Branded Hospitality spotlights Copia’s food donation platform

Branded Hospitality is highlighting portfolio company Copia, a platform that helps restaurants and hotels redirect surplus food to nonprofits instead of landfills. The pitch: lower disposal costs, tax benefits and less waste for operators already using the system at major hospitality brands.

Why it matters: - Food waste is a costly operational problem for restaurants and hotels, because operators pay to dispose of surplus food and lose the value of the food itself. - Copia is designed to make donation cheaper and easier than disposal, which can turn waste handling into a financial, environmental and community benefit. - The model also helps operators address food insecurity in nearby communities instead of sending usable food to landfills.

What happened: - Branded Hospitality highlighted Copia, a portfolio company that helps hospitality operators donate surplus food to nonprofits. - The announcement came from New York City on Aug. 4, 2026. - Copia is already used by operators including The Cheesecake Factory, Ritz-Carlton and 1 Hotels. - Jimmy Frischling, co-founder of Branded Hospitality, said the platform turns a cost center into a donation that benefits an operator’s P&L, community and brand.

The details: - Copia lets operators schedule a pickup for surplus food in a few minutes. - The platform matches the food with a local nonprofit and dispatches a driver. - Operators receive an audit-proof donation receipt and a tax dashboard for recordkeeping. - Federal tax incentives can allow businesses to deduct more than the cost of donated food. - The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects good-faith donors from liability. - Lower hauling costs and lower emissions are additional benefits cited for donation over disposal.

Between the lines: - Branded Hospitality is using Copia as an example of private-sector technology solving an industry problem without waiting for mandates. - The framing suggests food donation is moving from a goodwill effort to an operational decision tied to finance, sustainability, labor culture and neighborhood relations. - Copia’s value proposition depends on making the process fast enough for busy operators and simple enough to fit existing workflows.

What’s next: - Branded Hospitality is continuing to promote innovation across restaurant and foodservice operations through its media, advisory and investment platform. - Copia’s broader opportunity is to expand food donation adoption among more hospitality operators looking to cut waste and improve community impact.

The bottom line: - Copia is being positioned as a practical alternative to landfill disposal for surplus food, with savings, tax advantages and community impact all in one workflow.