Articles
June 10, 2025
Partnership brings local restaurateurs to workplaces and campuses
Aramark’s Local Restaurant Row program invites culinary stars to shine at corporate, collegiate and healthcare accounts.
Hotbox Hibachi, at the University of Mississippi, serves Japanese-style cuisine with Chinese and Vietnamese influences.
Aramark is serving as a matchmaker of sorts — connecting local culinary pioneers with the hungry masses.
For the past five years, the noncommercial foodservice provider has been running Local Restaurant Row (LRR), a program in which local chefs and businesses establish pop-ups or rotations at Aramark’s corporate dining, healthcare, and education locations. As a result, employees and students can enjoy novel local dishes on their way to work or class.
The service model is a win-win for everyone involved: Local restaurateurs gain exposure to an engaged customer base; and Aramark can provide authentic experiences to their clients while supporting local culinary scenes. With more than 2,300 local culinary vendors in 39 states, the LRR partnerships are as diverse as their menus. Local restaurateurs and food truck operators contract with each site individually to allow flexibility in service and operations.
For example, a local restaurateur may prepare and serve menu items alongside existing Aramark concepts in a café or food court, or a food truck might be scheduled to serve guests as part of a campus rotation. While situations may vary, in all cases, partners may have access to campus dining dollars or employee payroll deductions, thereby increasing access and exposure to their various, authentic menus.
Arrangements range from one-day pop-ups to recurring and longer-run engagements. This “à la carte” model is designed to empower restaurateurs and chefs with what they need to execute sustainable and successful culinary operations.
“Our partners go beyond fulfilling orders,” says Max Cavanaugh, Aramark’s brand director of Local Partnerships. “They become a visible and celebrated part of the guest experience. By engaging directly with customers, they bring their culture, hospitality, and passion to the forefront. The program also values authenticity and culinary diversity, and we take pride in providing a platform that allows every concept to shine. It’s about giving chefs and restaurateurs the space to be seen and appreciated.”
Back in 2021, Aramark enlisted The Salty Donut to join the rotation at a large university in Florida, where they served donuts with flavors like Chocolate Chip Sea Salt and Pina Colada that went viral. The partnership went from monthly food truck pop-ups to bi-weekly ones, with additional special invites to serve donuts at campus events throughout the year. The concept then scaled out to another university campus in the Sunshine State.
In Texas, O’Desi Aroma, an Indian culinary concept, opened at an Aramark account in a financial services company location a few years before Aramark created LRR as a national program. Known for its butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken kebabs, and samosas, O-Desi Aroma was able to rapidly expand its business to other Aramark accounts in Texas when the LRR program launched.
El Tenedor, a Spanish food concept that’s part of the LRR program in Kansas City, Mo., has generated more than $1 million in sales since 2022. Barcelona-born chef Carmen Cabia Garcia prepares all of the dishes, including paella and croquetas de pollo.
In addition to serving authentic Spanish fare in the heartland of America, El Tenedor maintains the customer connection you’d expect from an independent café. "We love what we do, and we hope that comes through in our food and service,” says Maria Zea, its co-owner and manager. “We treat our customers like family. Passion and love for what we do is the key to our success.”
By partnering with local culinary pioneers, Aramark is supporting diverse cuisines and restaurants.
Each year, the company recognizes outstanding service and innovation with its “Best Of” Local Restaurant Row Awards. This year, one of the Presidents Choice awardees was Hotbox Hibachi, which was honored for its variety, value, and community engagement, at the University of Mississippi campus.
The food truck, which serves Japanese-style cuisine with Chinese and Vietnamese influences, is located at “Ole Miss”, and frequently collaborates with student groups and campus fundraisers, and has even been invited to serve at the school’s football stadium. “I am out here living my dream every day,” owner Jesse Hurley says.
Learn more about partnering with LRR here
For the past five years, the noncommercial foodservice provider has been running Local Restaurant Row (LRR), a program in which local chefs and businesses establish pop-ups or rotations at Aramark’s corporate dining, healthcare, and education locations. As a result, employees and students can enjoy novel local dishes on their way to work or class.
The service model is a win-win for everyone involved: Local restaurateurs gain exposure to an engaged customer base; and Aramark can provide authentic experiences to their clients while supporting local culinary scenes. With more than 2,300 local culinary vendors in 39 states, the LRR partnerships are as diverse as their menus. Local restaurateurs and food truck operators contract with each site individually to allow flexibility in service and operations.
For example, a local restaurateur may prepare and serve menu items alongside existing Aramark concepts in a café or food court, or a food truck might be scheduled to serve guests as part of a campus rotation. While situations may vary, in all cases, partners may have access to campus dining dollars or employee payroll deductions, thereby increasing access and exposure to their various, authentic menus.
Arrangements range from one-day pop-ups to recurring and longer-run engagements. This “à la carte” model is designed to empower restaurateurs and chefs with what they need to execute sustainable and successful culinary operations.
“Our partners go beyond fulfilling orders,” says Max Cavanaugh, Aramark’s brand director of Local Partnerships. “They become a visible and celebrated part of the guest experience. By engaging directly with customers, they bring their culture, hospitality, and passion to the forefront. The program also values authenticity and culinary diversity, and we take pride in providing a platform that allows every concept to shine. It’s about giving chefs and restaurateurs the space to be seen and appreciated.”
What’s Cooking
When customers like what they eat, they’re going to want more.Back in 2021, Aramark enlisted The Salty Donut to join the rotation at a large university in Florida, where they served donuts with flavors like Chocolate Chip Sea Salt and Pina Colada that went viral. The partnership went from monthly food truck pop-ups to bi-weekly ones, with additional special invites to serve donuts at campus events throughout the year. The concept then scaled out to another university campus in the Sunshine State.
In Texas, O’Desi Aroma, an Indian culinary concept, opened at an Aramark account in a financial services company location a few years before Aramark created LRR as a national program. Known for its butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken kebabs, and samosas, O-Desi Aroma was able to rapidly expand its business to other Aramark accounts in Texas when the LRR program launched.
El Tenedor, a Spanish food concept that’s part of the LRR program in Kansas City, Mo., has generated more than $1 million in sales since 2022. Barcelona-born chef Carmen Cabia Garcia prepares all of the dishes, including paella and croquetas de pollo.
In addition to serving authentic Spanish fare in the heartland of America, El Tenedor maintains the customer connection you’d expect from an independent café. "We love what we do, and we hope that comes through in our food and service,” says Maria Zea, its co-owner and manager. “We treat our customers like family. Passion and love for what we do is the key to our success.”
Good Business
With happy diners and happy restaurateurs, LRR is enjoying its success. The “à la carte” partnership model also enables a varied range of concepts, with 45% being brick-and-mortar partners, 38% food trucks, and the remaining 17% able to provide both.By partnering with local culinary pioneers, Aramark is supporting diverse cuisines and restaurants.
Each year, the company recognizes outstanding service and innovation with its “Best Of” Local Restaurant Row Awards. This year, one of the Presidents Choice awardees was Hotbox Hibachi, which was honored for its variety, value, and community engagement, at the University of Mississippi campus.
The food truck, which serves Japanese-style cuisine with Chinese and Vietnamese influences, is located at “Ole Miss”, and frequently collaborates with student groups and campus fundraisers, and has even been invited to serve at the school’s football stadium. “I am out here living my dream every day,” owner Jesse Hurley says.
Learn more about partnering with LRR here
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