5 Ideas For Better Employee Lunch Programs

Corporate dining is going through a seismic shift. It’s not exactly an earthquake — not yet, at least — but if you ask around at enough business conferences and executive boardrooms, it’s clear that the old status quo of how companies manage employee meal breaks is changing. The old cafeteria model is dying, with plummeting participation while fees skyrocket. Even fast-food options are steadily losing ground to in-person deliveries ordered through smartphone apps. If employers want to get serious about providing better employee lunch options, they need to start rethinking what’s possible.

Let’s take a look at five big ideas that are changing how today’s smartest companies think about their employee lunch programs.

1. Handled correctly, lunch is the ultimate job perk. When workers have ready access to truly great food programs, it quickly becomes one of their favorite benefits. These programs can take a wide variety of forms, from guest restaurant Popups to employer-subsidized catering, but what these ideas all have in common is treating corporate dining as a hiring and retention tool rather than an obligation.

2. Keep workers close by bringing the best food to them. When workers leave the office for lunch, they take their productivity along for the ride. By making eating at the office the best available option for lunch, you’re also saving them the stress of racing through traffic for fast food, and saving yourself the headache of workers coming back late and losing time as they settle back into their office routine.

3. Variety is everything if you want to provide better employee lunch options. If your workplace has a company cafeteria, you’re probably familiar with “menu fatigue.” Every day you’re served the same handful of menu items, using the same lackluster ingredients and flavors, prepared by a cafeteria staff who has little passion for the food they make. A little variety in the form of a catered meal, an onsite Popup, or even just a delivery from some great local eateries can go a long way.

4. For everyone’s benefit, get rid of the cafeteria. It’s no secret that the legacy cafeteria model just doesn’t work in a modern setting. Your team know they have better options, which is why participation rates are always falling. At the same time, legacy providers are using lower-quality ingredients to keep their own costs low, and asking for increased subsidies to keep their profits high. It doesn’t have to be this way. At Fooda, we have some great ideas about how to completely replace the legacy cafeteria in a way that both saves money and adds variety.

5. Focus on quality, and the rest will follow. Every single one of your workers knows when their food has been prepared by skilled chef who specializes in authentic, high-quality cuisine. At the same time, there has been an explosion in the availability of great food. The cost difference between an exceptional meal and a mediocre one is often negligible, and that’s something a smart company can use to bring great dining options to their employees for a completely reasonable price.

By providing better employee lunch programs, today’s smartest companies are turning an old obligation into a powerful tool for attracting new talent, boosting retention, and even reducing costs. Better yet, it’s easier to do than you may think. If you would like to hear more, here at Fooda we have some great ideas that we would love to share with you.