Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Magee.
Hi Mike, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Mike Magee: From Catering Pioneer to Local Social Enterprise
My journey began as an office catering pioneer in January 2004 when I purchased the exclusive franchise rights to market an office catering marketplace in the Washington D.C. metro area. The model was simple and effective, leveraging my 15+ years of technology sales experience: restaurants paid a commission (15%+), provided delivery, and I focused on recruiting partners and driving corporate sales, while the franchisor provided the technology platform and customer service. The resulting food variety and guaranteed customer satisfaction drove rapid growth, reaching over $1.4 million in sales within three years.
Unfortunately, the original franchisor imploded. I partnered with four other franchisees to launch a new brand, Cater Nation, doing the exact same thing, which quickly became the highest-rated catering marketplace service in the industry. The business was devastated in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down office catering nationwide.
The Pivot to LoCo Tampa Bay
I quickly relocated to Tampa, and with my son, Tyler, joining me in the venture, we raised over $100K in capital from local independent restaurant owners to create a co-operative ownership model, initially focused on the As Soon As Possible (‘ASAP’) delivery market. When the ‘ASAP’ model failed to gain traction, we pivoted in mid-2023 to focus on our core strength: office catering, launching LoCo Tampa Bay Catering.
This strategic pivot was driven by a vision to create a compelling local alternative to the national company ezcater, and to reinvest locally.
LoCo’s Differentiating Social Enterprise Model
LoCo Tampa Bay’s model is built on two key differentiators:
1. Superior Delivery Control: Unlike national competitors that rely on third-party delivery, LoCo integrated its own delivery network with dedicated drivers. This guarantees customers on-time service and adds a crucial profit margin to the business, allowing us to compensate our drivers better than prevailing market rates.
2) Profit-Sharing and Community Impact: This experience informed my vision for a social enterprise model where LoCo is profitable while giving back significantly to the community. The financial model allows us to give back up to 50% of our restaurant commissions through rewards for customers 26%, referral programs 14%, and dedicated 10% donations to local charities, such as the Florida Cancer Specialist Foundation (FCSF).
Growth and Future Vision
Embracing a hands-on approach, I became LoCo’s first catering delivery driver, personally completing over 600 deliveries to gain first-hand insight and maximize early profitability.
Since the summer of 2024, LoCo has seen accelerated growth, expanding to over 100 restaurant partners across Tampa Bay and Sarasota metro areas, with projected sales exceeding $600,000 in 2025. A key partnership with the FCSF leverages the local healthcare ecosystem: FCS offices sometimes introduce LoCo to pharmaceutical reps and when they order, LoCo donates 10% of those profits to the FCSF to help cancer patients in need pay their bills during treatments. This creates a powerful alignment of values and community support.
My overarching goal is to establish a successful and sustainable social enterprise model that can serve as a blueprint nationwide. I envision a future where the 25-billion-dollar office catering industry shifts from being dominated by one national corporation to being owned by and benefiting local communities and the independent delivery services that serve them.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
“It certainly hasn’t been a smooth road; I’ve faced numerous struggles during my entrepreneurial journey.
Initially, a major hurdle was changing customer behavior. Corporate customers were hesitant and didn’t trust placing office catering orders online, requiring significant effort to build confidence in the marketplace model.
A much greater challenge occurred when the franchisor foreclosed on the existing business. This action nullified our contracts, leaving franchisees without essential technology and customer service support while simultaneously taking over our established customer base.
The most acute disruption was Covid. The pandemic forced corporate teams to work remotely, effectively shutting down the entire office catering industry for many months.
Finally, the pivot to LoCo Tampa Bay Catering has presented the ongoing struggle of competing with a billion-dollar company like ezcater, which once again requires changing customer behavior to build trust in a local alternative.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
About LoCo Tampa Bay: A Social Enterprise Model 🤝
LoCo Tampa Bay is a social enterprise with a mission to give back up to 50% of our restaurant commissions to the community. We provide a local ecosystem designed to benefit all stakeholders in the office catering industry: customers, restaurants, referral partners, drivers, local charities, and investors. This focus on local reinvestment is what truly drives the industry forward.
What We Do and What Sets Us Apart
We specialize in corporate office catering, connecting businesses with a curated network of over 100 local, independent restaurants across the Tampa Bay area.
What sets LoCo apart:
Integrated Delivery Control: Unlike national competitors, we utilize our own dedicated delivery drivers to guarantee superior, on-time service and customer satisfaction.
Maximum Community Impact: We are most proud that our brand is built on giving back. We provide significant portions of commissions back through customer rewards, referral programs, and dedicated 10% donations to local charities like the Florida Cancer Specialist Foundation (FCSF). The company has donated over $10,000 to the FCSF in 2025. For a small company, this is a huge commitment and one we are deeply proud of.
Our Key Message to Readers
We want your readers to know that when they choose LoCo Tampa Bay for their office catering, they are not just ordering a meal—they are investing directly back into their local community. We offer a competitive, dependable service that ensures convenience for the customer, profit for local restaurants, fair wages for drivers, and crucial support for charities like FCSF.
How do you think about happiness?
My greatest happiness comes from two things: seeing the difference we are making in the community and having the opportunity to work alongside my son, Tyler.
Our social enterprise model is proving that business success and community impact can be one and the same. While the model is working, our next mission is to get more local restaurants and corporate customers to fully recognize and support the enormous community benefit we provide.
When we fully accomplish this goal in Tampa Bay, it will prove the model is viable for execution across the country. I believe our country needs this now more than ever! The office catering industry is ripe for disruption by a community-focused model, not one dominated by national corporations. As a community, we need more of these models to compete with national companies, keep money local, and leverage tools like social media to get people excited about making a difference where they live.
Pricing:
- Pricing is the Same as ordering directly from a restaurant. NO markups!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.locotampabay.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/locotampabay
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoCoTampaBayCatering
