Food attracts Gen Z to the Office: employee catering as the key

A new study by Foodji shows: 63% of Gen Z employees regard employee catering as an important incentive to come to the office.

• Young employees want diversity and freshness at an affordable price.

• Employee catering is becoming a strategic means for companies to position themselves as an attractive employer.

Munich, November 26, 2024 — For Gen Z, healthy and affordable food at work is more than just a nice-to-have — it is an important criterion when choosing a job: The young generation expects freshness and diversity from their employer at an affordable price. This is one of the key findings of a recent study by Munich-based food tech company Foodji. For the third time, the scale-up asked employees in Germany about their preferences and assessments of their refreshments at work. For the first time, it looked at generation-specific differences and broke down the results by Generation Z employees (born between 1997 and 2012) and older employees.

Gen Z values price when choosing food

When it comes to food selection, the price for Gen Z is more significant than for their older colleagues. 69% of respondents from Gen Z state that this factor strongly influences their food choices, while this is the case for only 44% of the older generation. Every third young employee does not want to spend more than four euros on lunch at work. For older people, on the other hand, it is only one in five. Overall, the willingness to pay has nevertheless increased: The employees surveyed, regardless of their age, are prepared to pay an average of €5.86 for lunch at work. In 2023, the figure was €5.47.

In addition to taste, freshness and health, all age groups also value sustainability: Two thirds of younger and three quarters of older respondents say that this aspect is important to them. In both age groups, nine out of ten respondents say they are careful not to waste food as much as possible in the interests of sustainability.

Staff Catering Is Seen as the Biggest Benefit

Across all age groups, respondents are reluctant to prepare their food at home — just 45% of Gen Z and just 34% of older survey participants. At the same time, the vast majority in both groups are not prepared to spend a lot of break time getting food (Gen Z: 97%, older generations: 96%). Accordingly, three quarters of respondents, regardless of their age, find that a catering offer at work offers a greater advantage than other additional benefits offered by the employer.

A healthy diet boosts productivity and motivation

In addition, 92% of all age groups say that eating healthily makes them feel fitter, healthier, more productive and more motivated at work. Compared to older respondents, Gen Z also focuses primarily on the social aspects of employee catering: 63% of younger people see refreshments as an incentive to come to the office. In older generations, only one in two (48%) feels attracted by it. Similarly, almost three quarters (73%) of younger respondents fully agree that a catering offer makes the workplace more attractive. Among older respondents, the figure is only 64%.

Take young workers' needs seriously

For Gen Z, an appealing menu is more than just an additional offer. It makes the workplace a place they enjoy spending time in. Especially in times when employers are looking for ways to establish a higher office presence, this is a decisive finding, as Daniel von Canal, managing director and co-founder of Foodji, underlines: “In view of recession and a shortage of skilled workers, companies must do more to make employees feel comfortable at work. This includes food as a basic human need — when employers take care of it, the workplace becomes a place where employees feel comfortable.”

A lot of attention is paid to younger workers, as they are following in the footsteps of the baby boomers, of whom, according to current figures, 20 million will retire by 2036. At the same time, it is smaller in number than the older generations and is therefore more heavily courted. It is therefore essential for companies to understand the needs of these young employees: “30 percent of today's employees will retire in the next few years. In order to find and retain qualified employees in the future, employers must address the expectations of young employees,” says Felix Munte, CEO and co-founder of Foodji. “Our survey shows that catering at work is no longer a nice-to-have for Gen Z. Only if companies respond to this and make appropriate offers can they position themselves as an attractive employer for young talent.”

1,012 FOODJI customers took part in the online survey in August and September 2024. 85% of respondents worked in office environments, eleven percent in production

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