The commercial cooking equipment side of Middleby does business with 97 out of the top 100 food service chains in the United States and internationally.

[6] The company was purchased by TMC Industries Ltd. in 1983 and changed its name to The Middleby Corporation in 1985 and moved its headquarters to Elgin, Illinois in the late 1980s.

[10] The Middleby Corporation was originally available for purchase on the NASDAQ over-the-counter market and became listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1988.

[10] In 2021, the company was criticized in the media for producing ice cream machines for McDonald's that were intentionally unreliable and difficult to repair as a means to drive up maintenance revenue.

[17] It was reported by Bassoul that the purchase would strengthen the company's position as a leader in the food service equipment industry.

[18] In 2013, The Middleby Corporation purchased Viking Range for US$380 million from investors Warren Stephens and Fred Carl, Jr., the latter of whom would continue at the helm of the new subsidiary.

In May 2018, Taylor Company, a manufacturer of ice cream dispensing equipment and frozen drink machines was acquired for $1 billion.

In 2013 it was recognized as the Supplier Partner of the Year by Brinker International,[31] after installing approximately 1,200 ovens in the company's Chili's restaurants.