For years, the Indian office lunch break was defined by dabba services, hurried canteen meals, or the occasional takeaway. But that landscape is rapidly transforming. With India’s growing corporate workforce demanding healthier, faster, and more personalised food experiences, both tech disruptors and traditional food services giants are racing to redefine what and how professionals eat at work.
Swiggy recently launched DeskEats, a curated food experience designed specifically for working professionals across 30 cities, spanning 7,000 tech parks and business centres. From curated collections such as Value Combos, Stress Munchies, Deadline Desserts, Sip-tastic Fuel, to One hand Grabbies, Healthy Nibbles, and Teamwork Bites, the platform promises meals that fit seamlessly into the workday, offering nearly 7 lakh items from over 2 lakh restaurants. What users need is to type ‘office’ or ‘work’ in the Swiggy app to access this offering.
“Today’s corporate professionals are more time-strapped and choice-rich than ever before,” said Deepak Maloo, vice-president, food strategy, customer experience & new initiatives, Swiggy.
“Whether it’s a quick bite between meetings or a team treat after a deadline, DeskEats is built to match the rhythm of an office day,” added Maloo.
The curated offering reflects how food delivery is evolving: from just being about convenience, to solving nuanced workplace challenges. Like, meals without cutlery, snacks that can be eaten while typing, or team-friendly bundles.
Early pilots reveal city-specific quirks such as chicken popcorn rules in Bengaluru, fries dominate in Mumbai, and garlic breadsticks top in Gurgaon. Healthy nibbles and salads remain perennial favourites across all cities. If aggregators like Swiggy are reshaping desk dining, institutional food service providers are reinventing cafeterias and offsite kitchens for India Inc.
Healthy eating drives workplace menus
Massive Restaurants, which operates Farzi Cafe, recently launched a cloud kitchen Salad Life, offering healthy and flavourful eats. Talking of corporate orders, founder & managing director Zorawar Kalra said: “We receive a significant number of office lunch orders, particularly from high-density corporate hubs. Our top-selling items for office deliveries include the chicken salad, burrata pesto sandwich and falafel salad. We’ve noticed a strong preference for healthy, high-protein meals, with corporates increasingly looking for options that are both nutritious and satisfying. Companies today are encouraging their teams to make better food choices, and we serve as a convenient partner across Delhi-NCR for this shift.”
Food service company Rassense serves more than 3.25 lakh meals a day to clients like Tata Motors, Maruti and Hitachi. “There is a dynamic shift from one plate set-up to individualistic requirements,” said Sanjay Kumar, CEO & MD, Rassense. “From lactose intolerance to low-carb meals, employees want food tailored to their health needs. Our in-house digital platforms track ingredient sourcing in real-time, ensuring both quality and traceability, while also supporting local farmers within a 150-km radius,” added Kumar.
For the current year, Kumar is projecting approximately 16% revenue growth, in line with industry standards. “Our strategy has been to pursue measured, sustainable growth, ensuring that expansion is profitable and underpinned by partnerships with reputed clients,” he said.
Similarly, food catering services & facilities management company Sodexo India serves over 1 million meals daily across 1,200 sites to provide on-site cafeteria management, off-site catering and corporate events catering solutions.
“Our menus reflect evolving preferences such as vegan, gluten-free, or low-calorie without compromising taste or tradition, and cater to diverse palates. The idea is to give convenient healthy snacks, flexible menu options, dietitian-curated meals, and on-the-go options to the workforce. We also offer comforting home-style meals and convenient grab-and-go snacks,” said Rakesh Agarwal, COO, business food, Sodexo India, catering to corporate clients like Visa, Adobe, Adani, Uber, Tata to name a few, specifically in food services, on-site cafeteria management, off-site catering and corporate events catering solutions.
While the company has seen sustained double-digit growth in the corporate food segment in the last three years, it is now expecting offsite kitchens to contribute 10% of revenue by 2028. “We operate two state-of-the-art offsite production units at Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and are now expanding this model to Pune and NCR to meet the growing corporate demand for scalable, high-quality meal programmes,” said Agarwal.
Startups and global players push innovation
Meanwhile, startups like Rebel Foods are leveraging cloud kitchens to deliver variety and novelty to a workforce that no longer wants the same thali every day. The company operates a portfolio of over 45 brands, including Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, and Oven Story across multiple countries, and is aggressively expanding its corporate footprint.
“In the past month alone, we have catered to over 500 corporate locations, marking double-digit growth compared to last year,” said Yash Madhani, head of growth, Rebel Foods. Demand spans from its bestsellers like masala paneer tikka wrap, masala chicken tikka wrap, American BBQ burger, and crispy veg burger. “Festive seasons such as Diwali parties drive spikes in demand, with volumes doubling in some cases,” added Madhani.
Compass Group India, a global food services provider, is serving over 1.1 million meals daily across 857 client locations, using AI-powered kitchen management, farm-to-fork traceability, and nutrition-driven menu design to transform workplace food. The approach is sector-specific, from nutrition profiles for factory workers to balanced menus for IT professionals. Compass group runs chef-led expeditions to rediscover regional recipes and integrate them into modern workplace menus.
Similarly, Elior India, part of the France-headquartered Elior Group, has recently taken a majority stake in Platos, a technology-led cafeteria management company, to elevate institutional dining in India. Rohit Sawhney, CEO, Elior India said, “Our balanced bowls are crafted with the right mix of protein, fibre, and carbs, making them both nutritious and enjoyable. From Indian and Asian to global flavours, along with millet meals, fresh salads, and wellness menus, the idea is to serve food that’s good for people and tastes good too. Our revenue is 70% higher than last year, with corporate partnerships at our core. Looking ahead, we’re targeting 45% growth, including corporates, hospitals, educational institutions, and industrial food services where demand for quality meals is rising.”
India Inc also feels workplace meals are driven by rising health consciousness. CK Suresh Babu, DGM, Administration, Larsen & Toubro, said, “We take inputs from our dietician regularly and get them incorporated in menu planning. Most employees are health conscious, so we focus on ensuring that the food menu should be balanced, palatable and interesting.”
Razorpay has partnered with Manipal Hospitals to transform employee meals from a nutritionist consultant. “We’ve curated a meal programme that makes healthy choices like salads and fruits now an integral part of meals. Our pantries are stocked with healthy snacks like muesli and yogurt. This initiative is a core part of our commitment to fostering an environment where our team feels supported,” said Chitbhanu Nagri, senior VP, people operations, Razorpay.
