Foodservice firm plants growth seeds in Sarasota

SARASOTA — Metz Culinary Management, a foodservice firm based in Pennsylvania that serves hospitals, schools and corporations, has opened a Sarasota office in an effort to expand in Florida and the Southeast.

The firm hired Longboat Key resident Jack Brill to run the office, what Metz calls its Southern Division corporate office. Clients in that division include health care and long-term care facilities, colleges, universities and independent schools, the company says.

“Jack will help us in our commitment to continue to grow the Florida market and surrounding area for all segments of the business,” Metz Culinary Management President and CEO Jeffrey Metz says in the statement. “His addition to our team is a huge benefit for managing our current clients throughout the South.”

With more than 160 accounts in 14 states, Metz was recently named one of the top 20 management companies in the U.S. by Food Management magazine. The firm, based in Dallas, Pa., north of Philadelphia, also operates several franchise restaurants in the northeast, including a Ruth's Chris Steak House; 13 T.G.I. Friday's locations; and two Krispy Kreme stores.

Brill, meanwhile, has more than 25 years of retail and foodservice industry experience. He's owned and operated two foodservice businesses, according to the release, and he's also worked with global food companies and military programs. “I'm thrilled to join the Metz Culinary Management team,” Brill says in the statement, “and feel that we have services that are uniquely qualified for the South.”