Russell Morin Catering & Events, the catering division of Morin’s Inc., is one of the longest-established hospitality businesses in the United States.
While based in Attleboro, Russell Morin Catering & Events is a mainstay in the Rhode Island food service community. The Morin family has managed the company for its 114-year history and is now on its fourth generation of leadership. CEO Russell Morin, who is in his 80s, is still at company headquarters each day. RJ Morin, Russell’s son, is the company president and Lizzy Desibia is the chief operating officer. Along with their leadership team, they oversee a staff of more than 400 full- and part-time employees.
“Our leadership team manages against a set of common core values – we work as a team, we get it done right, we create ‘wow’ experiences, we are professional, we embrace and drive change,” Desibia said.
Those values don’t stop in the executive offices; they are shared with every staff member.
“We ask everyone to send ideas and then we ask everyone to participate weekly,” said RJ Morin. “So, whether they can come live and sign in or we video it, we send it out and people can watch it on their own time. And so that’s just to ensure that they’re seeing the financials, any company updates, any things that are going on.”
The management team strongly encourages input from the 100 full-time staff members, but part-timers are also given the opportunity to opt in. A surprisingly large number of part-timers signed up to offer their ideas, which proved to be an exciting development, as younger employees wanted to be heard with ideas about sustainability and food waste.
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OCEAN STATE TIES: Customers wait to order items at CRU Cafe Newport, which is owned and operated by Russell Morin Catering & Events, a long-running, family-owned hospitality business based in Attleboro.
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The collegial, welcoming environment led to new concepts that came with payoffs not only in the broad sense but immediately. The employees share in a dividend when the company reaches a set business goal. The dividend can be a double-digit percentage of an individual’s annual earnings.
There are some old-school policies that the executive team wanted to share. For example, the company picks up the full amount for employees’ medical benefits in January, February and March.
“Those are the most difficult months, but we want to … be able to support [employees] during those months so they don’t lose any money,” Russell Morin said.
The roster of venues exclusively served by Russell Morin Catering & Events is a tour of the area’s most striking locations, including the Providence Public Library. A popular, if less well-known spot, is Mount Hope Farm on the scenic shores of Mount Hope Bay, described as one of Rhode Island’s last country estates. An impressive, if unexpected, discovery is that the company also offers functions at the modern WaterFire Arts Center in the emerging Valley section of Providence that mixes modern and industrial aesthetics.
“We know how important it is for the communities around us to be successful and if we want to have celebrations in these communities and have successful venues, it’s really important to support [them],” Russell Morin said of supporting WaterFire Providence, the beloved city attraction that has had financial challenges.
This generational, family-owned food and hospitality success story is made more impactful given the size and scale of the operation and its associated venues. Russell Morin owns and operates CRU Cafe Newport and CRU PVD in Providence, and is a preferred caterer at well-known venues from Boston to Connecticut.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, is heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
