Office Catering: A €3 Billion Banquet Largely Untouched

Despite being dominated by concession-based operators, Belgium’s workplace catering market captures only a fraction of its potential. Employees are dining less frequently in company canteens, even as they increasingly seek convenience and quality. For the office catering industry, it may be time to rewrite the recipe.

The Belgian corporate catering market is valued at roughly €650 million in consumer spending. It largely operates under a concession model, with providers such as Sodexo, Compass, and ISS managing meal preparation or delivery on behalf of employers. Sodexo leads the sector, generating approximately €350 million in revenue across all segments.

Each year, nearly 108 million meals are served in workplace restaurants across the country. Yet the addressable market is significantly larger. While three in four Belgian employees now go to the office regularly and 40% work on-site full-time, only a quarter of them use the company canteen. The majority bring meals from home. In practice, just 17.5 out of every 100 workplace meal opportunities result in an on-site purchase.

This discrepancy underscores the sector’s considerable untapped potential. If all theoretical meal occasions were captured, the market could surpass €3 billion. That remains a hypothetical scenario, however, as a full return to five-day office weeks appears unlikely, and Belgium’s economy is still dominated by SMEs – many of which lack in-house catering services.

Barriers to adoption are well documented: a lack of canteen facilities, perceptions of high pricing, or offerings deemed insufficient in quality. Regular users, by contrast, cite value for money and convenience as key advantages. According to Stefan Lemm, Operations Director at ISS, catering providers face a complex equation. As employers reduce their financial contributions, operators are forced to adjust their models, potentially leading to higher prices or simplified menus in order to maintain profitability.

With an average price point of €6 per meal, spending remains modest. Half of customers spend less than €5, while most of the remainder stay below €10. The challenge is not only to increase usage but also to raise the average ticket value, through additional offerings such as coffee, desserts, breakfast items, or snacks.

Amid hybrid work, cost pressures, and growing quality expectations, the workplace catering sector must reinvent itself. Opportunities lie in strategic partnerships between operators and suppliers to focus on menu engineering that delivers strong perceived value. New business models must also emerge – capable of serving smaller companies and tapping into additional consumption occasions, from lunch and snacks to take-home dinners.