The 2026 DoorDash Workplace Trends Report focuses on how evolving work schedules, industry growth and employee wellness are shaping meal ordering patterns. By understanding these trends, restaurant owners can better tailor offerings, optimize operations and capture new business opportunities from workplace meal orders.
The Traditional Workday Is Changing
- Blurring of 9-to-5: Employees are staying later, ordering food after hours, and relying more on employer-funded meals. This shift is most pronounced in AI companies but is spreading across industries.
- Actionable example: Restaurants should consider extending delivery hours and offering dinner-focused menus to cater to after-hours demand.
Fast-Growing Industries Drive After-Hours Orders
- Top industries: AI startups (62 percent of weekday orders after 6 p.m.), banking (48 percent), and pharma (38 percent) are leading the trend. On weekends, pharma and consulting dominate workplace orders.
- Actionable example: Target marketing and menu options toward these industries, especially for evening and weekend orders.
Dinner Is the New Lunch for AI Companies
- Peak ordering times: While most workplaces peak at noon, AI-driven companies see busiest hours between 5 and 7 p.m., with dinner orders outpacing lunch.
- Actionable example: Promote dinner specials and group meal packages for companies with late work hours.
Location Matters
- Late-night order leaders: Bay Area (24 percent), Manhattan (23 percent), Chicago (20 percent), Los Angeles (14 percent), Atlanta (20 percent), Austin (20 percent) and Dallas (9 percent) are hotspots for late-night workplace meal orders.
- Actionable example: Restaurants in these cities should prioritize late-night delivery and tailor offerings to local corporate clients.
Large Orders Are Linked to Collaboration
- Growth in large orders: Large workplace orders grew faster than regular orders, especially during key planning and holiday months (March +33 percent, September +30 percent, December +34 percent). Orders peak on Thursdays.
- Actionable example: Offer catering packages and bulk discounts for team meetings and events, especially on Thursdays and during planning months.
Health Trends and Employee Wellness
- Healthy orders: Healthy meal orders are 30 percent higher on Tuesdays than Fridays, with rice bowls, salads and chicken sandwiches as staples.
- Meal plans encourage healthier choices: Employees using meal programs and ordering more than once a week are 54 percent more likely to choose healthier meals.
- Actionable example: Feature healthy menu items and partner with companies to support employee wellness programs.
Caffeine Demand Peaks on Fridays
- Coffee and tea orders: These build throughout the week and peak on Fridays, reflecting increased reliance on caffeine to meet work demands.
- Actionable example: Promote coffee and tea bundles, especially toward the end of the week.
Spending Patterns
- Higher spend in consulting and AI: Consulting shows the highest average spend, and AI companies spend about $6 more per order than other industries.
- Actionable example: Upsell premium meal options and add-ons for these high-spending sectors.
What To Do With This Information
Restaurant owners can capitalize on these trends by:
- Extending delivery hours and focusing on dinner and late-night menus
- Offering catering and bulk order solutions for collaborative events
- Promoting healthy meal options and partnering with corporate wellness programs
- Targeting marketing efforts toward fast-growing industries and late-night hotspots
By adapting to these evolving workplace meal patterns, restaurants can increase sales, build stronger relationships with corporate clients, and stay ahead in a changing market.