Longtime foodservice consultant William “Bill” Eaton died on Feb. 12, 2025, two days before his 85th birthday. Eaton most recently served as chairman of the board for Cini-Little.

“Bill was more than a colleague — he was a mentor, visionary, and dear friend to countless professionals in our industry,” says Kathleen Held, president/CEO of Cini-Little. “His legacy lives on in the thousands of kitchens he designed, the professionals he mentored, and the standards of excellence he established.”

Eaton is one of a long line of foodservice consultants to hail from Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. While at Cornell, Eaton studied both engineering and foodservice before graduating in 1961. Eaton began his foodservice industry career on the operator side working at the Statler Hotel at Cornell as well as with Marriott Corp. and Hot Shoppes.

In 1971 Eaton joined Cini-Little, where he would spend the next 45 years of his career. Eaton’s portfolio includes landmark projects across the globe, most notably the Big Kitchen food court at the World Trade Center. Developed in collaboration with colleagues John Cini and Joseph Baum, this project introduced the “market concept” to the public, per a Cini-Little release. Another Eaton project, Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, won FE&S’ 2007 Facility Design Project of the Year award.

“I credit bill, along with John Cini and Tony Clevenger with developing the foodservice consulting business as we know it today,” said Bill Caruso, a longtime industry colleague who, like Eaton, is a member of the FCSI College of Fellows. “There were a lot of industry pioneers but if you ask me who impacted the industry the most, he’s among the top five. Even as a young man he had the ability not only to sell a project but to actually make it happen. When Bill entered the trade not many people had the knowledge and background he had.”

Eaton’s colleagues recall his legendary work ethic, which led to him regularly spending 12 hours a day in the office. “He was so dedicated to his profession and his company. It was unbelievable. You could catch him all the time at the office,” says Dick Eisenbarth, president emeritus for Cini-Little. “Bill would leave home at 5 a.m. and be at the office until 7 p.m. He would joke that he only worked half a day – 12 hours. And despite sacrificing his family time, they were all still close. That’s what he did for years and years.”

“Bill was a giant of the industry and one of the hardest workers I have ever known,” adds Harry Schildkraut, FCSI, design director for S2O Consultants. Like Eaton, Schildkraut is a graduate of Cornell. Schildkraut started work at Cini-Little in 1969, six months before Eaton joined the firm. Schildkraut remained with Cini-Little until 2003, when he left to start his own firm. “He always used to say the client is always right. They are the ones who pay the bills and those are the ones we have to satisfy. And that’s the whole attitude I’ve tried to instill in my current firm, S2O.”

Eaton also was a resource and mentor to many. “If you ever needed anything, Bill was there for you,” Eisenbarth recalls. If you have not done a particular kind of project before, say a chocolate shop in a hotel lobby, you could call Bill and he had the answer right away.”

Eaton’s involvement in the Foodservice Consultants Society International represents another cornerstone of his professional legacy. In 1979, Eaton was elected the first-ever FCSI president. FCSI was formed that year through the merger of two previous groups: Food Facilities Engineering Society (FFES) and International Society of Food Service Consultants (ISFSC). In 1995, Eaton played an instrumental role in developing the FCSI Educational Foundation, helping establish guidelines for financial management and programming while setting ambitious fundraising goals to support the next generation of industry professionals. He served as a fellow for FCSI.

Eaton also served as a trustee and life member of the Cornell University Council. He also held leadership roles with the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management. His expertise extended to judging the National Restaurant Association’s Kitchen Innovation Awards, too. And in 2016, Foodservice Equipment & Supplies presented Eaton with the magazine’s prestigious Hall of Fame Award. Here is a video of Eaton accepting his award.

“Bill was approachable to everyone. Whether you’re the president of a large, multinational bank or someone who was just coming out of a trade school, he approached working with you the same way,” Caruso recalls. “He had the ability to talk to anybody. Bill had an innate ability to focus on that person he was talking to at the moment. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. He was a giant among giants and not only in our industry. “

Eaton’s daughter Pam, who worked alongside him at Cini-Little for 20 years, adds these thoughts: “The depth and breadth of what I learned from my dad is tough to wrap my head around, much less put into words. I think E.M. Statler said it best, and dad lived it: “Life is Service.” And service was his passion — to his family, his colleagues, Cornell, his profession, and so many other pursuits. Everything I do is touched by how he taught me to live.”

Eaton is survived by his wife Phyllis, whom he met while both worked at Marriott and married in 1966, his four daughters and their families, including 11 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.

A celebration of life will take place at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park, Md. Memorial contributions may be made to the Eaton Family Scholarship at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, the FCSI Educational Foundation, or Compass Regional Hospice of Centreville, Maryland.