In 1991, as James Britton drew up plans for a new professional staffing agency, he knew he would need something to make his fledgling business stand out.
“I had to have a hook,” Britton recalled, “and my hook was service.”
He focused on hiring and training top-notch waiters and bartenders, outfitting them with tuxedos from Yves Saint Laurent to add even more polish. The staffing agency was the genesis of what would become Class Act Catering, which has landed contracts with major venues in the city, including the National Aquarium and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, across more than three decades in businesses.
Britton, who goes by Jim, didn’t initially picture a career working in the hospitality industry. He grew up in Edmondson Village, graduated from Edmondson High School and, after a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, went to work as a correctional officer.
But spending so much time around the corrections system began to make him feel like a prisoner himself, and so he found a second job, moonlighting as a caterer. He was fascinated by the business right away.
“I just fell in love with going to different venues, watching them transform a room with the event planners and florists and the musicians all being strategically placed in the empty space,” Britton said. “It created a marvelous sight.”
One thing he didn’t see, however, were people of color in leadership roles within the industry.
“I was a manager, bartender, server,” he said. “I worked from the bottom, learning the whole [business]. But what was missing, for me, was I didn’t see anybody of my color who had any ownership.”
Britton decided to build his way to the top, learning the ropes from mentors as he made plans to start his own company. With bank loans difficult to obtain, particularly as a person of color, “I started small and said patience is going to be my virtue,” he said.
The Dopkin family, owners of the Classic Catering People, taught him the basics of the business. Marty Resnick, founder of Martin’s Caterers, clued him in to joint ventures, which became a launching pad for Class Act Catering.
Britton’s catering business partnered with Fortune 500 companies, like Aramark and Compass, that had set aside a portion of revenue to do business with minority-owned companies. Through these ventures, he brought Class Act to stadiums, convention centers and even rest stops in Maryland.
“There’s nothing wrong with duplicating success,” he said. “It’s all part of taking something that someone’s done great, and either trying to do it greater, or trying to match the quality.”
Class Act Catering and Martin’s West still partner on a program that hires 50 to 60 youths each summer to prepare boxed lunches. For many young people, it’s their first job experience.
“It’s a great way for a kid to learn how to start working, being on time, being productive,” Britton said. “We have a saying: If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you might not have a job.”
Britton has made mentoring Baltimore’s youths a priority from the start of his career in hospitality. In the early 1990s, when Class Act opened a small cafe in East Baltimore, he invited kids in to grab a bite to eat, do their homework and work odd jobs such as sweeping steps and polishing dishes. Now, from his headquarters in Randallstown, he works with the day care next door for career days and cooking demonstrations. Several former employees of Class Act Catering have gone on to open their own staffing agencies and restaurants.
“When they saw that there was another person that looked like them, dressed up in a suit and running the business, it gave them inspiration,” Britton said.
He also lives by a philosophy of giving back and preserving connections. When former Mayor Kurt Schmoke booked Class Act Catering for his 3,000-person inaugural party at the Baltimore Convention Center, Britton went back to his former mentors for help with the staffing and equipment.
“I believe in building mountains, but not burning bridges,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented a special challenge for the catering industry, with business drying up as gatherings were canceled. Class Act stayed afloat by partnering with chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen to prepare meals for the community.
Four years later, weddings and events are back in full force, Class Act Catering has a staff of 15 full-time workers and more than 100 part-time employees, and Britton is still just as focused on superior service as when he got his start.
“What’s in our character, our DNA: that’s what I want people to remember about Class Act,” he said.
James “Jim” Britton
Age: 64
Hometown: Edmondson Village
Current residence: Finksburg
Education: Edmondson High School, MBE program certificate from Coppin State University
Career highlights: Founder and president of Class Act Catering, one of Baltimore’s largest minority-owned employers; operated restaurants including Britton’s and Class Act Café; exclusive caterer for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum; U.S. Marine Corps veteran
Civic and charitable activities: Works with Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation to bring local youth to sports tournaments; former board member for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association
Family: Married to Marcine Britton; two children, two grandchildren
