One in Three in Their 20s Says "A Cafeteria Is My Employment Condition"... Office Workers Feel the Squeeze of Food Expenses Amid High Inflation

Nine Out of Ten Office Workers Say "A Company Cafeteria Is Essential"
"Cheap Doesn't Mean I'll Eat Anything"... The Dilemma Between Saving on Food Costs and Quality
Merits Stand Out in Terms of Cost, Time, and Convenience

In an era where the price of a single lunch exceeds 10,000 won, food expenses have become the biggest living cost burden for office workers. With high inflation driving up dining-out costs, meal support at the workplace is now seen not just as a simple benefit but as a core system that directly protects employees' living expenses. Whether a company provides a cafeteria and meal subsidies has emerged as a key criterion for job selection.

Image of cafeteria menu and prices. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The Younger and Lower-Ranked, the More Sensitive to the Presence of a Cafeteria

According to the results of the "2025 Office Worker Cafeteria Perception Survey" conducted by market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor on January 3, targeting 1,000 men and women aged 19 to 59 nationwide, 79.9% of respondents said, "I want to work at a company where I don't have to worry about food expenses," and 72.3% said, "I want to work at a company that provides three meals a day for free." Even if other welfare benefits are somewhat lacking, 62.6% said they would feel positively toward a company that generously supports meals. This shows that meal support has become the most practical indicator, outside of wages, for measuring the perceived level of welfare.

Some 73.7% of respondents considered meal-related welfare to be "essential." An overwhelming 90.1% agreed on the necessity of a cafeteria that provides meals at work, indicating that most employees now regard the company cafeteria as a core benefit. This tendency was especially pronounced among those in their 20s, younger age groups, and employees with lower job ranks, who said the presence of a cafeteria would be an important factor when choosing a future employer. Groups with relatively lower income levels most strongly felt the recurring burden of meal expenses, and they highly valued the fact that a cafeteria could save them hundreds of thousands of won in living costs each month.

Although the company cafeteria has become established as an important benefit, there was also a strong perception that its mere existence is not enough. Some 66.3% of respondents said, "Even if there is a cafeteria, if a certain level of quality is not guaranteed, it is as good as not having one." Additionally, 64.0% said they would not bother using the cafeteria if the taste and quality of the food were poor. If a cafeteria chosen to save on food expenses instead leads to dissatisfaction and stress, the welfare effect can be greatly diminished.

In fact, 72.2% of respondents said the quality of the cafeteria directly affects employee happiness, showing that a single meal at work is perceived as a key experience that determines daily condition and work focus. If basic standards of taste, hygiene, and menu variety are not met, a "cheap meal" can instead be seen as an "unbearable meal."

While food expenses are a common problem for all office workers, the means to alleviate this burden varied greatly depending on company size. Some 75.1% of respondents said, "A cafeteria can only be established at a company of a certain size," and 72.7% of employees at companies with fewer than 10 people agreed. As many as 48.0% said they felt a sense of relative deprivation when hearing stories about company cafeterias. This indicates that even welfare measures to reduce food expenses are subject to disparities based on company size.

"Using It Three to Four Times a Week or More"... The Most Practical Way to Save in an Era of High Inflation

The frequency of cafeteria use among employees at companies with such facilities was very high. Some 34.8% said they use the cafeteria "almost every day," and 34.2% said "three to four times a week," meaning nearly 70% rely on the company cafeteria for most of their weekday meals. The main reason for using the cafeteria was "to save on food expenses" (50.0%), followed by "not having to go outside" (46.6%) and "saving lunchtime" (43.6%).

The average price per meal at the cafeteria was around 5,000 to 6,000 won, making the perceived burden much lower than eating out. Some 80.3% of respondents said, "Due to recent high inflation, I feel the need for a cafeteria even more," and 78.9% predicted that "the popularity of company cafeterias will continue to rise."

The survey results show that the company cafeteria is no longer an optional benefit but has become a minimum safety net protecting office workers' living expenses in an era of high inflation. As the burden of food expenses grows faster than wage increases, meal support at work is becoming the central pillar of corporate welfare.