Firm with Sarasota ties to feed FAMU

SARASOTA — A Pennsylvania food management firm with a Southeast headquarters in Sarasota won a contract to provide dining services for students, faculty, staff and guests at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

The company, Metz Culinary Management, signed a five-year agreement with the college, according to a release. Terms of the deal, in which Metz will hire 150 foodservice employees and make some facility and capital improvements, weren't disclosed.

“We are looking forward to a long-term partnership with FAMU that will transform the university's dining services into one of the nation's premier foodservice programs,” Metz Culinary Management President and CEO Jeff Metz says in the release.

Metz opened its Southern Division in Sarasota in April. Longboat Key resident and foodservice industry veteran Jack Brill runs the office, which targets long-term care facilities and schools for clients.

Food Management Magazine named Metz, based in Dallas, Pa., north of Philadelphia, one of the top 20 food management companies in the U.S. The firm 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.