For more than 70 years, superstars of the food-away-from-home business have competed for the industry’s highest honors—a Silver Plate for being the best in their segment, and the grand prize for the best among that elite group, the Gold Plate Award.
Past winners have included such gods of the business as J.W. “Willard” Marriott, Danny Meyer, Ruth Fertel, Rich Melman, Wolfgang Puck, Julia Stewart, Herman Cain, and Dave Thomas.
Who’ll be added to the business’ equivalent of a Hall of Fame in 2026? The roster of this year’s Silver Plate winners will be announced in a few weeks. The industry will have to wait for the results of the secret balloting for the Gold Plate winner to be revealed in May (you can learn more about the process here.)
In the meantime, here’s a statistical look at who’s won since IFMA The Food Away from Home Association initiated the awards program in 1955. (You can find a complete list here.) Master these figures to impress the others at your table during the Gold & Silver Plate Awards gala in Chicago on May 16.
The overachiever is Marriott International, in all its iterations over the years. The honorees have ranged from corporate patriarch Willard Marriott (1975), to his sons, Bill (1993) and Dick (2008), to the most recent recipient, Wolfgang Lindlbauer (2016). All of those individuals won in the Hotels and Lodging category, but a Marriott executive has also won in Business & Industry (Chuck O’Dell, 1995).
In the running are Darden Restaurants (six awards, including four Gold Plates and two Silvers) and Golden Corral (James Maynard in 1987, Ted Fowler in 2003, VP of F&B Beverly Lynch in 2019, Lance Trenary in 2022).
The honor has to be shared among three clans, each of which had three winners: The Brennans of New Orleans (Ella in 1973, Ralph in 1997, and Dickie in 2023); the Marriotts (see above); and the Metzes (John, Sr. In 1979, son John, Jr., in 2013, and his brother, Jeff, in 2017).
They edged out the Eures (Thad, Jr., 1982, and his daughter Van, 2004).
Only three times has a Plate gone to more than one individual in the same category of competition, but not because of a tie. The dual winners were such equal partners in the success of their respective organizations that the Gold & Silver Plate jury decided the prize should be shared.
The four are the Blake brothers (Curtis and Pres, 1976), founders of the Friendly’s family dining chain; Jon and Jen Corto (2024), the husband and wife team that runs the specialty retailer Buffalo Thrive); Paco and Tina Rodriguez (2022), the couple that co-founded Sage Dining Services; and Sam Arena and Sam Facchini (2019), co-owners of Metro Pizza.
No other category of operation has won as many Gold Plates, though the segment might be hearing footsteps. Entrants in the Full Service Chain classification have taken home 13 Golds.
Operations competing in the Chain Limited Service category have won 10, followed by Business and Industry/Foodservice Management, Hotels and Lodging, Elementary and Secondary Schools, and Hotels and Lodging, all with four wins.
To learn more about the Gold and Silver Plate awards, click here.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.
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