53% of business orderers surveyed plan to increase their spending on food for work in 2024
LAS VEGAS & BOSTON — ezCater, the leading food for work technology company in the US, revealed findings from its second annual “Feeding the Workplace” report during its Catering Growth Forum at the 2024 Food On Demand Conference. Grounded in ezCater order data and survey insights from over 2,800 different food for work stakeholders, the report looks at the state of food in the workplace and how restaurant operators can capitalize on this growing opportunity.
Today, food for work is expanding beyond traditional business catering, and more companies are using restaurants as a cafeteria alternative. In fact, the number of survey respondents reporting they order for daily and weekly recurring meals has increased 32% year-over-year. They also reported interest in additional workplace offerings such as restaurant pop-ups, food trucks, grab-and-go, and special events.
“The food for work opportunity is much bigger than just business catering. While organizations continue to feed their meetings and celebrations, they are also increasingly using restaurant food to feed their people on a regular basis,” said David Meiselman, Chief Marketing Officer, ezCater. “With ezCater, restaurants can tap into the expanding food for work category and benefit from large, incremental orders from all types of workplaces nationwide.”
Additional key takeaways from this year’s report include:
- Food for work is a lucrative marketing channel: Nearly half (47%) of employees surveyed have ordered from or visited a restaurant after first trying it through an employer-provided meal. The average ezCater order serves 23 people and provides restaurants with valuable brand exposure.
- Delivery tracking and mobile ordering are a growing priority for orderers: 90% of orderers are more likely to order from a restaurant that offers delivery tracking updates. Compared to a year ago, 67% more orderers are using mobile devices to place orders.
- Choice is paramount for employees: 71% of employees surveyed prefer to select meals themselves when their employer provides food for work, and 64% prefer individually packaged meals.
- Sustainable packaging is a differentiator: 43% of orderers prefer sustainable food packaging. What’s more, 37% of workplaces have made sustainable packaging a company requirement. Similarly, 28% of companies have requirements around food waste reduction.
More broadly, catering is a strong revenue driver for restaurants. According to the operators surveyed, 97% expect their revenue from catering to grow in 2024 compared to 2023, and 74% anticipate over 20% growth. To learn more about the ezCater Catering Growth Platform, visit www.ezcater.com/grow.
Methodology
From January 22, 2024, to February 2, 2024, ezCater surveyed more than 2,800 restaurant operators, corporate catering orderers, and employees, on the state of food for work. Proprietary ezCater data was also gathered over 17 years from millions of transactions across more than 100,000 restaurants and caterers.
About ezCater
ezCater is the leading food for work technology company in the US, connecting anyone who needs food for their workplace to over 100,000 restaurants nationwide. For workplaces, ezCater provides flexible and scalable solutions for everything from recurring employee meals to one-off meetings, all backed by 24/7 customer service with real humans. ezCater also enables companies to manage their food spend in a single, customizable platform. For restaurant partners, ezCater helps them grow their business by bringing them more orders and new high-value customers. To learn more, visit www.ezcater.com.
