Hands of chefs wearing gloves stacked together over a kitchen counter with vegetables in the foreground.

the team behind rudy's

Exceptional Dining Starts with Exceptional People

We hire operators, not layers. Chefs who care about the plate. Leaders who are in the café, not on calls. People who understand that great hospitality isn’t managed from a distance — it’s built in real time, every day.
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That’s how we move faster, adapt quicker, and deliver a better experience without the friction of traditional food service models.

30+

years in kitchens and operations

Scaled

from a corner store to 10,000+ person corporate campuses

Built

and operated across michigan's most complex campuses

Leaders

on-site, not layered overhead

our people

our leaders

The People Who Own It

CEO & OWNER

Rober Esshaki

Leading Rudy's since 1990. Architect of every dining concept and hospitality standard. Opened Rudy's Prime Steakhouse in 2024 — named Hour Detroit's 2026 Restaurant of the Year. Entrepreneur, connector, culture-builder.

CEO & OWNER

Chris Thomas

35+ years in food. Pioneered fresh, housemade grab-and-go before it was a category. Every prepared food program flows through his kitchen philosophy. Scratch-made, no shortcuts, no committee approval.

Regional Leadership Team

Operators Behind Every Experience

svp operations & partnerships

Jason Olinik

Operations & Growth

23 years in hospitality, 9 in corporate dining. Experience across hotel brands, airports, and corporate campuses nationally. Designs every partnership around the client's culture and growth goals — not a template.

Executive chef & director of culinary

Joe Morin

Culinary Leadership

Culinary Olympic Gold Medalist. 35 years across Michelin kitchens, country clubs, and international competition. The caliber of culinary talent no Michigan competitor can match. Every Rudy's menu begins and ends with Chef Joe.

Chief People Officer

Kimberlee Scheich

People & Culture

Oversees people operations, culture, and talent across the full Rudy's organization — keeping the team that keeps the standard.

supporting leadership

The Team Behind The Experience

Director of Project Management

Amanda Rieman

Coordinates special initiatives, new account launches, and cross-functional projects across Rudy's growing portfolio of partnerships.

Catering and Concession Lead

Andrew Sutherland

30+ years with Rudy's. The institutional knowledge behind every successful event and kitchen operation. A benchmark of what tenure means in this industry.

Chef

Andy Stevens

At Rudy’s, he leads the prepared foods program that keeps our markets stocked, our coolers fresh, and our grab-and-go actually worth buying.

Corporate Buyer & Community Lead

Lisa Walsh

Manages all purchasing relationships, vendor partnerships, and community outreach coordination across all Rudy's accounts.

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Michael Gbur

Brings 27 years of running large corporate dining experience across the country. He oversees new launches, event logistics, and operational execution. Michael helps ensure Rudy’s programs perform under pressure, at scale, and without losing the details that matter.

how we operate

Our Operating Standards

These aren’t suggestions. They’re how we run every café, every market, every day.

Be a Great Teammate

Energy, reliability, and genuine care for each other, clients, and every guest who walks through a Rudy’s dining room.

Unreasonable Hospitality

Attention to detail. Consistency. Care. Every shift. Every day.

We Love Food

Genuine passion in every menu decision, every sourcing choice, every concept. You taste the difference between obligation and love.

We Create Raving Fans

Beyond satisfied. Building accounts where employees look forward to lunch and tell people about it on the way home.

Transparent & Trusted

Radical honesty in kitchens, communication, and partnerships. Trust built through consistency and no hidden agendas.

Values aren't just for walls. They are for the kitchen.

work with a partner who cares

backed by trust

We Give Where It Matters

Partner Since 2015

Karmanos Cancer Institute

Grew together from 800 to 8,000+ employees. A decade of trust, flexibility, and food that kept pace with extraordinary growth.

Partner Since 2015

Chaldean Community Foundation

Up to 1,000 employees daily in Troy. 30 healthy-aligned programming built around their wellness-first culture.

Partner Since 2018

Adopt-a-Family

A shared commitment to quality and care. Fresh-prepared corporate dining for one of Michigan's most trusted healthcare institutions.

Partner Since 2018

SCAMP

A shared commitment to quality and care. Fresh-prepared corporate dining for one of Michigan's most trusted healthcare institutions.

lets Talk

30-Minute Discovery Call. No Cost. No Obligation.

We come to your campus. We listen. We ask the right questions. Then we tell you honestly what we can do - and what we can’t.

Request a proposal