Alissa Leinonen saw opportunity when others cut back.
Leinonen, who founded Gourmondo 29 years ago, has rapidly expanded since the pandemic. The company opened six new corporate cafes and a beer hall and launched a line of wholesale grab-and-go products available at local grocery stores. It invested heavily in technology and built a new website to make the customer experience more seamless, allowing workers to analyze sales patterns and optimize operational efficiency.
Today, Gourmondo operates 14 grab-and-go cafes on both private and public corporate campuses and inside office buildings, and provides catering services, box lunches, and retail products.
“We didn’t just adapt. We rebuilt and we expanded,” Leinonen says. “Diversifying Gourmondo while improving our technology was critical post pandemic. It gave us more stability and flexibility and allowed us to serve customers in new ways while strengthening the foundation of our business for long-term growth.”
Here’s how she did it:
Gourmondo founder and CEO Alissa Leinonen says, “we rebuilt and expanded” since the pandemic.
How has Gourmondo adapted to shifting customer dining habits? People are looking for both convenience and connection. We have seen our corporate customers become more price sensitive and are less inclined to go out for a traditional business lunch. Instead, companies are bringing food into the office as a way to gather their teams and connect. We’ve seen firsthand how businesses use catering to reengage their teams, show their appreciation, and help incentivize them to return to the office.
How do you remain connected to the community? We expanded our philanthropy efforts and our Giving Box program, where a percentage of proceeds are donated back to a variety of local nonprofit organizations — many of which we supported during Covid, in particular FareStart, whom we partnered with throughout the pandemic to provide hundreds of thousands of meals to children in the Seattle Public School district who were on assisted meal programs. On the supply side, we’ve doubled down on Northwest partners — local farms, small producers, and multi-generational family-owned food businesses, so we are more resilient, less vulnerable to disruption, and more connected to our community.
Have your menus changed? Our menus have evolved to include broader variety, more globally inspired cuisine, and a focus on local ingredients.
Are customer expectations changing? Yes. Expectations are higher, and that’s a good thing. We have always taken (food safety) seriously, but now we are more visible about it — from clear allergen labeling on all our packaging to highlighting our WSDA certified commercial kitchens, which means we are operating under the highest standards of food safety every day. What hasn’t changed is that service matters most.
Final thoughts? The past few years reminded all of us that food has the ability to connect people, build resilience, and is one of the most human things we share. Next year Gourmondo celebrates its 30th anniversary, and our mission has not changed — to provide gourmet and high-quality meals for every table, while working to create community connection through food.