI to provide catering services for guests staying at the KOTI experience, creating a bundled lodging and catering offering for wedding parties and event guests.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Aramark: Large-scale food service contractor providing catering and event food services to venues and corporate clients. Broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities (event catering, food service staffing), but at significantly larger scale and broader scope than Catering by Kelly's.
• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management company with event and banquet catering offerings. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in event catering and food service, though focused on contract-managed institutional and corporate clients.
• Hyatt Catering: National hotel brand offering in-house banquet and wedding catering at its properties. Overlaps with Catering by Kelly's on wedding and corporate catering, but competes as a venue-embedded incumbent rather than an independent off-premise operator.

Direct peers

• Blue Plate Catering: Long-established full-service off-premise caterer for weddings, corporate, and social events. Comparable to Catering by Kelly's in service model (per-person pricing, custom menus, professional service staff), but operates in the Chicago metro rather than Northern Michigan.
• Affairs to Remember: Wedding and event caterer offering custom menus and on-site service. Directly comparable to Catering by Kelly's in business model (event-driven per-person catering with staff service), although it operates in the Atlanta region.
• Feastivities Catering: Full-service off-premise caterer focused on weddings, corporate, and social events with custom menus and event staff. Comparable in operating model and customer segments, though based in the Pittsburgh metro.
• Bay Area Catering: Michigan-based full-service caterer serving weddings, corporate events, and private functions. Directly comparable to Catering by Kelly's in service model, pricing approach (per-person menus), and customer segments within the same regional food-service market.
• Epicurean Catering: Michigan event caterer offering customized menus for weddings and corporate functions. Closely comparable to Catering by Kelly's in off-premise full-service catering, menu customization, and event-style range.
• Two Unique Catering & Event Planning: Michigan-based event caterer with custom menus for weddings, corporate events, and private parties. Directly comparable to Catering by Kelly's in geography and full-service off-premise catering offering.

Regional players

• The Produce Station Catering: Ann Arbor, Michigan-based caterer and specialty grocer providing event catering. Overlaps with Catering by Kelly's on catering service model and Michigan footprint, but serves a different sub-region of the state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 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 Catering By Kelly's