Office Lunch vs. Canteen vs. Vouchers: What Works in 2027

Around this time of year, HR and office teams decide how their people will eat in 2027. Three options come up again and again: an in-house canteen, meal vouchers or subsidies, and a delivered office lunch.

They solve the same problem in very different ways. Here is how they compare, and which one fits a company of 30 to a few hundred people.

• Canteen: best for large sites with many people on site every day, and the space and budget to run a kitchen.
• Vouchers and subsidies: the easiest to start, but there is no shared lunch, and what people eat is up to each person.
• Office lunch: fresh meals cooked in a professional kitchen and delivered to your office, without building a kitchen, and with a shared lunch for the team.

For most teams of 30 up to a few hundred people, a delivered office lunch is the best balance of effort, quality and team effect. A canteen can start to make sense at much larger sites, and the three can be combined.

A canteen gives you full control: your own menu, your own space and a place where people meet. It also needs a kitchen, equipment, staff, hygiene management and a constant supply of ingredients.

Most of those costs are fixed, whether 40 or 400 people come in. With hybrid work, attendance changes from day to day, and that makes a canteen harder to plan. For a deeper look, read our comparison canteen vs. office lunch delivery.

Meal vouchers or a meal subsidy are quick to introduce and give people freedom to choose. In Germany, a meal subsidy can be tax-advantaged within the legal limits, which is why many employers use it. We explain the rules in our guide to the Sachbezugswert. Please check the values for 2027 with your tax advisor.

The trade-off is the experience. People often eat alone at their desks or order from different places, quality varies, and the money does not create a shared moment for the team.

With Office Lunch, Bella&Bona cooks in its own kitchens and delivers to your office. Your team orders through our app, there are vegan, vegetarian and meat options every day, and allergens are labelled. You work with one partner and receive one invoice.

It works together with a subsidy, because you can support the meals your team orders. It starts from 30 employees, which is where a daily lunch works well for everyone.

• Setup effort: a canteen is high (space, kitchen, staff). Vouchers are low. Office lunch is low.
• Fresh, varied food: a canteen can offer it with the right team. Vouchers depend on what each person picks. Office lunch cooks fresh meals every day.
• Shared lunch for the team: a canteen yes. Vouchers rarely. Office lunch yes.
• Cost behaviour: a canteen has mostly fixed costs. Vouchers are flexible. Office lunch is based on what your team orders.
• Good fit: a canteen for large sites. Vouchers for small or very flexible teams. Office lunch for teams from 30 people.

Whichever model you choose, some days deserve more than a daily lunch: a kick-off, a client visit or an anniversary. For those, our Pop-up Restaurant comes to your office and serves your guests on site. It is an exclusive format, and it works well on top of any of the three options.

Start with five questions:

• How many people are in the office on a typical day?
• On how many days a week is the office full?
• Do you have space and budget for a kitchen?
• Is a shared lunch part of what you want to achieve?
• How do you want to use the tax-advantaged meal subsidy?

If you have 30 to a few hundred people, a hybrid week and no kitchen, a delivered office lunch is usually the simplest answer. If you have a very large site with a stable daily crowd, a canteen may be worth a closer look. If you only need a small, flexible benefit, vouchers are enough.

Can we combine them? Yes. Many companies use a daily lunch for most days and add a Pop-up Restaurant or catering for special occasions.

Is a meal subsidy tax-free? Within legal limits it can be tax-advantaged. Read our Sachbezugswert guide and confirm the 2027 values with your tax advisor.

What is the minimum for Office Lunch? We start from 30 employees.

Want to launch it? Our 30-day launch plan walks you through it.