Berlin, November 28, 2024

The key takeaways at a glance:

• A clear shift in office dietary preferences – less meat, more vegan options
• Regional differences: meat-based dishes remain dominant in some cities, while Berlin leads the way in plant-based nutrition
• Average budgets per person correlate – meat-free dishes are not only healthier and more sustainable, they are also easier on the wallet
• Sandwiches, wraps, bagels, salads, and bowls are the most popular office catering categories

heycater!, the leading platform for business and event catering in Germany, has released new analysis results showing how its customers' dietary habits have evolved. From the trend toward plant-based nutrition and regional office consumption habits to differences in catering spending, the data offers valuable insights into catering preferences in Germany's major cities.

Steady increase in vegan orders

Based on orders from thousands of customers, the heycater! team has identified clear shifts in dietary habits within German offices. Over the past five years, for example, the demand for vegan dishes has more than doubled."The share of vegan dishes has risen from under 9% in 2020 to an impressive 18.2% in 2024", explains Carla Zöllner, Head of Operations at heycater!. "This clear trend toward plant-based nutrition shows that companies are increasingly prioritizing sustainable and healthy food for their employees."The share of vegetarian orders remained at approximately 34% during the same period, while meat consumption has declined steadily in recent years – from nearly 55% in 2020 to 47.2% in 2024.

Berlin as a pioneer in plant-based nutrition

Berlin is setting the standard for plant-based nutrition: "With a vegan order share of over 20%, Berlin shows that plant-based nutrition in the capital is not an exception, but an integral part of the workday", according to the heycater! team. The general trend toward healthier and more sustainable eating habits is therefore continuing in the workplace as well.

Düsseldorf prefers classic meat dishes

While plant-based dishes are trending in cities like Berlin, the majority of people in Düsseldorf prefer classic meat dishes. "With over 54% of orders containing meat, the city remains true to its culinary traditions,"explains heycater!. This difference highlights how strongly regional preferences influence food choices in business catering.

Regional differences in catering variety

Preferences for office lunches vary significantly. While Berlin is known for vegan orders, meat dishes still dominate in Munich, Hamburg, and Stuttgart. In Cologne, however, the focus has shifted particularly strongly toward vegetarian dishes. "Our data also shows that catering providers must increasingly tailor their offerings to regional needs in order to meet customer demands,"emphasizes Zöllner.

Interestingly, the trend toward vegan diets seems to be weakening; in cities like Berlin and Munich, there has recently been a slight year-on-year decline in vegan catering orders via heycater!. It will be exciting to follow further developments here.

Berlin remains budget-friendly, Düsseldorf spends the most

The data clearly shows that companies in Germany are willing to invest in employee satisfaction through high-quality catering, with average spending per person well over 20 euros, even though this varies significantly depending on the occasion.

A closer look at the budget data highlights the notable differences between cities. "With a budget of just over 20 euros per person, Berlin is the city with the lowest catering expenditure, which points to a high demand for cost-efficient solutions,"explains heycater!. On the other hand, Düsseldorf invests the most in catering—here, average per-capita budgets are well over 25 euros.

Even when adjusted for the effects of different dietary preferences, it is clear that spending per person in Berlin is significantly lower than in the rest of Germany's urban centers—the city on the Spree ranks about 20% below the average prices of other cities.

Most frequently ordered dishes in 2024

The data also shows that sandwiches (including wraps and bagels) are the most popular office catering category, followed by salads and bowls. The trend toward healthy, creative, and convenient dishes is reflected in the most popular meals of recent months. For instance, both contemporary options like the Vegan Sweet Potato Sandwich or the Grilled Chicken Avocado Sandwich just like the classic fruit salad, is currently proving particularly popular.

heycater! is the leading provider of tailored catering solutions for sophisticated and innovative companies across Germany. The underlying data is derived from tens of thousands of orders placed on the platform over the past five years.

About heycater

heycater! was founded in the autumn of 2015 with a mission to revolutionize the B2B catering market. The idea was born when co-founder Therese Köhler tried to organize catering for a photo shoot—a process that proved to be extremely difficult. Ordering high-quality catering that meets your specific needs should be easier than that.

Today, more than 2,500 active business clients and over 500 catering partners across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland work with heycater!. The company is dedicated to making the organization of business catering fast, digital, and completely straightforward, ensuring varied, high-quality food in the workplace and happy employees.

With a broad network of partners, heycater! offers customized solutions for every type of event. Since its inception, heycater! has organized over 45,000 catering events, placing the highest value on quality and customer satisfaction from the very beginning.

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