Employee meal programs · Australia

Say goodbye to order spreadsheets and delivery chaos

Insanely good office meals from the best local restaurants. Set up Cloud Canteen where staff order their own meals, while you stay in control of budgets, dietaries and billing.

150+ local restaurants
Meals labelled per person
Company, staff or split payment
One monthly invoice
Employee Meals Made Simple
Learn more about how EatFirst can assist you with your employee meal program
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The basics

What is an employee meal program?

An employee meal program is a recurring, employer-funded food benefit. The company sets a budget and a schedule, and staff receive meals at work on set days: either individually packaged meals each person orders themselves, or shared buffets served to the whole team.

A meal program is set up once and runs on a schedule, with the menus, ordering, labelling, dietaries and billing all handled in one platform.

Most offices start one to bring people back together on set days. Food works because it's the perk staff actually use, every single week.

Employee meal program at a glance
Who runs it
Office and workplace managers, EAs, and HR or People teams.
How often
Daily, weekly or fortnightly, usually on the days you most want people in the office.
Who pays
The company, the staff, or a split. Set a per-head contribution and staff top up the rest at checkout.
What arrives
Meals labelled with each person's name, the dish, and dietary and allergy information.
Why companies run one
A workplace benefit staff actually use. It brings people back into the office, lifts retention and productivity, saves hours of admin, consolidates food and beverage spend on one invoice, and reduces food wastage because orders match headcount.
Where EatFirst runs them
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and the Gold Coast.
One category, two solutions

Choose your meal plan

However your team likes to eat, we've got you sorted. Run one format or both:
same account manager, same admin portal, one invoice.
Solution 01

Cloud Canteen

Individually packaged meals, one per person
Single-serve meals from your team's favourite lunch spots, labelled for each employee. Your staff choose, add on and modify their own meals in the Cloud Canteen app, and you only pay for what's ordered.
Rotating menus from local vendors near your office
Labelled with name, dish, dietary and allergy flags
Full, partial or staff-funded, with top-ups handled at checkout
No excess leftovers, because orders match the headcount
Best for hybrid teams, mixed dietaries, and offices that want everyone to get something they actually chose.
Solution 02

Buffet

Shared group meals, served to the floor
We curate the best shared dishes and platters, with something for everyone. Mix and match classic catering, specialty cuisines and themed office menus, delivered ready to serve and correctly labelled.
Mix-and-match classic catering and specialty cuisines
Themed office menus for moments worth marking
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free covered
One recurring booking instead of a weekly scramble
Best for team days, floor-wide lunches, and cultures where eating from the same table is the point.
Plenty of teams run both: individual meals on busy office days, a shared buffet when everyone's in. Add pantry, snacks,
fruit and milk to the same account and EatFirst becomes one partner for everything your workplace eats and drinks.
How it works

Four steps to a well-fed office

1

We build your menu

Tell us your budget, your days and your dietaries. We curate a rotating menu from vendors near your office and set your ordering rules and cut-off. Want more control over your program? You can choose the vendors yourself.
2

Your team orders

Staff order from your company menu before the cut-off, and choose their own dietaries and modifications. No spreadsheets, no chasing, no group email.
3

‍It arrives labelled

Meals land on time, packed and labelled with each person's name, dish and dietary information, so handing them out takes a minute, not a lunch break.
4

You stay in control

Track orders, budgets, headcounts and dietary counts in the admin portal. Everything lands on one invoice, which keeps your accounts team happy.
Why it matters

The perk your team will actually use

Gym discounts get forgotten. Lunch doesn't. Staff meals lift attendance, mood and the office vibe,
and everyone notices the day they start.

Boost office attendance

Our customers see up to +30% office attendance on meal days. Put the food on the days you most want people in.

Bring your team together

Nothing builds a team like eating together. Regular meals turn lunch into a real break: a moment to recharge and connect, not scramble for food

Save hours in admin every week

No more collecting orders, chasing dietaries or reconciling receipts. The platform handles it all, and your account manager is on call when you need a hand.
Admin and reporting

Run it all from
one dashboard

Set up different programs for different eligible groups, with their own frequency and delivery times
Decide the contribution allowance, payment options and delivery locations
See staff orders, order on behalf of someone, or add guest and spare dishes
Dietaries and daily headcounts update themselves, with no spreadsheet to maintain
Track spend against budget and reconcile everything on one monthly invoice
Your canteen orders, by location and vendor, with totals, upcoming and past.
Size your program

Size your program in seconds

Set your headcount, days and format. Send it through and we'll come back with
a menu and a per-head price to suit your budget.
10
10 400
$10
$10 $50
Days per week
Format

Your program

Meals per week 20
Meals per month 80
Deliveries per month 8
Estimated yearly budget $9,600

Cloud Canteen: one individually packaged, labelled meal per person, ordered by them before the cut-off.

Get this priced per head

Volumes are indicative and assume four program weeks a month. Per-head pricing depends on your format, frequency, cuisine and vendor mix, headcount and delivery location. We build the menu to your budget rather than the other way around.

The vendor network

Order from your favourite lunch spots

Insanely good office meals from 150+ of the hottest food joints around your office. We rotate
vendors to keep menus fresh, and hold every one of them to the same standard on quality,
packaging, labelling and on-time delivery.
DocuSign logo
Zeus Street Greek
DocuSign logo
Cali Press
DocuSign logo
Guzman Y Gomez
DocuSign logo
Sandoitchi
DocuSign logo
Betty's Burgers
DocuSign logo
Daily Greens
DocuSign logoNetflix logoWoolworths Group logoJ.P. Morgan logoDLA Piper company logoMeta company logoventia logo
Popular on employee meal program menus
Banh mi
Burritos and bowls
Finger sandwiches
Gourmet wraps
Mixed sushi platters
Pasta
Pizza
Pizza
Salads and poke bowls
Greek street food
Vegetarian, vegan, GF and DF
Meal program or catering?

How an employee meal program differs
from office catering

Employee meal program One-off office catering
Cadence Recurring on a set schedule Booked per event
Who chooses the food Each employee, from a curated company menu Whoever is organising, on everyone's behalf
Who pays Company, staff, or a split with top-ups at checkout Company, on a per-event basis
Dietaries Declared by each person, labelled per meal, counted automatically Collected and relayed by the organiser each time
Admin per delivery Approve and go, the platform holds the rules Quantities, quotes and headcounts, every time
Best for Anchor days, hybrid attendance, an everyday benefit Client meetings, all-hands, celebrations, conferences
TESTIMONIALS

Hear from our clients

Quote
Meal Plans revolutionised our staff experience. Our team picks meals based on their preferences, so everyone receives something they enjoy with no food waste. We love that all orders are packed using eco-friendly materials, which aligns with our commitment to sustainability.
David Klooster, People Experiences Lead, NEOS
Quote
Delicious food and great customer service. We use EatFirst for our meal plans and pantry. The wonderful team makes my life easier by offering a wide range of food and cuisine types for staff, as well as keeping everything running smoothly.
Brigette Brown, Office Manager, Spotify
Quote
We use EatFirst for event catering and weekly fruit and milk deliveries. The website is so easy to use and offers a wide range of catering choices. Rose, our account manager, is so positive and always ready to assist us when we need something.
Sarah Jahn, Office Manager, Aerison
Quote
EatFirst is perfect for keeping our kitchen well-stocked with food and drinks. We love the wide selection of snacks and fresh fruit. Michael from EatFirst always goes out of his way to make sure we have what we need. Highly recommend.
Alex Kelly, Building and Facilities Manager, carsales.com.au
Employee meal programs across Australia
Wherever your offices are, we deliver from the best local restaurants
in each city, with multi-site teams managed from one account.
SYDNEY
MELBOURNE
BRISBANE
PERTH
ADELAIDE
CANBERRA
GOLD COAST
Questions

Employee meal
program FAQs

Can't see your question? Call us on 1300 851 900 and
we'll talk it through.

What is an employee meal program?

An employee meal program is a recurring, employer-funded food benefit. The company sets a budget and a schedule, and staff receive meals at work on set days. Programs are delivered either as individually packaged meals each person orders themselves, or as shared buffets served to the whole team.

What is the difference between Cloud Canteen and a buffet?

Cloud Canteen is individual ordering: staff choose their own meal from a menu built for your office and it arrives packaged and labelled with their name, dish and dietary flags. A buffet is shared: platters and hot dishes arrive ready to serve for the whole floor. Both sit under one employee meal program, one admin portal and one invoice, and many offices run both on different days.

How much does an employee meal program cost?

Pricing is per head, and depends on the format you choose, how often you run it, the cuisine and vendor mix, and your headcount and delivery location. Tell us the budget you have and we build the menu to it. Use the program sizer above to work out your volumes, then send it to us for a per-head price.

Can staff pay for part of their own meal?

Yes. Meals can be paid for by your company, by your staff, or split between the two. You set a per-head contribution and staff top up the difference at checkout with their own card. No awkward follow-ups and no petty cash.

How often can we run a meal program?

As often as you want people in. Programs commonly run one to three days a week on a team's anchor office days, and can also run daily, fortnightly, or as one-off team days. You choose the days, the times and the delivery locations, and you can change them.

When do staff need to order by?

A cut-off is set when your program is built, so your team knows exactly when to order by. Anyone who misses it can be covered with spare dishes, or you can place an order on their behalf from the admin portal.

Does this work for a hybrid team?

Yes, and it is the most common reason offices start one. Because staff order individually against a cut-off, you only pay for the people who are actually in, and you can put the food on the days you most want the office full.

How do we get started?

Tell us your city, headcount, the days you want covered and any dietaries. We build a sample menu and bring lunch to your office so your team can try it before you commit to anything.

Do you cater to specific dietary requirements for office Christmas parties?

Absolutely! Our platform allows you to filter menus based on dietary needs like vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and more. Just look out for symbols next to each dish, or get in touch for personalised recommendations.

Do you deliver to all major Australian cities?

Yes, we provide reliable online beer delivery to offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. Avoid the hassle of dealing with both the bottle shop and the supermarket. You can get everything delivered for your functions and events from EatFirst online.

‍

Ready to fuel your team with great food?

We'll bring lunch to your office so your team can taste it before
you commit to anything.
Talk to us
or call 1300 851 900