Is it possible to get a varied lunch menu for DKK 45 per person?

How can a kitchen deliver a good organic lunch for less than the cost of a sandwich and a Faxe Kondi at 7-eleven?

What's the difference between a $45 and $75 lunch plan?

Lunch plans for companies with more than ten employees cost between DKK 45 and DKK 75 per envelope and depend on how many elements (e.g. salads and cold cuts) the lunch should contain and how organic the lunch should be. In addition, you typically need to add delivery, which is often around DKK 130 per day.

On the Officeguru platform, companies give an average of DKK 62 per envelope. This is because most companies choose an almost complete lunch menu. A typical menu consists of one hot dish, two salads, three cold cuts, bread and cake. Most companies are also happy to pay extra for organic food and choose a bronze-labeled lunch kitchen.

Where are we going with all these statistics? Well, it's about the fact that a sandwich and a Faxe Kondi at 7-eleven costs almost 70 DKK and that every time I'm in Netto, I'm surprised at how expensive ingredients have become - especially organic ones.

Flex Kitchen

Nicolai Bernhoft runs Flex Kitchen, which is one of the many great kitchens that you can choose to get lunch from on Officeguru's platform. Nicolai has been refining the lunch concept for five years, and he's a bit of a geek. You know, the type who got Thisted Bryghus to make a yeast for the bread that affects the dough in a very special way, making the bread both airy and sticky. It tastes heavenly.

So how on earth can a kitchen conjure up an organic lunch menu for DKK 62 and a non-organic one for only DKK 45? To this, Nicolai from Flex kitchen answered‍

"Out of curiosity, I have tested lunch from the kitchens that advertise a full lunch buffet for DKK 45 per envelope. It's a full lunch, yes, but it's also packed with half-fabricated and bad ingredients. It might be better than packing your own lunch, but I think most people would be surprised at how much better lunch you can get for just an extra ten kroner"‍

‍FlexKitchen does offer a lunch plan for as little as DKK 45 per envelope, but in order to still deliver a high-quality lunch, DKK 45 only includes a hot dish and a salad. The concept itself is known in the industry, where, especially in quality kitchens where even the roasted onions are made from scratch, like Flex Kitchen, you can match your budget with the price by choosing elements on and off, for example only a salad, no cheese on Wednesdays or cake on Thursdays.

It can be difficult to buy organic

Nicolai estimates that you can't get a full lunch buffet that is both organic and varied for DKK 45. Especially because organic ingredients have become really expensive. Flex Kitchen is itself bronze labeled organic. This means that the lunch program is between 30% and 60% organic. But it's not easy to stay organic. Over the past year, Nicolai has noticed an inflation in the price of organic food.

"At times it's super difficult to buy organic. The prices of organic products have gone crazy. We do everything we can to buy as much organic food as possible, but it's harder than you think. 5 kg of peppers sometimes cost 60 kr. versus 26 kr. for conventional ones"

Organic meat in particular is hard to get at a price within budget and that's often where the compromise has to be.

"Meat products are difficult. If meat has to be organic, the envelope quickly costs 70 to 80 DKK per envelope."

Focus on sourcing and local produce in season

Like several other kitchens on the Officeguru platform, Flex Kitchen, in addition to organic, also has a strong focus on sourcing local and seasonal produce.

"The things we buy, we try to buy locally, but there are often times when they don't live up to what the conventional products live up to. For example, size and quality."

Seasonal focus and good planning are key to solving the challenge of both price and variety, which is so important for both having happy customers and a healthy economy in the business.

"We have created an annual menu. From the menu, we choose on and off each week in relation to availability of ingredients, prices, etc. Our seasonal focus and the many dishes we can choose from on the annual menu provide a natural variation. Our experience helps us. In the beginning, it was insanely difficult to make 20 new varied salads every week, but now it's very easy"

The answer to the big question is yes, you can get a lunch plan for 45 DKK per envelope, but you have to compromise. Either on variety, quality or ecology. If you need to know which suppliers offer the different alternatives, book a quick chat with one of our lunch consultantshere.