Restaurant consultancy The Culinary Edge (TCE) has been acquired by CORE Foodservice, a foodservice sales agency, the companies announced Tuesday.
CORE said the acquisition will enable it to provide chain restaurants with a “new level of strategic support.” Customers will now have access to The Culinary Edge offerings including restaurant creation, product and menu development, brand identity, operational design and more.
Aaron Noveshen, who founded San Francisco-based The Culinary Edge in 2002, will depart the organization but will remain CEO of Starbird, a fast-casual chicken concept developed by the consulting group. TCE’s leadership team will otherwise remain in place, the company said.
The Culinary Edge has worked with companies including Starbucks, First Watch, Hormel and McCain. Earlier this year, Noodles & Company laid out plans for a complete menu overhaul designed to reflect a “new culinary identity of contemporary comfort kitchen,” following the fast casual’s work with The Culinary Edge.
Los Angeles-based CORE Foodservice is part of the Acosta Group agency collective, a group of retail, marketing and foodservice agencies.
“TCE’s leading-edge capabilities will be a huge asset to our roster of premier food and beverage clients and will help to further strengthen our own capabilities in the chain segment,” Travis King, president of CORE Foodservice, North America, said in a statement. “For more than 20 years, TCE has partnered with the best and brightest food and beverage concepts. Our team is looking forward to further scaling TCE’s strengths and leveraging our shared expertise to enhance both organizations.”
The acquisition will strengthen the mission of The Culinary Edge, TCE CEO Graham Humphreys said.
“This is a transformational time for our industry, and we need a new kind of innovation agency with the scale and skill to navigate it,” Humphreys said. “TCE’s mission is to help businesses bring together the insights, products, brands, data, technology and operations they need to succeed. This acquisition brings TCE closer to our clients across the U.S. through CORE Foodservice’s culinary team and facilities. Furthermore, it up-levels TCE's services through the integration with Acosta Group’s advanced analytics and consumer insights.”
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