{{Short description|American catering company}} {{Primary sources|date=June 2007}} {{Infobox company | name = Gordon Food Service | logo = Gordon Food Service logo.svg | image = Gordon Food Service Headquarters.jpg | image_caption = Headquarters of Gordon Food Services | type = Private | founded = {{start date and age|1897}} | location = Wyoming, Michigan | key_people = Rich Wolowski (CEO) | industry = Food distribution | products = Bulk food, delivery | revenue = {{increase}} $12.9 billion (2016) | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = 20,000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/largest-private-companies/list/#tab:rank|title=America's Largest Private Companies List|website=Forbes.com|access-date=2 March 2021}}</ref> | parent = | subsidiaries = | website = {{url|https://gfs.com/}} | footnotes = }}
'''Gordon Food Service''' ('''GFS''') is a foodservice distributor based in Wyoming, Michigan serving the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the United States and coast-to-coast in Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gfs.com/en-us/locations/distribution|title=Food Service Distribution Service Areas|publisher=Gordon Food Service|access-date=2019-08-12}}</ref> It also operates stores in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, and Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Distribution Service Areas |url= https://gfs.com/en-us/our-markets/locations/ |access-date=2025-09-11}}</ref>
According to ''Forbes'', GFS is the 15th-largest privately held company in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-private-companies/|title=Gordon Food Service on the Forbes America's Largest Private Companies List|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2025-01-03}}</ref> Its biggest competitors are US Foods and Sysco.
==History== In 1897, Isaac Van Westenbrugge, a 23-year-old Dutch immigrant, started a butter-and-egg delivery service using a horse-drawn cart and $300 borrowed from his brother. In 1916, Ben Gordon joined the company and later married Van Westenbrugge's daughter, Ruth. In 1942, Ben and his brother Frank renamed the company Gordon Food Service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gfs.com/en-us/about-us|title=About Us|website=Gordon Food Service|language=en-us|access-date=2019-08-12}}</ref> Since then, Gordon Food Service has grown to become the largest privately held and family-managed foodservice distributor in North America. Gordon Food Service serves a wide variety of foodservice companies across industries, ranging from restaurants, to healthcare, education, and more.
GFS purchased the Market Day school fundraising company in 2013<ref>{{cite news|title=Gordon Food Service Buys Fundraising Company|work=Progressive Grocer|publisher=EnsembleIQ|location=Chicago|date=February 19, 2013|accessdate=June 7, 2025|url=https://progressivegrocer.com/gordon-food-service-buys-fundraising-company}}</ref> before shutting it down two years later.<ref name="Garmes">{{cite news|title=Market Day bringing back memories|first=Kyle|last=Garmes|work=The Beverly Review|location=Chicago|date=September 5, 2023|accessdate=June 7, 2025|url=https://www.beverlyreview.net/news/community_news/article_3a7f9df0-4c03-11ee-8058-936104e1d747.html}}</ref>
In early March 2024, Gordon Food Service along with Florida Blue Foundation, and AdventHealth became partners and founding members of the Culinary Health Institute; which was being built on the 4 Roots Farm Campus in Orlando, Florida, by John Rivers' founder of 4 Rivers Smokehouse.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2024/03/27/4roots-john-rivers-culinary-health-institute.html|title=4Roots names corporate partners for new Culinary Health Institute at Orlando farm campus|last=Lynch|first=Ryan|date=March 27, 2024|newspaper=Orlando Business Journal|url-access=subscription|access-date=December 3, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wftv.com/news/local/learn-about-new-culinary-health-institute-coming-orlando/TEOYI7AO5VEYXD7K7PLC7TGW3A/|title=Learn about the new Culinary Health Institute coming to Orlando|last=Caldwell|first=Brittany|date=March 29, 2024|website=WFTV|access-date=December 3, 2025}}</ref>
==Wholesale distribution== [[Image:Gordon Food Service Delivery Truck.JPG|thumb|right|GFS delivery truck, Ann Arbor, Michigan]] Gordon Food Service has 14 distribution centers in the U.S., located in Aberdeen, Maryland; Brighton, Michigan; Concord, North Carolina; Coppell, Texas; Houston, Texas; Imperial, Pennsylvania; Kenosha, Wisconsin; Lithia Springs, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Plant City, Florida; Shepherdsville, Kentucky; Springfield, Ohio; Taunton, Massachusetts; and Wyoming, Michigan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gfs.com/en-us/locations/distribution|title=Food Service Distribution Service Areas|publisher=Gordon Food Service|access-date=2019-08-12}}</ref>
In 1996, the company began a series of acquisitions in Canada, forming Gordon Food Service Canada.<ref name="can-restaurantnews">{{cite web|url=http://can-restaurantnews.com/content/publish/national/GFS_to_rename_its_Canadian_divisions.shtml|title=A consistent brand for GFS Canada|publisher=can-restaurantnews.com|access-date=2014-10-14}}</ref> It now has nine distribution centers in Canada, located in Amherst, Nova Scotia; Boucherville, Quebec; Delta, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Milton, Ontario; Quebec City, Quebec; Rocky View County, Alberta, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Ajax, Ontario.
Gordon Food Service delivers products via truck to more than 100,000 customers, including independent restaurants, long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, colleges, and regional and national chain restaurants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gfs.com/en-us/about-us|title=About Us|publisher=Gordon Food Service|language=en-us|access-date=2019-09-27}}</ref>
==Stores== Gordon Food Service opened its first cash and carry store in 1979. These stores were renamed GFS Marketplace in 1992 and rebranded to Gordon Food Service Store in 2014. As of 2025, GFS operates more than 175 stores across Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gfsstore.com/locations/|title=Store Locations|website=Gordon Food Service Store|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-27}}</ref> The company began renovating many stores in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2018/03/how_gordon_food_service_is_mak.html|title=How Gordon Food Service is making over stores to draw Millennials|last=Martinez|first=Shandra|date=2018-03-02|website=mlive|language=en|access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Companies based in Grand Rapids, Michigan Category:Companies based in Kent County, Michigan Category:Catering and food service companies of the United States Category:Food and drink companies established in 1897 Category:1897 establishments in Michigan Category:Privately held companies based in Michigan