Whether food is provided daily, weekly, or only during special events, bringing in catered food or lunch for your employees is a thoughtful gesture and can reinforce a strong work ethic.
However, the quality of the food offered is worth considering. If the available choices are boring, bland, or consist of poor-quality ingredients, that goodwill gesture of bringing food to employees won’t be received as positively. If you’re concerned about your company’s catering options, this is the blog post for you!
These are 7 secret complaints that employees make about office lunch offerings and suggestions to resolve them.
1. “The selection is boring.”
Plenty of people enjoy old favorites like oatmeal or a PB&J sandwich, but that doesn’t mean your company needs to settle with just these choices. Plus, they can get old, fast. Consider adding some diversity to the break room! Search for foods outside of your comfort zone.
The culinary team at Martin + Fitch design a menu that fits the needs and preferences of their clients. The menu is created based on when specific ingredients are at their peak, the current season, and past menus to ensure variety in lunches. No more Italian three times a week!
2. “It’s often late.”
With the professionals at Martin + Fitch catering, this is not a problem. The team arrives at their scheduled events ahead of time, efficiently preparing each meal so that they are visually appealing and ready to be served.
3. “There’s nothing I like.”
If there aren’t any available options for lunch that you enjoy, be sure to communicate those preferences with your team! There’s a good chance that other people would also like to see different selections.
4. “It’s not local / the produce isn’t good.”
If you’re looking for better produce, the closest farmer’s market is a great place to start. Fresh produce and other in-season foods can make for a healthy (and inexpensive!) meal. Shopping for these items also feeds into the local economy, putting money back into your community.
But the benefits of shopping locally don’t end there. It can also reduce your carbon footprint; by foregoing overseas manufacturing, you’re not contributing to the fuel expenses of delivering goods halfway across the world.
Martin + Fitch sources ingredients from local distributors who promote fresh, high quality, and in-season ingredients, meaning you know exactly where your food is coming from.
5. “There aren’t many options.”
Propose the creation of an anonymous poll that asks employees which catering options they’d like to see in the workplace. You can use any number of free websites to generate an online poll, such as Survey Monkey or Straw Poll. Include questions that ask about healthy options, dietary restrictions or allergens, and leave room for suggestions. This can be an effective way to learn about what your coworkers are looking for in their meals.
6. “I don’t know where to learn about better choices.”
That’s why Martin + Fitch is here! Our team of catering professionals can recommend and provide meals which we believe will be the best fit for your company.
7. “I have allergies or dietary preferences that aren’t accommodated by current meal offerings.”
If you’re looking for expert catering but feel concerned about any dietary restrictions or allergies that could get in the way, Martin + Fitch is here to help. Each menu includes allergen labels for every meal, conveniently color-coded with a helpful key at the bottom of each page. These labels signify whether a meal is gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, contains dairy, or contains nuts.
About Martin + Fitch Catering
Whether an office is looking to supply food for an occasional workplace party, a regular Friday happy hour or daily grab-and-go lunches, Martin + Fitch is able to deliver. With menus changing daily and seasonally inspired, our full-service catering branch is able to provide delicious, better-for-you meals for employees. In addition to office catering, Martin + Fitch will continue to act as a boutique catering and events company. From photo shoots and drop off catering, to large full-service events, Martin + Fitch can help you choose your venue, hire staff and design the space.
