Convenience stores should take notice of a new report from Boston-based ezCater revealing that food is a must-have workplace perk and can deliver real results for businesses.
The report’s findings offer valuable information for c-stores in their own recruiting and retention efforts—and in catering opportunities.
The corporate food solutions provider recently released Food For Work 2023: Fueling America’s Workforce, which pairs 15 years of proprietary ezCater data with survey findings from more than 600 people who regularly order food for work and more than 1,000 people whose employers provide free or subsidized food.
The report shows 57% of employees surveyed say they appreciate free and subsidized food the most, more than other work perks. Most notably, ezCater said, employees said they appreciate food over flexible work arrangements, wellness and education stipends, profit sharing or stock options and volunteer time off.
“The fact that food is employees’ most appreciated work perk may seem surprising, but at ezCater, we’re used to hearing how powerful food can be to motivate and engage teams at work,” said Diane Swint, chief revenue officer of ezCater. “The report paints a clear picture: Feeding employees creates real value for businesses at an affordable cost. That makes food for work no longer a ‘nice-to-have,’ but a ‘need-to-have’ for employers.”
High Five
The five main reasons food at work drives value for businesses, according to the report:
- Providing meals is HR’s secret weapon for hiring: Half of all employees surveyed say the perk of free food at work would make them more likely to accept a job offer; however, only 43% of companies mentioned their food for work offerings during the recruiting process, presenting an opportunity for companies to advertise this perk in job listings, careers pages and hiring conversations to help recruiting efforts.
- Food for work helps with employee retention: 46% of workers say employer-provided food makes them more likely to stay at their company. Notably, Gen Z eaters were 11% more likely than average to say this.
- Employees will commute to the office for food: Food for work can play a key role for companies looking to incentivize employees to work onsite and give them a return on their commute. Companies tend to see increased attendance at any work meeting or event with food. In addition, 86% of employers also say food encourages employees to commute to work.
Companies tend to see increased attendance at any work meeting or event with food.
- Food improves performance and productivity: More than half of all employees, 53%, feel more productive when given food, with Gen Z being 19% more likely than average to say this. Similarly, workers who report higher quality work with free food say it’s because they have more energy (78%) and are able to better focus (54%).
- Food for work increases overall engagement: Employers might be underestimating the power of food to boost employee engagement. Workers are 32% more likely than employers to credit food with connection and collaboration, with 82% of workers saying free food provides the opportunity to collaborate and connect with coworkers—while only 62% of employers would say the same.
“Providing free lunch is probably one of our most exciting perks, and when we’re hiring, it’s something we promote,” said Melissa Allinder, office operations manager at NorthPoint Development, Kansas City, Missouri. “Not many companies provide lunch five days a week, so when people hear that, it's a jaw-dropper.”
Methodology: In first-quarter 2023, ezCater surveyed three subgroups: 621 “food orderers” or people who regularly order food for their workplace, 1,002 employees who work onsite at least one day per week and whose employers provide free or subsidized food, and 633 restaurant owners and operators. In addition to the more than 2,000 individuals surveyed, ezCater analyzed 15 years of proprietary order data from millions of transactions.
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