Corporate Catering Service Comparison
Overview
There are a number of ways office managers, administrative assistants and facilities managers bring in catering meals to their office. Corporate catering orders are migrating from phone to online orders.
This post provides an overview of the pros and cons of two online catering providers, Gogocater and EatClub.
How these services work
Gogocater:
Gogocater provides simple search and ordering for local restaurants and caterers. Gogocater meals are designed for group-style meals (food served in trays).
Gogocater offers its service in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago.
EatClub:
EatClub provides a mix of different cuisine choices which employees can self-select. These meals are delivered in individually-boxed containers.
EatClub offers its service in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.
Variety
Gogocater:
Gogocater has an extensive network of restaurant and caterers who participate in its service.
Pros: Many cuisines and restaurants to choose from.
Cons: One cuisine per meal.
EatClub:
EatClub offers a daily menu of approximately 30 meal choices. The menu will have different cuisines represented.
Pros: Employees can select their own meal.
Cons: The number of different restaurant partners is limited.
Order Process
Gogocater:
An order contact is responsible for choosing the restaurant and ordering for the group. Orders are typically ordered a day or more in advance.
PROS: Only one person is required for orders.
CONS: Meal participants have less input on their meals.
EatClub:
A link is distributed to the meeting participants. The employee can select her meal until the order cutoff time. The order cutoff time is around 10am for a lunch order.
PROS: Each person has the ability to select their preferred meal.
CONS: Each person has the micro-task of entering their own meal.
How the Sausage is made
Gogocater:
Gogocater sends and confirms the order form to the corresponding restaurant. The restaurant handles the delivery process.
EatClub:
EatClub has a central sorting facility. They make some of their own food such as sandwiches and salads. They partner with select restaurant and caterers for ethnic cuisines. They sent out a driver in the morning to these partners to collect meals ordered for the day. These meals are brought back to the sorting facility to label and sort. Once the meals are labeled and sorted, EatClub delivers the collated meals to their customers.
Food Quality
Gogocater:
Trays of food are easy for restaurants and caterers to prepare. The food requires less handling and maintains heat well.
EatClub:
Cold meals like sandwiches and salads are fine for individually packaged meals. Hot meals may need reheating due to the lengthy packaging and sorting time.
Community
Gogocater:
Group style meals lend themselves to company intermingling. Queuing in line and eating in a dining area provide a ideal forum for peer interactions.
EatClub:
Individually boxed meals allow employees to grab-and-go.
Clean Up and Greenness
Gogocater:
Pros: Trays of food and disposable serving plates are friendlier to landfills.
Cons: The buffet area require a cleanup process once the lunch is complete.
Tip: Group meals lead to left-overs. Rather than throwing out the food, donate the food to a local charity. Copia (www.copia.com) offers a convenience service to facilitate and track food donations.
EatClub:
Pros: The individually packaged meals provide a self-contained meal with easy disposal and less cleanup.
Cons: The plastic and packaging are bulkier and less green than a group-style meal.
Cost
Gogocater:
Group meals offer more food per person than individually packaged meals due to economies of scale.
Pros: Lower cost per meal portion.
Cons: With buffet style meals, employees can all-you-can-eat. The temptation to pile on huge portions and taste many different dishes is high.
July 2017 — average price per meal on Gogocater is $10-$12 per person.
EatClub:
Pros: Individually portions meals allow for exacting portions.
Cons: Cost per meal portion is higher.
July 2017 — a meal from EatClub is in the range of $14-$16 per meal.
Delights and Gotchas
Gogocater:
Delights
- Gogocater offers a way to explore favorite local restaurants.
- Employees can try different cuisines and menu items they may not normally eat.
- Group meals provide a serendipitous encounters with office colleagues. See also “Google bump” — http://fortune.com/2015/03/05/perfect-workplace/.
- Support local restaurant owners.
- Bonus points: donate excess food to local charities.
Gotchas
- Some employees will dislike certain cuisines.
- Some restaurants will not be popular.
EatClub:
Delights
- Self-service is easy and satisfying.
- Portion sizes allow for calorie intake control.
- Meals are self-chosen by employees.
Gotchas
- A missed order deadline can mean no meal for the employee.
- An order error means someone doesn’t get the meal they requested, or worse, does not get a meal.
- A colleague can accidentally eat a colleagues’ meal.
- With its curated vendor list, the meals can become too familiar after a while.
Summary
People are passionate about food. No one solution is perfect for all. Gogocater and EatClub offer convenient services to improve the corporate catering experience. Gogocater’s strengths are in restaurant and caterer variety and the simplicity of the ordering experience. Gogocater requires people to go outside of their comfort zone. Employees will be exposed to exotic cuisines, new dishes, and encouraged to meet colleagues.
EatClub’s strength is in individual control and empowerment. EatClub provides a vehicle where employees who know what they want, can get it.
Not sure which way to go? Try both and decide for yourself.
Good luck and happy eating.
