Recorded at FoodSpace’s test kitchen in Boise, Idaho, on September 1, 2026, as part of its ‘Pars & Paella’ event, and hosted by FCSI’s Foodservice Consultant magazine, this expert panel addresses how to improve the request for proposal (RFP) process and how a vendor gets involved during a design project.
The session was moderated by Michael Jones of FCSI’s Foodservice Consultant magazine and features the following participants from Sodexo and FoodSpace:
- John Flynn, senior director business development, The Good Eating Company
- Ryan Spong, SVP strategy and corporate development, Sodexo
- Andi Neddo, executive chef, FoodSpace
- Joe Schumaker, CEO, FoodSpace
The fiduciary responsibility
“When the client is doing [an RFP], it’s very rare that they have done it before,” says Flynn, of the request for proposal process.
“Different bidders have different voices within an organization. Some are loud and aggressive, and some are pushing towards a less-realistic bid,” adds Spong.
“We’re the therapist, we’re the counsellor…” says Schumaker on the role of the foodservice consultant. “But in that moment when we’re making the RFP selection, we’re a non-voting member of that. The reality is we have a fiduciary responsibility to design for the client,” he adds.
“If you’re the type of chef who says ‘This is how we do it,’ then you’re going to struggle, especially in corporate dining or hospital [projects],” says Neddo on the topic of the flexibility demanded on the culinary side of an operation.
You can watch the video of the panel below:
Michael Jones
Filming: The FUZE
