Even with all the planning and logistics involved with running an in-house workplace food program, lunch is straightforward. You have an abundance of options, as most restaurants are open during lunch hours. And you have enough employees working onsite to receive delivery and catering orders.
It’s when you want to feed your employees outside of the regular 9 to 5 that processes break down. Whether it’s feeding night shift workers and weekend staff consistently or temporarily providing meals for employees working overtime, you’re faced with limited catering options and unique logistical challenges.
In this post, we dig into the biggest challenges you can face with after-hours catering and weekend catering. We also provide practical tips and solutions to address these challenges. Let’s take a look.
Night shift meals for employees are challenging mainly because you have fewer vendors available. The end of normal business hours means most catering operations and restaurants also shut down. Meanwhile, weekend catering for employees also presents a unique set of challenges if your office typically operates on a standard Monday-Friday.
Let’s look at some of the biggest challenges you have to deal with for after-hours catering and weekend office catering.
Many top-tier corporate caterers and restaurants stay open until dinner service. But once the clock strikes 10, that’s when you’ll have to start worrying about how to feed employees working overnight.
You’ll only find a few places that offer after-hours office food delivery or overnight catering. Even then, menus are often limited, delivery fees are expensive, and pickup is not always ideal.
Getting after-hours food delivery or late-night catering for employees comes with a few additional hassles that you won’t face during regular hours. Deactivated elevators, locked office doors, and access restrictions present several issues that prevent food from arriving on time.
Similarly, weekend office catering can be challenging if your office typically doesn’t work during the weekends. You might not have front desk or loading dock staff to receive the orders.
Unpredictable headcounts are another common challenge for both after-hours catering and weekend catering. You can’t always predict who’s staying late on a given day. So your regular third shift meal program might not be able to accommodate a few extra employees working overtime. Sudden project extensions and urgent deadlines could throw your planned corporate dinner catering for a loop.
And your planned weekend coverage could be affected by last-minute cancellations or unexcused absences. So the high weekend flake rates and unplanned overtime make it extremely challenging to plan for food.
For many offices, feeding night shift workers often means ordering food from places that stay open a bit longer and storing the food for several hours until it’s time to eat. But this poses several risks to food safety and quality. Fried foods get soggy, and meat stored at room temperature risks spoilage.
Even if you store it in the fridge, the texture and overall taste will change drastically by the time employees get to eat their meals. And who wants to eat reheated fried chicken at 2 am?
With all the above challenges to keep in mind, feeding night shift workers and weekend staff can be complex. Here are some tips to help you address the biggest problems:
Whether it’s a consistent solution for your weekend and third shift meal program or a reliable backup for unexpected overtime, here are some of the best options:
Late-night catering for employees gets complicated because many corporate caterers don’t have staff working after hours. Drop-off catering options are a great way to provide weekend and night shift meals because the caterer only has to deliver the food to your workplace, while you handle the serving and cleanup.
You can schedule the food to be delivered close to mealtime, so food can be served fresh with its taste and quality intact.
(if possible, add some Fooda data about the different timeframes for catered dinners. Do clients schedule catering deliveries for night time and when?)
Every 24/7 workplace food program needs an unattended grab-and-go solution that lets employees grab a bite at all hours without needing someone to assist them. That way, you can keep your food service running even during late nights and early mornings.
Think: well-stocked pantries with self-checkout kiosks to provide backup meals and snacks at odd hours, minus the need for extra staff. Smart vending solutions also come with built-in scan-to-pay features, so employees can pay for their meals and snacks without needing cash.
Refrigerated vending machines are a great addition if you want to make healthy perishables, such as salads, yoghurt cups, and sandwiches, more accessible for third shift employees.
For even more flexibility, you can offer shift worker meal benefits like individual stipends that can be used to pay for food at several pre-approved locations. Employees will use the stipend to order their own meals for weekend and after-hours office food delivery.
Meanwhile, you decide exactly when and where employees can use the stipend. Say 9 pm to 7 am from five nearby restaurants and cafes that stay open overnight or open early. Or 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
So the solution scales effortlessly even with unpredictable headcounts. That means no more scrambling for last-minute catering solutions to provide meals for employees working overtime. Plus, employees have more flexibility to eat from a place they like, giving them more incentive to work overtime or provide weekend coverage.
Fooda offers a wide range of food solutions to support your 24/7 workplace food program. Whether you need recurring corporate dinner catering for your third shift meal program or the occasional backup for weekend coverage and unexpected overtime, these solutions can be tailored to your unique needs.
Fooda partners with local restaurants to provide reliable corporate catering for night shift meals and weekend lunches. You can schedule traditional drop catering and have food delivered at a time that works for you—whether it’s at 10 pm on a Friday night or 12 pm on Sunday.
Fooda lets you browse online and filter catering menus by address, meal period, cuisine, budget, and dietary restrictions. You can even choose your event start time during the initial search, making it easier to find restaurants that provide overnight catering.
Fooda Pantry offers a comprehensive food and beverage program consisting of micromarkets, grab-and-go snack stations, premium water, gourmet coffee, and smart vending solutions. You can tailor your product mix to cater to your team’s unique preferences and needs.
So even your overnight teams can have barista-quality coffee on tap to keep them fueled throughout the night. And they can quickly grab healthy and easy-to-eat meals at all hours, with options like pre-made sandwiches, ready-to-eat protein bowls, and yoghurt cups.
Fooda lets you seamlessly offer meal benefits with subsidies you can customize to the specific needs of your night shift and weekend teams. From the Fooda app, you can easily allocate funds to specific teams and individuals, add members, change subsidy amounts, and more.
The subsidy is automatically applied when employees order food from featured restaurants in the Fooda app or at any Fooda location. This means third shift employees and weekend staff can easily use it to order weekend and after-hours office food delivery.
The Fooda Card makes shift worker meal benefits even more flexible, with stipends they can use at nearby eateries and restaurants. You can customize every aspect of the benefit, including:
This opens them up to more late-night delivery options even if Fooda’s restaurant partners are unavailable.
Need help setting up a 24/7 workplace food program? Talk to Fooda today.
What is after-hours catering?
After-hours catering refers to food and beverage services provided outside of standard business hours, typically during late nights, overnights, or early mornings.
How do you feed night shift workers when restaurants are closed?
You can feed night shift workers when restaurants are closed by scheduling catered meals in advance and offering 24/7 grab-and-go options with unattended micromarkets and smart vending machines.
How much does weekend office catering cost?
On average, office catering in the United States costs $15 to $45 per person. However, because offices generally operate on weekdays, weekend office catering often incurs a 10% to 25% surcharge. In some cases, it could also require higher order minimums due to limited weekend staffing and weekend courier fees.
Do employers have to provide meals for overtime or night shifts?
Employers are generally not legally required to provide free meals or meal allowances for overtime or night shifts, unless specified by an employment contract or company policy. However, employers can benefit from feeding night shift workers and employees working overtime by boosting morale and reducing friction.
What food holds up best over a 12-hour shift?
Dense grain bowls, sturdy wraps, and bento-style snack boxes hold up best over a 12-hour shift because they do not get soggy easily and maintain safe textures when stored in a cooler or fridge.
Can you run catering with no one on site to receive it?
Yes, you can run office catering with no one on-site to receive it, provided you set up precise drop-off instructions and secure advance building access.
