What does not exist yet
No charter, no board, no dues, no membership roll. Operators listed here are directory entries, not members, compiled from public records and word of mouth — listing implies no endorsement by the T3MSA.
What "Type 3" means
Industry usage, not a national standard — the interagency standards call it Food Service, Catering. Under the 2025–2029 national contract, federal agencies must order a national caterer at 200+ people per meal for 72 hours or more. Below that, they hire the operators listed here.
States set their own triggers: Oregon orders a Type 3 unit at 150 persons per meal, the Northern Rockies at 50–149, and the prior federal contract used 150 — a figure some guidance still prints. Check the ordering authority for the incident in front of you, not a single national number.
What we cover
6 of 10 geographic areas have at least one operator listed. The rest are not yet covered — tell us who operates there. Not in scope:
- The national contract. Type 1 caterers are ordered through the national system.
- Small local providers serving crews under ~100–150 people.
- Brokering, pricing and certification. No central number, no rate card; confirming an operator meets contracting requirements stays part of procurement.
Membership
Not yet defined — which is why founding operators are enrolled before the charter is written, not after. Three things are already fixed:
- Listing will never require membership.
- Members will never be ranked above non-members.
- No operator will ever pay for placement.
How operators are ordered
Alphabetically, fixed at build time — nothing in your browser reorders them. No featured placement, no paid placement, no ranking, including for the operator who suggested building this. Filtering and search hide non-matches; they never promote.
What "verified" means
Every listing carries a date and is re-verified before each fire season; one not re-verified this year is visibly marked. Three claims are kept separate:
- Verified active
- The steward confirmed the operator was in business and reachable on that date. Not an endorsement, a rating, or a statement that they meet any agency's requirements.
- Operator-confirmed
- The operator attested to the details themselves. Its absence is stated too.
- Founding operator
- The operator enrolled — never inferred from being listed.
Who runs it
Sofoklis K., an independent steward with no ownership stake in any listed operator — sofoklis@merakilabs.ai. Initiated with the encouragement of MPIER Catering (Redmond, OR), who asked for one thing: that every operator be treated the same, including MPIER.
Disclaimer
Listing is not an endorsement and verification is not a statement of qualification. Information comes in good faith from operators and public sources and may contain errors; tell us and we will fix them. Procurement decisions, including confirmation of eligibility, remain the responsibility of the contracting agency. Sample listings, clearly marked, are fictional.