How the Return to Office Is Reshaping Foodservice Demand
After years of speculation, 2025 was projected to mark the return of the five-day, in-person workweek—and with it, a reset for the post-pandemic workplace. Is that actually happening? What does that mean for different kinds of foodservice establishments? Let’s get into it.
Is the in-office workweek back?
It’s true that major companies like Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Dell rolled out stricter return-to-office (RTO) mandates, fueling expectations of a broader shift back to in-person work. But saying “the 5-day office workweek is back” isn’t exactly accurate.
Despite top-down pressure to bring workers back to pre-pandemic in-office schedules, remote and hybrid models continue to be widespread. As of February, the gap remains significant, but the gradual rebound is already reshaping demand patterns across foodservice segments.
What it means for foodservice.
The return to office is expected to have a ripple effect in just about every corner of foodservice. Here’s what the increase in office commuter traffic looks like now in different foodservice spaces.
Even without a full five-day, in-office return, the B&I segment is on the rebound. But the shape of the rebound is slightly different than expected. With the rising operational complexities (allergens, dietary requirements, inflation, sustainability concerns) more traditional office cafeteria programs are outsourcing foodservice needs to contract management companies.2
In Q1 of 2025, Compass Group attributed their 9.7% organic revenue growth to return-to-office trends, while Aramark and Sodexo made similar notes in their recent earnings reports.3 The partnerships have attracted significant foot traffic from convenience-seeking commuters, with Sodexo reporting 9% increase in B&I traffic in the same period.4
Hungry office workers have also steadily revived breakfast, lunch and coffee traffic in commercial chains.5 According to a survey by the top food tech platform in the U.S., businesses are ordering restaurant food more, sometimes replacing cafeterias with commercial meal programs.6
Fast Casual
Urban-based fast casual brands are recovering weekday traffic as office occupancy rises, particularly Monday through Thursday.5 Chains like Sweetgreen, Chipotle, Panda Express, Jersey Mike’s and Five Guys have all reported rebounding lunch traffic over the last year.5 Similar patterns are expected for independent operations with similar office-worker-friendly lunch models.
Coffee Chains
Coffee habits are also shifting back to their pre-pandemic patterns as morning commutes and midday breaks return. The rebound of Dunkin’ and Starbucks traffic are closely tied with workplace routines, indicating a return to pre-pandemic patterns of snack- and beverage-seeking.5
Catering
It’s not just dine-in and takeout visits that are up; workplace catering has become a huge opportunity for restaurants. A survey this year showed restaurants with catering programs are growing faster than those without.5 Additionally, catering presents a potential gateway to a new set of fans: 70% of employees who first try a restaurant through an employer-provided meal personally ordered from that restaurant outside of work, a 49% increase compared to last year.6
Not every workplace is returning to full-service food, especially places that follow more flexible in-office models. For hybrid environments, micromarkets and grab-and-go stations continue to rise. Sodexo, a major non-commercial provider, plans to expand its multi-channel offerings with additional micro-markets, vending, office coffee, pantry, fresh food and on-site food services.8 With the new grab-and-go lifestyle shift fueling the trend, Technomic is projecting refreshment services will grow up to 4.4% in 2025.7
Keep a pulse on the office comeback.
While we haven’t yet experienced (and may never experience) a full return to the five-day in-office workweek, the shift back toward in-person work is real and growing. For foodservice operators, especially those in B&I, it’s a powerful opportunity to reengage a captive audience. For contract foodservice, fast casual chains, micromarkets, or corporate catering, the return-to-office movement is a chance to attract busy commuters before, after and during work.
You can continue to depend on Smucker Away From Home for all kinds of ideas to meet the changing needs of workers, including trusted brands, operator-friendly formats, and insight-driven support.
1 Inc., Workers Are Coming to Offices Less in 2025 Despite Rise in RTO Orders, March 2025
2 Foodservice Director, The continued return-to-office and spending at sports venues drives North American growth for Compass Group in 2024, November 2024
3Foodservice Director, Client retention drives a strong start to the year for Compass Group, February 2025
4Foodservice Director, Sodexo starts the fiscal year with success in its corporate and events businesses but low enrollment at universities impacted growth in education, January 2025
5Restaurant Business Online, Why Sweetgreen wants to see workers come back to the office, March 2025
6Yahoo Finance, New ezCater Data Highlights Workplace Food as a Key Growth Driver for Restaurants, May 2025
7Technomic Foodservice Industry Forecasts: 2025, April 2025 Edition 8 Sodexo, Sodexo to acquire CRH Catering, further accelerating growth in convenience in North America, November 20
