October 5, 2026

The next workplace tech upgrade isn’t software. It’s lunch

With more people choosing to split their time between home and the office, the experience of being at work has changed. If people are only in the office twice a week, opportunities to connect with colleagues face-to-face become more important. Even something as simple as sharing a meal gives people a reason to get together. An informal lunch can create conversations that wouldn’t have happened over a Teams call. For new colleagues, more casual conversation can help them settle in and get to know their colleagues better. Moving away from the desk also means a proper break from a screen, which helps everyone to return for the afternoon feeling refreshed and motivated.

The challenge for employers, though, is how to provide more choice and flexibility around mealtimes without creating a big administrative burden for themselves. For many smaller businesses, the opportunity to make lunch an enjoyable and valuable get-together for their team is simply not on their radar.

The office lunch needs to be a simple benefit that doesn’t end up resulting in endless discussions about which type of food should be ordered, or become a complicated process for senior leaders to manage.

Employees needs and expectations

Even if people want to eat in smaller groups, one of the major challenges around providing a meal at work is that not all employees necessarily want the same thing. Some might prefer a healthier lunch, while others may want something starchy and comforting. Dietary requirements and personal preferences can make catering for a whole team complicated.

Rather than relying on the cold sandwich option from the shop on the corner, employees now expect to be able to choose what they want and when they want it, so that this fits in with their working day. They may have several meetings in the morning which leads to them taking a later lunch than usual, for example.

The convenience and choice that people have become familiar with in their personal lives is also influencing their expectations. When ordering lunch at home, for example, they can use an app to choose from a wide range of local restaurants, decide when they want their food and have it delivered within the hour.

If staff can access the same options at work, and have their employer cover the cost, this is a great way to make them valued and provide an extra reason for them to be in the office.

Reducing the administrative burden

The challenge in providing more convenience and flexibility around mealtimes is that the person organising office lunches may also be the one that is responsible for HR, facilities management and finance.

The last thing this individual needs is more administration on top of managing people, the office building and the company finances. Meals can quickly add to the workload if emails need to be sent to everyone to organise a team lunch and spreadsheets are being used to track individuals’ preferences. Or if employees are being encouraged to order and pay for lunch out of their own pocket, this can mean gathering up receipts for each meal to ensure all expenses have been captured.

When employees are left to their own devices, without a cap on what they can order, the cost of a team lunch can quickly add up. This can also make it harder for businesses to get a clear view over how much work meals are actually costing them.

Digital ordering is the way forward

This is where workplace technology has an important role to play in removing friction from the meal ordering experience, both for employees and employers. Giving staff the ability to order through the same app means they can choose exactly what they want, based on their own preferences. It also avoids them having to pay out of their own pocket or spending their whole break worrying about a lost receipt.

At the same time, businesses can put clear parameters in place around spending. So they can easily keep track of costs and manage payments, without adding another layer of administration for the person responsible for organising meals.

For businesses, removing these small points of friction can make providing meals a more practical employee benefit. It means less time chasing up lost receipts and organising orders, and more opportunities for the team to get together.