Benefits of launching a company lunch programme for your employees

When teams spend more days in the office, we see the rituals of frantically scoffing toast on our morning commutes, or agonising over what to cook for dinner after a long day, and the simple luxury of being able to pop to the fridge when working from home is sure to be missed. But there is something that businesses can do to welcome their employees into the office.

In a time of economic uncertainty, it might seem a tall order to ask businesses to foot the bill for free lunches, but there are a lot of benefits for both businesses and their employees. If you’re exploring corporate lunch catering to support your team’s wellbeing and culture, we can help you structure it smartly. 

The benefits of a company lunch programme at a glance

• Healthier teams: nutritious, varied meals make the healthy choice the easy choice.
• Less stress: nobody has to hunt for lunch or wait for a delivery to arrive.
• Proper breaks: people are more likely to step away from their desks when lunch is shared.
• Stronger connections: a shared meal sparks conversations and ideas across teams.
• Happier, more loyal teams: good food shows people they are valued, which supports hiring and retention.
• Less admin for office managers: one partner, one schedule and simple invoicing.

Maintaining mental and physical health 

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and a nutritious lunch every day can help keep your team healthy and energised. Offering your staff free, healthy food at work goes a long way to maintaining their physical and mental wellbeing. A healthy lunch isn’t expensive, but so often in modern life we tend to lean towards what is quick and easy. Few vending machines can claim to boast a healthy menu of options, but if they’re the most immediate choice, then people will settle for crisps and a chocolate bar. 

Combined with the already sedentary lifestyle that desk work entails, the long-term health implications are concerning. If they don’t feel at their best, they won’t work at their best. An overworked, unhealthy workforce is sure to have a far greater impact on a company’s bottom line than the small price of offering a free lunch.  

Not having to think about finding somewhere to eat or ordering food for delivery will reduce stress, but it also offers the opportunity to provide a meal that workers might not have the time or patience to prepare themselves. It’s one less pressure to deal with, meaning they can better focus on their work.

There are loads of exciting options out there to suit every palate, whether you want to spice up your team’s day with a curry or go for the more environmentally conscious option of vegan wraps or burgers. Make lunch the highlight of their day, rather than a fleeting interruption to their busy work schedule.

Syncing lunch schedules

A study from Staffordshire University showed that up to 82% of workers don’t always take lunch breaks. When everyone is skipping lunch to meet that tight deadline, you might feel guilty for taking a break yourself. These social prompts form the basis of company culture; it only takes one person to decide not to take lunch for others to follow their example. Some might settle for tackling less demanding tasks like answering emails and consider that enough, but that doesn’t count as a break. People need to be able to get away from their desks for a bit to recharge.  

Reputation is everything

People want more from their workplace than a nice paycheque, and why shouldn’t they? This is where they will devote a lot of their time, and so it’s understandable that they should want to work for a company that values them. Let’s not forget, a positive company culture increases job satisfaction and retention.

Customers often prefer to do business with a company that treats its people well, and potential recruits could be drawn in by a simple gesture such as free lunches.

From a practical standpoint, employees sharing lunch boosts team spirit and allows for a meeting of ideas, encouraging networking and collaboration between departments. They’re still ‘working’ even on a break. Maybe that chat over a carbonara is the key to fixing a big problem. It also allows for better time management, as employees won’t need to worry about waiting in line at the shops or for their order to arrive.

Lunch that flexes with hybrid working

Office attendance rarely looks the same two weeks running, so a fixed lunch order can mean waste on quiet days and queues on busy ones. A flexible programme lets you scale numbers up or down to match who is actually in.

With Fooditude, we work from your weekly headcount, which helps cut food waste on quieter days and means there is plenty to go round when the office fills up. Read more about hybrid office catering.

Coming together again

Going back to business as usual won’t address the concerns people have about the increasing pressures of modern life, and how our work contributes to that. It’s not enough to offer a competitive salary. People want to feel as though they’re a part of a team and not just another cog in a machine. Anything a business can do to make its employees feel valued is going to go a long way to alleviating their concerns. And the best part? It’s cost-effective! A little investment in the wellbeing of your workers can have a profound effect on your business.

Let's talk lunch for your team

Tell us about your office, your team and your budget, and we'll craft a tailored lunch programme your office will love. Get started with our office catering guide for managers or get a quote today.