21 Facts About Aramark

Aramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American food service, facilities, and uniform services provider to clients in areas including education, healthcare, business, prisons, and leisure.

Aramark negotiates pricing and makes purchases directly from national manufacturers and through distributors such as Sysco Corporation.

Aramark has had distribution agreements with Sysco for more than 20 years.

In 2016, Aramark strengthened its purchasing power through acquiring the group purchasing organization HPSI.

Aramark was founded as Davidson Brothers in 1936 by Davre and Henry Davidson.

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In 2000, Aramark purchased the concessions arm of the Ogden Corporation for $225 million in cash and $11 million in assumed debt, expanding its business to locations that included several major sports league venues, such as Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the Arrowhead Pond and Edison International Field in Anaheim.

In 2001, Aramark returned to the New York Stock Exchange as a public company under the RMK ticker.

In May 2012, Aramark announced that its board of directors had elected Eric J Foss as CEO and that Joseph Neubauer would remain the company's Chairman.

In 2015, Aramark acquired Irish retail and hospitality business, Avoca Handweavers.

Aramark partnered with The Humane Society in August 2017, part of their initiative to increase plant-based food offerings for consumers.

Aramark created a position of "Office of the Chairman" consisting of Lauren Harrington, Stephen Sadove, Lynn McKee and Bramlage Stephen to handle day-to-day operations, until a new CEO was found.

Aramark has been the subject of a number of scandals regarding labor practices and business ethics.

Aramark was cleared by the Michigan Department of Corrections of any responsibility for inmate illness and for pests in Michigan.

Michigan's oversight of Aramark's performance was criticized as inadequate in a report released in August 2015 by the group Progress Michigan after Michigan moved to end the contract.

Likewise, Aramark has been criticized for skimping portion sizes, food safety issues, and overcharging state governments that have used their food in prisons; a Kentucky prison riot is reputed to have been caused by the low quality of food Aramark provided to inmates.

In Ireland, Aramark has been criticised for its management of three 'direct provision' centres, where those seeking asylum in Ireland must stay until their application is complete, sometimes for a matter of years.

Activists have called for boycotting Aramark for profiting off the direct provision system, as well as the alleged mistreatment of asylum seekers in Aramark-run centres.

In 2018, Aramark was forced to apologise after a mother of three from Zimbabwe was refused a slice of bread for her sick child.

Aramark has been criticized for the "filthy conditions" in Chicago Public Schools following the privatization of janitorial services and Aramark receiving a $260 million contract for their management.

At least 204 Aramark employees have been banned from entering Ohio prisons for such violations.

An Aramark employee was given a written reprimand over the incident.