u/FoodaOfficial

Today we are kicking off a new series where we spotlight the local restaurants behind Fooda.

Delish Thai Kitchen in North Hollywood was founded in 2024. The owner brought years of food-industry expertise and built a warm neighborhood spot for authentic Thai cuisine. Since opening, she's earned a devoted local following and a Congressional Recognition Award for serving the North Hollywood community.

This spotlight digs into her story: her passion for honoring Thai flavors and traditions, the fan-favorite dishes, and how she's turned first-time visitors into regulars who say her food tastes like home. It also covers how Delish partners with Fooda to bring those signature dishes into workplaces through Popups.

If you love the stories behind the food or are in the area and looking for a new Thai spot... Learn more about Delish Thai Kitchen here: https://www.fooda.com/blog/restaurant-spotlight-delish-thai-kitchen

Some days the workplace is full. Some days it runs quiet. With 45% of professionals on hybrid schedules, that swing is a standing feature of the week rather than a disruption to wait out, which is why Tuesday attendance rarely resembles Friday's.

Most workplace food programs were designed before that was true. They assume a fixed headcount, budget, and service format, so any shift in one input leaves the program paying for meals nobody claims or running short in front of the people it was meant to serve.

In our August webinar, The Rise of the Adaptive Food Program, Fooda covers why fixed programs give out and what leading companies run instead.

The webinar zooms in on the combination built for hybrid teams, since it gives planners and day-of deciders each a workable path:

• Fooda Popup Restaurants: brings rotating local restaurants onsite with no infrastructure required, since each restaurant arrives with its own setup. Nobody is forced to pre-order, so employees who decide at noon are still served, and daily rotation keeps people checking what is coming next.
• Fooda Office Lunch Delivery: lets employees order individually by a 10am cutoff. Those orders batch into one scheduled drop rather than arriving separately, so per-order fees fall well below one-off delivery. It also allows full dietary customization, and the employer stipend resets daily to prevent double-dipping.

The webinar is closed by talking about a Burbank entertainment company running both formats in a tight job market where employees hold restaurant-level expectations for lunch. 

Meeting that standard traces back to sourcing: Fooda draws on 4,500+ restaurants that are 80.5% independently owned, so no single kitchen caps the menu.

Have more questions about Fooda? Check out our FAQ page. If you’re ready to get started and build your adaptive employee meal program, reach out to us today! 

Next up in our Learn with Fooda series, we're heading to Beantown.

This new blog post answers what food Boston is known for, and it goes way past the obvious seafood picks. Boston's food scene is a melting pot shaped by Indigenous roots and generations of immigrants, and this guide runs through 10 iconic Boston foods: clam chowder ("chowdah"), lobster rolls, fresh oysters, North End Italian fare and cannolis, Boston baked beans, Boston cream pie, the Fenway Frank, Chinatown Chinese food, and of course Dunkin' Donuts.

We also dig into the history behind the flavors: why Boston's called "Beantown," how the North End became Little Italy, and where the region's comfort-food classics come from. Whether you're a local or just visiting, it's a quick guide to the Boston food culture that makes the city one of New England's best places to eat.

Read it here: https://www.fooda.com/blog/what-food-is-boston-known-for

Next stop in our Learn with Fooda series is the sprawling, neighborhood-by-neighborhood food capital that is LA.

This blog post breaks down what food Los Angeles is known for, and the answer changes block to block. LA's food scene is built around its communities, and this guide maps the iconic LA dishes and cuisines that define it: tacos and LA-style burritos across Boyle Heights and East LA, Korean BBQ in Koreatown, some of the best sushi on the mainland, and homegrown classics like In-N-Out and the French dip sandwich.

We also travel through LA's global flavor map + the city's farm-to-table, health-forward food culture. From street vendors to omakase counters, it's a quick guide to the LA food culture that's nearly impossible to match anywhere else.

Read it here: https://www.fooda.com/blog/what-food-is-la-known-for

Continuing our Learn with Fooda series but this time we head to the Mile High City.

This new blog post digs into what food Denver is known for, and it goes way past the outdoor-adventure reputation. Denver's food scene was built from the ground up through Native American, Latin American, and Asian influences, and this guide covers the iconic Denver dishes that came out of it: the legendary Denver green chili, quality Colorado game meats (bison, elk, lamb), the brunch-staple Denver omelet, and the honey-crust Denver-style pizza (aka "mountain pie").

We also get into what makes the city's culinary scene unique: its farm-to-table and health-conscious menus that reflect Denver's eco-minded, active population (plus 8 standout local restaurants worth knowing). It's a quick guide to the Denver food culture that makes it an underrated culinary destination.

Read it here: https://www.fooda.com/blog/what-food-is-denver-known-for

Next up in our Learn with Fooda series is a deep dive into America's Finest City's food scene.

This new blog post answers what food San Diego is known for, and it's way more than the beachside stereotypes. We get into the iconic San Diego dishes shaped by its border-town roots: the legendary Baja-style fish taco, the one-of-a-kind California burrito, loaded carne asada fries, and the taco shops that power daily life across the county.

We also cover the city's deeper Cali-Baja cuisine roots, its fresh seafood and tuna legacy off Point Loma, Little Italy's dining district, and why San Diego earned its rep as the West Coast IPA and craft beer capital.

From Indigenous Kumeyaay traditions to the Baja border influence, it's a quick guide to the San Diego food culture that makes the city's eats impossible to copy anywhere else.

Read it here: https://www.fooda.com/blog/what-food-is-san-diego-known-for

Kicking off our new Learn with Fooda series with a look at the dishes that define the DMV.

This new blog post breaks down what food Washington, D.C. is known for. Beyond the monuments and museums, there's a food scene shaped by immigrant communities and Chesapeake Bay traditions. We cover the iconic D.C. dishes every local knows: the half-smoke (shoutout Ben's Chili Bowl), mumbo sauce, Chesapeake blue crab, and D.C.'s legendary Ethiopian cuisine along 18th Street.

We also dig into the neighborhoods behind the flavors: the U Street Corridor, Adams Morgan, and the carryout culture. If you have a trip planned or just enjoy learning about food culture, you can use this as a quick guide to the D.C. food that makes the capital's dining scene one of a kind.

Read it here: https://www.fooda.com/blog/what-food-is-washington-dc-known-for

If you could go into any fictional world and experience their food, what would you pick? We all have that one thing we dream of trying whenever we see it in the media we consume.

We've all got that one place in our neighborhood that we love to eat at and support. Share yours below and give them a shoutout!

Everyone has a favorite meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... but if you had to pick one as your true favorite, which would you say you look forward to most and why?

Even with groceries and food constantly on the rise, cooking on a budget doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor.

We've all got that one dish we can easily make, doesn't hurt the wallet, and always hits in the best way... share it below and help everyone find a new budget recipe.

Unlimited supply doesn't mean you'll have to eat it everyday. But having an unlimited supply of one food or drink that you can access whenever could be incredible.

Would you pick something expensive like lobster or wagyu? Or would you pick something that you love most?

Weather you're celebrating on purpose or accident, today is National Donut Day. They're one of the best office treats for the morning and can help melt away some stress with the sugar.

To make sure your office doesn't miss out any other National Food Days in 2026 - check out this article and get them added to your break room calendar: https://www.fooda.com/blog/national-food-days-you-cant-miss-in-2026

When a company chooses Fooda or Orange by Fooda for its workplace dining program, something bigger than lunch happens. 

Workplaces are able to put real money into the hands of real people. Specifically, local restaurant owners who hire local employees, pay local rent, and reinvest in the neighborhoods where they've built their livelihoods. 

That's by design: Fooda’s model was built from the start to route corporate food spending back into the communities where organizations operate.

Workplace dining is often framed as a perk, a convenience for employees and a retention tool for HR. And it is those things and more. But Fooda's model adds a layer that most food programs can't claim: 100% of the food program supports locally owned businesses. 

Learn more about how to support your company and community with a Fooda partnership in this article: https://www.fooda.com/blog/client-impact-of-fooda-local-communities

The credit for these awards goes straight to our restaurant partners and our clients. 

The Fooda team has been recognized across four G2 reports for Summer 2026, including the #1 spot in the Relationship Index. None of this happens without the chefs, restaurant teams, employers who care about their workplace experiences, and our customers. Together they make authentic local restaurant food at work a reality every day across the country. 

To our restaurant partners: thank you for showing up, delivering delicious food, and making lunch something that people in the workplace can love and look forward to every day. 

To our clients: thank you for championing local restaurants, backing the communities you serve, and creating great experiences for your teams.

G2's rankings are determined entirely by verified customer reviews. No marketing claims, no sales pitches. Experiences from real users, across areas like overall satisfaction, growth momentum, and quality of customer relationships.

Holding the #1 position in the Relationship Index reflects the quality of the partnerships we build with clients every day. From onboarding through ongoing support. It's the ranking we're most proud of because it speaks directly to how our team shows up.

This season also marks our first-ever appearance in the Small-Business Grid Report, a reflection of our growing footprint with smaller teams who are bringing restaurant-quality food into their workplaces.

Our G2 profile tells its own story: Fooda holds a 4.5/5 star rating and ranks #1 out of 37 companies in On-Demand Catering for total reviews. In the last six months alone, we've added 103 new reviews. We're proud of 4.5, and we’re working hard every day to turn those into 5.

Five G2 badges. Four reports. One goal: making food at work something your team genuinely looks forward to. Let’s change food at work! 

Here are 10 workplace food trends proactive companies are focusing on in 2026:

1. The Rise of Local and Independent Restaurant Partnerships
2. Consistent Variety and New Options
3. Dietary Inclusivity as a Standard
4. Hyper-Personalization of Food Programs
5. Tech-Driven Dining Experiences
6. All-Day Food Access
7. Flexibility and Scalability Over Fixed Infrastructure
8. Sustainability and Waste Reduction
9. Food as a Return-to-Office Driver
10. Food as a Social Driver

Check out the full article here: https://www.fooda.com/blog/workplace-food-trends-2026

The positive impact of food perks on employee attendance are undeniable.

But a lot of companies don't offer employee meal programs or other daily benefits that make the RTO requirements worth the time, effort, and money it takes to get there.

We're wondering what you're getting offered (if anything) that's making the pivot back to full time or hybrid office worthwhile?

Sign up for the next Fooda webinar on 5/19 @ 1:00 PM CST to learn how 100+ leading companies are setting the table for employee lunch in 2026. ‍

What can your workplace learn about its own food program strategy from our survey of workplace experience and people leaders?

Some companies are actively building culture around the lunch hour. They are encouraging real breaks, creating shared meals, and making food a reason to be in the office. Others are quietly letting employees eat alone at their desks, skip lunch entirely, or figure it out on their own.

The gap between those two groups is showing up in morale, connection, and retention. In this webinar, we share what the data reveals and what the leading companies are doing differently right now.

- 83% of leaders say food has a moderate to significant impact on workplace culture

- 61% are actively encouraging employees to take a real break away from their desk

- 47% say team members eating together is a behavior they actively encourage

‍Here's what you'll walk away with

1. Fresh benchmark data on how lunch behaviors are changing, straight from workplace experience and people leaders at 100+ companies
2. The emerging best practices for how leading employers are setting the table, from intentional break culture to shared team meal rituals
3. What employees increasingly expect from variety, quality, and local options and how that's reshaping what a good food program looks like in 2026
4. Practical steps you can bring back to your team, whether you're building a food program from scratch or looking to level up what you already have

 

The Fooda Price Index (FPI) tracks what Americans are truly paying for lunch at work, based on millions of real transactions over the last five years.

First finding: lunch prices are up nearly 5% year over year, outpacing overall inflation. Not shocking if you've bought a chicken salad lately.

We'll be updating it regularly. What are you paying for lunch these days?

https://www.fooda.com/lp/fooda-price-index