Ordered daily or kept in stock

Having meals delivered
to work

A delivery at half past eleven suits anyone who eats at twelve. Anyone taking a break at three in the morning gets nothing from it. Companies that have meals delivered choose between two models: ordered and delivered every day, or kept chilled in stock on a fixed rhythm. Here they are side by side. How meal preps reach your people in the second model is covered in meal prep for business.

Daily or in stock Who orders Who carries leftovers

Check your site Meal prep for business

Two ways to deliver

To order,
or in stock

With daily delivery, someone on your side orders what is needed every day, and the food arrives at a fixed time. That works for an office with predictable attendance and one lunchtime. It does need a daily order and someone to receive the delivery. Where it fits among the options is covered in food for staff.

With delivery to stock, the food arrives chilled, on a fixed rhythm, in a fridge on site. Nobody has to order each day. People choose at any hour from whatever is in the fridge. How that works for meal preps is covered in meal prep for business.

Daily delivery Fixed rhythm Chilled

What daily delivery needs

Someone who orders every day
A fixed delivery time
Someone to receive the delivery
An estimate of who will be in tomorrow
A place to keep it cool until lunch
A solution for people who eat later

Comparison

Three ways,
side by side

	Daily delivery	Lunchbox subscription	Stocked fridge, restocked by your supplier
Who orders	You, every day	The employee	You or the supplier, based on sales
Delivery time	Fixed, usually before lunch	Fixed	On an agreed rhythm
Leftovers	Yours	The employee’s	Whoever buys the stock
Out of hours	No	No	Yes

Already have a fridge or vending machine and only need the food? See restocking your fridge or vending machine.

What gets delivered

What is
in the fridge

Fresh meals

Dishes to reheat, salads and bowls, with the date on the pack.

High-protein and light

Meal preps for people doing physical work, and smaller portions for in between.

Halal, kosher, vegetarian and vegan

Included and clearly labelled, so the whole team can choose.

Delivery to stock

How the food
gets into the fridge

Preparation

Meals are prepared and packed with the date, nutrition and allergens.

Chilled transport

From the kitchen to your site without a break in the cold chain.

Restocking

The fridge is filled, dates are checked, and anything that has to come out is taken away.

Fine-tuning

What sits does not come back next time; what sells gets more space.

Where it fits

Office
or shop floor

In an office with one lunchtime and fixed days, daily delivery can work well; the fridge is then mainly there for the hours around it. On a shop floor with shifts it is the other way round: a delivery before lunch misses the night and the weekend entirely. How a night shift is organised is covered in feeding night shift workers; for offices see office smart fridge.

What a stocked fridge costs depends on your people, hours and the share of fresh food; see what a smart fridge costs.

Sound familiar?

Signs daily delivery
is pinching

Someone orders every morning for the whole team
Whoever forgot to order has nothing
The delivery arrives too early or too late
Food is regularly left over
The late shift eats after the delivery
Someone has to be there to receive the delivery
On work-from-home days the order is off
The weekend falls outside the delivery

Frequently asked questions

About having
meals delivered

Can employees order individually for the next day?

Not with a smart fridge. Everyone chooses from the range in the fridge. What actually sells decides what is in it next time.

How often is there a delivery?

That depends on how many people pass each day and on the share of fresh meals. The rhythm is set per site and adjusted to consumption.

Does someone have to receive the delivery?

Not necessarily. Whoever restocks can fill the fridge directly, check the dates and take away what has to come out, provided access to the spot is arranged. Nobody else needs to be there.

Can we combine daily delivery and a fridge?

Yes. Some offices keep an ordered lunch on team days and use the fridge for the other days and the hours around lunchtime.

What if far more people turn up than expected one day?

Then the fridge empties faster than usual, and that shows at the next restock. If you know about a busy day in advance, such as a training day or an open day, let whoever restocks know so they can plan for it.

What time do your people eat?

Eight short questions about your site and your hours. We will tell you whether daily delivery or a chilled stock suits you better.

Free site check See the options

Takes about 90 seconds · no obligation · no contact details until the last step

Having meals deliveredto work

To order,or in stock

Three ways,side by side

What isin the fridge