The Company: Honest Foods Catering
The Owner(s): Tad Devlin
Website: http://honestfoodscatering.com
Episode: Season 4, Episode 5
Location: Chicago, IL
Intro To Honest Foods Catering
In this episode of The Profit, Marcus Lemonis visits Honest Foods Catering, a farm-to-table organic catering company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded and is run by Tad Devlin, who has a genuine passion for healthy, locally sourced food. Honest Foods Catering provides full-service catering for corporate events, private parties, and weddings across the Chicago area.
The concept is solid — healthy, organically sourced catering is a growing market — but the business is struggling to keep up with demand, retain clients, and grow revenues in a sustainable way. Marcus sees real potential here but knows the business needs serious restructuring before it can scale.
Problems / Issues Found By Marcus
- Inconsistent food quality — not maintaining the "honest" standard they market
- Lack of documented recipes and standardized kitchen processes
- Difficulty scaling catering capacity to handle larger events
- Poor client retention: customers weren't coming back after the first booking
- Weak marketing — no strong online presence or client referral system
- Financial disorganization: mixing personal and business expenses
- Tad spreading himself too thin by handling logistics, cooking, and sales alone
The Financial Situation
Despite a promising product, Honest Foods Catering was operating without profit. Revenue wasn't steady enough to cover the overhead of a commercial kitchen, staff, and supplies. Marcus discovered that the pricing model was flawed — the company was undercharging for events and not factoring in true labor costs, effectively losing money on some jobs.
Marcus's Approach
Marcus zeroed in on two things: standardizing the food quality and fixing the pricing model. He helped Tad create documented recipes and a prep system that could be replicated by a team — not just by Tad himself. He also restructured pricing for events so that every catering job was profitable.
Beyond that, Marcus pushed Tad to improve client communication and follow-ups, and helped set up a simple CRM system to stay in touch with past clients and generate repeat bookings.
Did Marcus Make A Deal?
Yes, Marcus made a deal with Tad Devlin for Honest Foods Catering. He invested in the business in exchange for equity, with a clear plan to scale the catering arm and potentially open a retail food component in the future. Marcus believed that with the right systems in place, this company could become a significant player in Chicago's healthy food scene.
Honest Foods Catering Update – Where Are They Now?
Following the episode, there was a significant spike in catering inquiries for Honest Foods Catering — a common "Profit effect" for companies featured on the show. Tad worked to implement the systems Marcus helped put in place, including standardized menus and proper event pricing.
We will continue to monitor and update this post as more information becomes available about the company's current state. Fans of the show have shown great support for Honest Foods Catering since the episode aired.