
A year on, things are finally starting to look up! With provisional dates in place, within the next few weeks and months, offices will start to open up their doors again - of course with countless changes compared to pre-COVID times. Whilst there are lots of things to start to think about, it's no question people are thinking about how to handle food in the office. Whilst COVID-19 is still at the front of our minds, it's important to have a plan in place to keep workers safe and happy in the workplace.
Here is how to incorporate food into your return to work plan, with your colleagues' health, and safety in mind. Whilst there is no evidence that COVID spreads via food deliveries, how people gather to enjoy food will need to be correctly implemented.
Before understanding what kind of food or snacks you need to order for the back to work rush, first, you need to decide whether you want to still have food in common areas and if so, having very clear guidelines on how the employees can safely enjoy it.
We suggest crafting a "back to work" pack, with not only some hand sanitiser, a face mask and wipes, but also some portioned snacks, milk, tea and coffee, to help settle them back to work.
Limiting your food delivery is really important, as it will ensure your office space is not reaching its capacity. The best way to ensure this, and to stop your staff from ordering food delivery services throughout the day, is to consolidate your office food supply. The fewer delivery drivers showing up at your building, the better.
Things to consider regarding food delivery:
EatFirst can help consolidate catering in London and the UK, pantry supply, fruit and milk, sanitation items, team lunch and more, all under one platform. This offers you complete transparency across all areas and every delivery.
With our Meal Plan tool, you can ensure:
Although everyone may not be able to eat in the same way as in the past, employees can be united by the same menu and food options! Any food can be requested, and if your favourite supplier isn't available, just let us know... Food safety is paramount, we're the experts at allowing people to still enjoy their lunch, even socially distanced!
Country City's rotating Cold Food menu is a great way to meet everyone's requirements! The menu changes every day to make sure people don't get bored with the daily lunch delivery in London and across the UK! Their food hygiene and safety policy ensures your lunches arrive at your workplace safer than bringing in your own lunch...
A classic curry and rice not only warms the soul with a hearty kick, but it serves as an excellent single-serve dish. Berkeley Catering has some great options, and if your colleagues don't like curry - there's plenty more to choose from! Your staff members will love their hot meals, with food from around the world.
An all-time favourite, poke bowls offer a delicious and hearty lunch, that is a super easy solution to an individually packed lunch. Some of the best and freshest options to make the return to work super easy with an option for everyone.
Le Montmartre's are some of the best - and they have some delicious desserts to go with it...
Sands Catering has the most balanced Options for Breakfast Catering - check out some of their options for some of the best breakfasts in town! If they don't have what you're looking for, just let us know as they'd love to help! Their food packaging is some of the best, with compartmentalised boxes to keep everything separate! Their social distancing menus have been created with coronavirus in mind, and to ensure the return to the workplace is as smooth as it can be.
Have an office birthday or milestone? Don't let COVID 19 stop you from celebrating. Simply adjust! Instead of a full cake, order each person one cupcake, or a single sweet treat. Also a great solution for single-serve meetings, or days of celebration.
Between Kute Cake and EK Bakery, you'll be spoiled for choice...
We love to help offices return to work with any tips and tricks we've learnt along the way! Our Australian colleagues have been lucky enough to have returned to the office months ago, they learnt some recommendations about other companies' best procedures and food safety to ensure the return to work is as safe as possible.
Please note that these tips and tricks should always only be made in accordance with government health and safety advice targeted towards employers.
If any key information is missing, or you have any questions, please let us know as we love to receive feedback at support.uk@eatfirst.com.
Interested in any office recommendations and ideas? Check out our latest blog posts! We're sure you'll love it!