Is investing in a corporate dining program for your business really worth it? The short answer is yes, but we will dive into some specifics on how this investment has great return in ways you may not have realized. Depending on the size of your company, corporate dining may look a bit different from company to company. Corporate dining can range from offering snacks for staff all the way to offering a full course meal in a cafeteria for staff to eat lunch each day. Some companies are able to offer dining services every day while others may only be able to offer it occasionally. Whatever your circumstances, incorporating some form of dining for employees has great benefits.
Some companies may start off on a smaller scale by ordering boxed lunches from a local restaurant once a week for employees or having a food truck come once a month for staff to enjoy a free meal. No matter the scale, employees notice these efforts and appreciate them greatly. Not only does corporate dining benefit staff, it also can help your local economy by purchasing meal and supplies from local vendors and restaurants.
According to a recent Fooda article, “Corporate dining is the process of ordering and serving food for your employees. It might be breakfast at an early meeting, lunch every day, meals for big meetings, or having snacks around the office.” Start out small if need be and grow as you are able to offer more to employees. Corporate dining impacts three major areas of a company and can help the company grow as a whole. Read on to see those major areas that are positively impacted by the addition of corporate dining.
Company Culture:
Company culture means so much to employees and is often one of the driving factors that brings applicants in the door and helps retain current staff members. Corporate dining can play a large role in corporate dining. Meals gather people together and bring opportunities to meet new faces or grow long lasting work relationships. Whatever the case may be, food has the power to unite employees. Corporate dining helps to build comradery amongst employees as they are able to chat over a lunch break and enjoy a meal together in the employee cafeteria. Maybe a department is able to have breakfast together during their team meeting with the donuts provided through their company's dining program.
It’s no secret that humans love food, so why not use this as a way to build your company culture? Employees stay at companies where they feel they are valued and have connections. Meal services can help bring about both of those. It also speaks to the company's values of taking time to reset throughout the day. Having time set aside to intentionally step away from work can be very powerful. Lunch breaks offer more than just time to eat, but also a space to mentally refocus. Company culture can make or break a business, so what are you doing to invest in yours?
Recruiting:
Talent acquisition and recruiting can be tough, especially high unemployment. Interviews are just as much about learning about that candidate as they are about selling your company to the candidate. In an hour interview, this prospective employee needs to get a feel for your company culture, so how can you do that quickly and efficiently? While salary and health benefits are a vital part of that conversation, so are other benefits like having an on-site fitness center, offering paid volunteer days, or having an employee dining program that offers free lunch every business day. When an applicant learns that there is corporate dining, this says far more than just a free meal, it shows that the company values their employees and understands the benefits of being able to join coworkers for a meal that is outside of their workspace. It also can show a company’s commitment to helping their employees have a healthy and well-balanced diet.
When companies offer corporate dining programs for employees, people in the community become aware of this fact and may consider working for that employer in the future. The benefits of employee dining programs go far past the present and help to recruit future applicants by making your company stand apart from others. Setting yourself apart from other companies is crucial in recruiting and corporate dining can help differentiate your company.
Retention:
In a recent study, it was shown that 67% of people who have access to free food at work are either “extremely” or "very” happy with their current job. That is a noticeable statistic and while this cannot all be attributed to the meal program; it can be concluded that it has a great impact on an employee's overall job satisfaction. When employees enjoy their job and are satisfied with the company and their role, they are more likely to stay on your team for years to come. While it is important to drive new applicants in the door, it is just as important to put effort and time into investing in your current employees.
Feeling part of a community is a large contributor to employees feeling happy at work and gathering for meals can foster time to build relationships with coworkers. This time also allows for collaboration and new ideas to come about outside of regular workspaces. Sometimes you just need a new environment to be able to have a fresh perspective. The food we eat also has a large impact on how we feel and act. Healthy food options help keep employees at their A game. Offering coffee throughout the day can help boost energy whether a company offers plain black coffee or a coffee cafe. Retaining the people you currently have working towards your company goals is crucial and showing them that they are valued is a tried-and-true way to increase retention.
Employees want and value a sense of belonging and appreciation, and corporate dining can help to achieve that. Not only does it help bring more applicants into the door with your reputable company culture, it also helps current employees have increased job satisfaction. While having this idea and dream of implementing corporate dining services can be exciting, putting it into action with a plan is where the ball starts rolling. Having the right equipment to back-up your operations is crucial in the addition of employee meal services. If you’re planning to serve breakfast pastries and donuts, a kiosk may be a great option. If you are wanting to offer a full lunch service every day to employees, having a full servery counter line would be the best approach. Depending on the size of your company, what you will be serving, and when you will be serving all factors into what equipment you will need.
While this may seem daunting to plan, the Multiteria team is here to help you bring your design dreams to life! We are here to bring your ideas into reality and offer your employees dining services that will be sure to amaze. Our Essence serving counter line offers the ultimate flexibility and is able to be customized to your specific needs. Learn more about Essence counters today to see how they could add to your corporate dining services.
