History

Our company was founded in 1977 by Bill Burch. Coming from humble roots in Matthews, Missouri, Bill began working for Coca Cola in 1963 and became Vice President of 3 bottling facilities by the early 1970s. In 1972, he stepped down from his position at Coca Cola and began working for Dale Vendors in Sikeston, Missouri, with the intent to one day own the business. In 1977, Bill Burch achieved his dream of owning a business, and the company was renamed to BURCO.

What had begun as a small-scale vending company quickly became an opportunity for growth under the leadership of Bill Burch. This era saw an increased demand for food service in businesses across the region, and BURCO was at the forefront of providing customers fresh food and drinks. The 1980s brought about the acquisition of companies in Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, and Western Kentucky.

Bill served many roles in the local community and state, including President of the Sikeston Jaycees, member of the Missouri Development Finance Board, and the Mayor of Sikeston. In 1987, BURCO was renamed to Burch Food Services to bring even greater attention to the fresh food we provide.

Bill’ son, Steven, became President of Burch Food Services in 1996 after more than a decade in operations and growing up in the family business.

Like his father, Steven has served many roles in the local community, such as Jaycee President and Mayor of Sikeston. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities, and on the board of Missouri Partnership to enhance economic development in the state of Missouri.

In September of 2000, the Burch family decided to franchise with Canteen Corporation. Canteen – Compass Group provided the ability to retain 100% local ownership and gain a worldclass set of resources to help us enhance our services and grow our business. Burch Food Services remains a Canteen franchise member today and continues to have access the latest food service technology and global supply chains.

In 2011, we introduced markets to our customers. The food service industry, previously dominated by vending, was revolutionized. Markets provided quicker and easier access to limitless food and drink options. Our company was the first in our region to introduce markets, and today is the leader by far with over 240 markets and over 80% of our sales through markets.

Today, Burch Food Services is the market leader in Southeast Missouri, Northeast Arkansas and Northwest Tennessee for businesses and industries that are looking for a quality food service to satisfy the needs of their team. We service industrial manufacturing facilities with 20 to 2000 employees. We provide self-checkout markets, office refreshments, cafeterias, hydration programs, pantry services and more. We have four branch locations in Sikeston, MO; Paragould, AR; Newbern, TN; and Jackson, TN.

Our promise is that we will deliver on our commitments to our clients and customers. Our team has a strong sense of obligation in their culture, and we will always strive to exceed the expectations of our clients.

Our mission is to deliver fresh food with a customer centric approach with the highest standards of quality, service, and sustainability. We are dedicated to fresh food and to fueling the workforce.

At Burch Food Services, we take pride in our work and believe that the voice of every team member is important to our success. Our team makes us who we are, and we know that we can count on each other. You can learn more about the Burch team here.