According to ezCater’s 2024 Food for Work Report, 33% of employees now prefer meals from local restaurants over traditional catered meals. This makes sense, considering that 52% of people now say takeout is an “essential” part of their lives, and 70% ordered delivery in the past month. When food at work comes from their favorite area restaurants, they can also feel good about supporting their local community.
If so many employees enjoy restaurant-quality meals at home, they’d surely like those cuisine favorites at work too. And while it may seem like a tall order to deliver everyone’s favorites, it doesn’t have to be. Here are just a few ezCater features that make sourcing restaurant meals more efficient.
Reliable customer service
ezCater customers can reach our award-winning support team 24/7. Whether they have a last-minute venue change or need to accommodate an employee with a gluten allergy, food ordering professionals can get help from a real human — instead of scrambling to fix the problem themselves.
Catering orders online, on your own time
No more placing orders over the phone, hoping the person on the other end writes everything down correctly, or worrying whether an email was received. With ezCater, everything is done through a user-friendly online platform. Orders can be placed 24/7, regardless of the restaurant’s business hours.
A wide variety of restaurants to choose from
With access to over 100,000 restaurants nationwide, ezCater customers can finally give employees the variety they crave. From international foods to local favorites, our focus on business-grade catering options means food orderers can make lunchtime the highlight of the workday. Plus, ezCater’s order tracking provides email and text notifications, so there’s no guessing about whether the food will arrive on time.
Convenient, easy-to-use filters
Say goodbye to spending hours researching restaurants online. ezCater’s filters help orderers quickly narrow down options. From finding vegetarian-friendly or gluten-free meals to specific types of cuisine, these easy-to-use filters speed up and simplify the search, saving customers precious time.
Flexible employee meal selection
According to the 2024 Food for Work Report, 71% of employees prefer to choose their own meals. ezCater’s Group Ordering feature allows them to do just that. Food orderers choose the restaurant and set the budget, then employees select what they want from a shared menu link.
Relish by ezCater offers an even more hands-off approach. ezCater’s experts curate a rotating list of local restaurants for employees to browse and select exactly what they want to eat. Employers and food-ordering professionals love this option, too, since they no longer have to worry about pleasing everyone’s palates.
AI-assisted Smart Ordering
If you’re short on time and need to quickly order food for a 20-person meeting, ezCater’s Smart Ordering feature uses AI and proprietary data to determine what and how much to order for large groups in the workplace. It offers menu recommendations at set price points and allows for adjustments based on headcount and preferences. These instantly curated menu combinations are based on millions of successful past group orders, helping to ensure satisfaction in just a few clicks.
Streamlined expense tracking and receipt organization
Receipts are automatically sent to food orderer’s inboxes after each order. They are also neatly stored in the online dashboard, ready to be viewed or downloaded any time. What’s more, customers can create expense reports and filter receipts by date range, which makes it easy to stay organized and on top of budgets — without having to keep track of paper receipts.
Aligning employee meal plans with the latest trends
Restaurant meals are now a top choice for employees, offering the variety and quality they crave. Thanks to ezCater, it’s now easier than ever for food-ordering professionals to meet their needs — without wasting valuable time or dealing with common challenges.
The 2024 Food for Work report reveals even more insights into shifting employee preferences, helping companies stay ahead. Download the full report now to explore all the findings and learn how ezCater helps companies of all sizes provide a modern, effective workplace meal program.
