Even though it’s Fooda’s second time making the Fast 50 list, we didn’t become the leading provider of freshly-served restaurant food at work overnight. The idea behind Fooda all started a decade ago, when workers at 600 W. Chicago Ave. had limited options for lunch. In addition to lack of restaurants in the area, the commission-based employees wanted to minimize time spent away from their desks.

To solve this lunchtime issue, workers were bringing rotating popup restaurants into their office. In 2011, Orazio Buzza, an executive at Echo Global Logistics at the time, ran with the idea and formed Fooda. With the help of hundreds of companies looking to increase productivity and employee engagement and restaurants looking to increase revenue, Fooda has flourished.

Buzza, the CEO of Fooda, has developed the company into the country’s largest provider of restaurant food in workplaces. However, Fooda could not be the eighth fastest-growing company in Chicago without the contributions from everyone who makes our operations run smoothly. That includes the more than 1,000 restaurant partners, over 250 employees, and most importantly, its customers.

As for the remainder of 2018, Fooda will continue to grow. By the end of the year, the company plans to be in 20 markets, and eventually the 50 largest U.S. cities. If you aren’t lucky enough to have Fooda in your city yet, be on the lookout for us in the future.

Are you interested in bringing Fooda to your building? Click here. Are you a restaurant looking to drive lunchtime revenue? Click here. Are you interested in joining the Fooda team? Click here.