Eat Well, Live Well
Choosing a Cafeteria Partner: A Checklist for Admin & Facilities Teams
Home / Insights / Choosing a Cafeteria Partner: A Checklis…

Choosing a Cafeteria Partner: A Checklist for Admin & Facilities Teams

What to actually ask a prospective cafeteria vendor before signing β€” beyond the sample menu tasting.

GuidesΒ·November 2025Β·6 min read

Ask for their audit calendar, not just their menu

A vendor who can show you a fortnightly kitchen-audit schedule and staff-medical calendar is telling you more about day-200 of the contract than any tasting session will.

Check who's accountable on-site

Is there one named unit manager, or a rotating cast of supervisors? Accountability structure matters more than most people expect once the contract is signed.

Understand the cost model up front

Ask for a transparent breakdown β€” raw material, staffing, facility management, and margin β€” rather than a single bundled number that's hard to renegotiate later.

Ask what happens when headcount changes

Growth-stage companies especially should ask how quickly a vendor can scale counter capacity up or down, and what that costs.

Visit a live site, not just a sample kitchen

A working cafeteria mid-lunch-rush tells you more about real-world service quality than any staged demonstration.

← Back to Insights
Let's talk

Have a question about your cafeteria operation?

Our team is happy to talk through the specifics of your workplace.

Request a Proposal