Corporate Catering Statistics: 2026 Edition
Office catering is the fastest-growing segment of the catering industry, fueled by hybrid-work meal stipends, conference returns, and the platformization of recurring corporate orders.
Last updated
$25.4B
US corporate/office catering spend (2025)
3.4x
Average orders per month from companies that catered in 2024
$28.50
Median per-head spend on office lunch catering
82%
Companies that use catering as a recruiting/retention tool
44%
Corporate caterers reporting Tue/Wed/Thu concentration
29%
Average gross margin on corporate catering orders
Full statistics with sources
| Metric | Value | Source | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| US corporate/office catering spend (2025) | $25.4B | Technomic — Corporate Catering Trends | 2025 |
| Average orders per month from companies that catered in 2024 | 3.4x | ezCater — State of Workplace Food | ezCater 2024 State of Workplace Food |
| Median per-head spend on office lunch catering | $28.50 | ezCater — State of Workplace Food | 2024 |
| Companies that use catering as a recruiting/retention tool | 82% | SHRM — Employee Benefits Survey | SHRM 2024 Employee Benefits Survey |
| Corporate caterers reporting Tue/Wed/Thu concentration | 44% | Technomic — Corporate Catering Trends | 2024 |
| Average gross margin on corporate catering orders | 29% | Technomic — Corporate Catering Trends | 2024 |
| Average corporate catering order value | $1,640 | ezCater — State of Workplace Food | 2024 |
What the numbers mean
$25.4B — US corporate/office catering spend (2025)
Includes recurring office lunches, meetings, conferences, and corporate events. Excludes per-employee benefit programs handled by third-party meal-stipend platforms.
Source: Technomic — Corporate Catering Trends · 2025
3.4x — Average orders per month from companies that catered in 2024
Median is 2x/month; high-frequency accounts (recruiting-heavy tech, finance) reach 8-12x/month.
Source: ezCater — State of Workplace Food · ezCater 2024 State of Workplace Food
$28.50 — Median per-head spend on office lunch catering
Office lunch median has trended up since 2022 as caterers passed through food-cost inflation; tech and finance verticals run 30-40% higher.
Source: ezCater — State of Workplace Food · 2024
82% — Companies that use catering as a recruiting/retention tool
HR teams now routinely cite food perks as a retention lever. Office lunches and recruiting events are the two biggest line items.
Source: SHRM — Employee Benefits Survey · SHRM 2024 Employee Benefits Survey
44% — Corporate caterers reporting Tue/Wed/Thu concentration
Hybrid-work has crystallized a midweek office-attendance pattern. Most corporate caterers see >60% of weekly orders fall on Tue/Wed/Thu.
Source: Technomic — Corporate Catering Trends · 2024
29% — Average gross margin on corporate catering orders
Corporate is structurally lower-margin than weddings due to delivery costs and competitive bidding on recurring contracts, but is higher-volume and more predictable.
Source: Technomic — Corporate Catering Trends · 2024
$1,640 — Average corporate catering order value
Median is closer to $980; the mean is pulled up by large conference and recruiting events.
Source: ezCater — State of Workplace Food · 2024
Related on CaterCamp
The benchmarks above sit alongside our product and operator-guide pages. Use these to apply the data to your own catering or foodservice operation.