Culinaire International, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Culinaire 401(k) Plan
Dallas, TXAccommodation & Food Services877 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$192Employer $ per active participant
$1,157Employee $ saved per active participant
0.56%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$10.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.9 / 5040th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.9 / 2519th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.1 / 1567th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score35 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (458 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 40th |
| Lower admin cost | 19th |
| Employee saving | 67th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 17% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $91,652 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Culinaire International put in about $192 per active participant, below the typical peer ($266). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.56% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $168,492 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,014,327 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $0 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $55,802 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $24,008 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,119,965 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $9.3M / $10.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 934 / 820 |
| Participants with account balances | 226 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Calvetti Ferguson LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $31,794 reported compensation |
| Creative Planning LLC | $24,008 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250520101610NAL0001880560001, received 2025-05-20, EIN 75-2372684, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.