TrustHouse buys Stephen Starr’s catering group

It’s déjà vu all over again for Michael Bailey, the steward of Compass Group’s transformation through acquisitions into one of the world’s largest contract feeders. His new charge, TrustHouse Services Group, has acquired Starr Restaurants Catering Group with the intention of allowing it to operate under the current name and management as a high-end brand in the TrustHouse’s contract-foodservice portfolio.

Bailey took the same approach while helming Compass Group, buying up big-marquee operations like Restaurant Associates, Michel Richard’s Patina Group, Chartwells, Rudy Flick’s Flick Management and Abigail Kirsch’s catering company.

“This is an exciting time for us,” Bailey, TrustHouse’s chairman, said in a release announcing the deal without revealing such particulars as the purchase price. “The Starr Restaurants Catering Group has a well renowned reputation for providing innovative food and exceptional hospitality in corporate dining and in large scale events and galas. The acquisition provides excellent potential for both SRCG and TrustHouse, infusing each with new resources and expanding opportunities for our employees.”

Under his tutelage, TrustHouse has already amassed such foodservice providers as Aladdin Food Management and Summit Food Service Management.

The company itself was acquired in early 2013 by Elior SCA, a global contract feeder and concessionaire.

Through acquisitions that were then allowed to retain their corporate identity, culture and management, Compass grew into one of the foodservice industry’s dominant contract services company, along with Sodexo and Aramark.

Bailey stepped down as CEO of Compass in 2006, after the company was embroiled in a scandal concerning its bidding for the foodservice contract to the United Nations. An investigation led to the dismissal of three employees. Bailey was not accused of any wrongdoing.

Starr Restaurants Catering Group is the catering complement to chef Stephen Starr’s Philadelphia-based restaurant group, which includes such celebrated concepts as Buddakan, Morimoto and The Continental. The restaurants were not included in the deal.

TrustHouse specified that the Catering Group will continue to be run by President and CEO Simon Powles, who co-founded the operation with Starr.