Despite reports that companies are pulling back on the bougie office perks employees once enjoyed, there is apparently one that’s actually getting bigger and better: free lunch.
Whether it’s pre-plated meals or sprawling buffets, many companies are still offering, even improving, the mid-day meal, per Business Insider.
- In 2023, a Dinova and Technomic report found that corporate catering had surpassed weddings.
- An International Caterers Association survey found that ~50% of catering companies listed corporate clients as their primary revenue source.
So there is such a thing as a free lunch
Pretty much everyone loves free food, with research finding it a preferred perk among employees, especially as workers return to the office.
It saves them money, improves productivity, and can reduce burnout by encouraging them to take a much-needed midday break.
People are also just generally interested in food. The TikTok trend WIEIAD (“what I eat in a day”) often focused on office workers’ lunches, whether they packed their own or enjoyed catered meals.
It’s good for employers, too
Providing lunch is cheaper than many other perks, plus we know that having friends at work increases job satisfaction and mental health.
Employees who sit in a cubicle all day might only interact with members of their team, but cafeterias offer a place to meet others, assuming that a) the food is good enough to keep employees on campus and b) they don’t just grab a plate and go back to their desks.
Grace Koo, KKR’s global head of human capital, told BI that the investment firm’s cafe was designed with collaboration in mind, while The Gap’s Bay Area “Gapeteria” invites employees to enjoy hangar steak and grilled burrata at communal tables.
Another boon? It could be a positive sign for people suffering from AI replacement dysfunction (AIRD), a term coined by researchers to define anxiety over potentially losing one's job to AI. If a company is investing in high-quality food, it indicates a commitment to the human workers that eat it.
