Aramark Healthcare+ and University of Pennsylvania Health System Forge Major Multi-Year Partnership to Enhance Patient Services and Operational Efficiency
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), a global leader in food, facilities, and uniform services, has announced a sweeping new partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), one of the nation’s top academic health systems. The multi-year agreement, set to begin in early 2026, represents one of the most comprehensive collaborations between a hospitality services provider and a major healthcare network in the United States.
Under the new agreement, Aramark Healthcare+ will provide an integrated suite of services, including patient and retail dining, environmental services, patient transportation, and a centralized call center to support these operations across UPHS’s expansive network. The partnership will extend to all seven hospitals and nearly 4,000 patient beds within the system, which serves thousands of patients and families each day across the greater Philadelphia region.
According to Aramark, the new alliance is more than a traditional service contract—it represents a long-term collaboration aimed at enhancing the patient and caregiver experience, introducing advanced technology platforms, and supporting the health system’s goals for operational integration and efficiency.
A Landmark Agreement
“This opportunity represents the second largest contract in the company’s history, and the largest in the United States,” said Marc Bruno, Aramark’s U.S. Chief Operating Officer. “We are honored to partner with a world-renowned health system that is such an integral part of what makes the Philadelphia area great. This collaboration is truly a benefit for the region and for the thousands of patients, visitors, and employees we’ll be able to serve together each year.”
Bruno emphasized that the partnership builds on Aramark’s long-standing expertise in the healthcare sector, where it has worked with hospitals and academic medical centers nationwide to modernize patient food service, environmental care, and facilities management. “We are proud to put our understanding of the sophisticated needs of a complex healthcare system to work in new settings,” he added.
The contract represents a strategic expansion of Aramark’s Healthcare+ division, which has increasingly focused on leveraging technology, sustainability, and personalized hospitality to transform healthcare environments. The division operates in hundreds of hospitals nationwide, providing services designed to improve patient satisfaction and optimize hospital efficiency.
A Shared Vision for a Seamless Patient Experience
For UPHS, one of the country’s leading academic health systems affiliated with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the partnership comes at a pivotal time as the system continues to modernize and unify its operations across multiple facilities.
“Food, environmental, and other supportive services are a core part of the experience patients and their families have in our facilities each day,” said Michele Volpe, Chief Operating Officer of UPHS. “We’re excited to work with Aramark, which is aligned with our mission, to ensure that every touchpoint – from the nourishing food patients eat to the personal touches they find in a freshly cleaned room – meets the highest standards.”
Volpe noted that as the health system reimagines its operational framework, partnering with a company that understands both the complexity and humanity of healthcare delivery is crucial. “As we reimagine the way we work across our whole system, being able to work with a partner like Aramark is a powerful way to unify and coordinate our work,” she said.
The agreement aligns closely with UPHS’s goals to enhance the continuity of care, standardize service excellence, and build resilience into its operational model, especially as patient expectations evolve and hospital systems face increasing pressure to improve efficiency while maintaining quality and compassion.
Technology and Innovation at the Core
At the heart of the collaboration lies a suite of AI-driven and robotic technologies designed to modernize daily operations and elevate the overall patient experience.
Among these innovations is Aramark’s AI-powered patient menu platform, which personalizes meal options based on individual dietary needs and clinical diagnoses. The technology can automatically configure patient meals in compliance with medical restrictions and nutritional guidelines, ensuring that patients receive meals that are both satisfying and clinically appropriate.
Additionally, Aramark will deploy robotic applications to support both environmental services and meal preparation. These robotic solutions are already proven to improve operational consistency and efficiency in healthcare environments, freeing up staff to focus more on patient interaction and quality assurance.
Aramark’s proprietary AIWX™ platform will also play a key role in the partnership. The platform uses real-time analytics to map staffing requirements, optimize workflows, and anticipate service demands. This predictive capability enables hospitals to allocate resources more efficiently and respond proactively to changing conditions within their facilities.
The company will also integrate its Quick Eats micro markets and mobile ordering platforms, providing healthcare staff and visitors with flexible, on-demand dining options. These innovations align with broader trends in healthcare hospitality, where convenience, personalization, and digital access are becoming increasingly vital.
Elevating Care Through Hospitality
For Aramark Healthcare+, this partnership exemplifies its mission to bring hospitality-driven care to healthcare environments. The company’s approach focuses on improving every touchpoint in the patient journey—from admissions to discharge—through compassionate service, modern technology, and data-driven insights.
“We are proud to have been chosen by the UPHS to support its strategy to further integrate and streamline operations across its system,” said Bart Kaericher, President of Aramark Healthcare+. “Our hospitality will be paired with our innovative technology platforms to better align with the needs of both inpatient and outpatient operations across UPHS and to elevate the overall patient experience.”
Kaericher added that the collaboration represents a model for the future of healthcare partnerships. “Hospitals are increasingly looking for partners that can deliver both operational excellence and human-centered care. This is what we do best—combining efficiency with empathy,” he said.
Strengthening Community and Regional Impact
Beyond hospital operations, both organizations emphasized the partnership’s significance for the broader Philadelphia region, where both Aramark and the University of Pennsylvania have deep roots.
Aramark, headquartered in Philadelphia, is one of the city’s largest employers and a long-time contributor to local workforce development initiatives. The University of Pennsylvania Health System, part of Penn Medicine, is consistently recognized among the nation’s best health systems and serves as a cornerstone of healthcare innovation and education in the region.
By joining forces, the two institutions aim to strengthen the local economy, create new employment opportunities, and improve the overall experience for patients and families throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.
“This collaboration isn’t just about operational efficiency—it’s about supporting our shared community,” Bruno said. “Together with UPHS, we will be able to provide not only world-class healthcare services but also meaningful economic and social impact for the greater Philadelphia area.”
