Generational question of employee catering: Food attracts Gen Z to the office

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

- Young employees want variety 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 a nice-to-have - it is a significant criterion when choosing a workplace: The younger generation expects freshness and variety from their employer at an affordable price. This is one of the key findings of a recent study by the Munich-based food tech company Foodji. For the third time, the scale-up surveyed employees in Germany about their preferences and opinions on the food they eat during their breaks at work. For the first time, it looked at generation-specific differences and broke down the results into Generation Z employees (born between 1997 and 2012) and older employees.

Gen Z attaches importance to price when choosing food

When it comes to food selection, price is more important for Gen Z than for their older counterparts. 69% of Gen Z respondents say that this factor strongly influences their choice of food, compared to only 44% of the older generation. One in three young employees do not want to spend more than four euros on lunch at work. Among older employees, on the other hand, this figure is only one in five. Overall, however, the willingness to pay has increased: the employees surveyed are prepared to pay an average of €5.86 for lunch at work, regardless of their age. In 2023, it was still €5.47.

In addition to taste, freshness and health, all age groups also attach importance to sustainability: two thirds of younger and three quarters of older respondents state that this aspect is important to them. In both age groups, nine out of ten respondents stated that they make sure not to waste any food in the interests of sustainability.

Employee catering is perceived as the greatest benefit

Respondents in all age groups are reluctant to prepare their food at home - only 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 on food procurement (Gen Z: 97%, older generations: 96%). Accordingly, three quarters of respondents, regardless of their age, believe that a catering service at the workplace offers a greater advantage than other additional benefits provided by the employer.

Healthy eating promotes productivity and motivation

In addition, 92% of all age groups say that healthy eating at work makes them feel fitter, healthier, more productive and more motivated. Compared to the older respondents, Gen Z also focuses primarily on the social aspects of employee catering: 63% of younger people, for example, feel that break-time catering is an incentive to come into the office. In the older generations, only one in two (48%) feel attracted by this. 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%.

Taking the needs of young employees seriously

For Gen Z, an appealing food offer is more than just an additional offer. It makes the workplace a place where they enjoy spending time. Especially in times when employers are looking for ways to establish a higher office presence, this is a crucial insight, as Daniel von Canal, Managing Director and co-founder of Foodji, emphasizes: "In the face of recession and a shortage of skilled workers, companies need to do more to make employees feel comfortable at work. This includes food as a basic human need - if employers take care of this, the workplace becomes a place where employees feel good."

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

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

‍