For many years, the collective meals market sustained its growth based on three pillars: operational scale, long-term contracts, and predictability. Today, none of these pillars remains intact.<\/p>\n
The sector has changed. The consumer has changed. The worker has changed. And corporate clients have changed as well.<\/p>\n
We are experiencing a structural transformation, not just a difficult phase in the market.<\/p>\n
Corporate food service is no longer seen merely as an operational cost. It has begun to occupy a strategic space within companies, connecting productivity, employee experience, health, and talent retention.<\/p>\n
At the same time, operating companies are facing perhaps the most challenging environment in recent history: intense price pressure, compressed margins, high turnover, new nutritional demands, indirect competition, and accelerated digitalization.
\nThe question that remains is:<\/p>\n
The collective food service sector is currently facing a dangerous combination:<\/p>\n
\u2022 low salary floor
\n\u2022 unattractive working hours
\n\u2022 high operational demands
\n\u2022 low perception of career growth
\n\u2022 a shift in mindset among new generations<\/p>\n
New generations are not looking only for compensation. They are looking for purpose, quality of life, flexibility, and growth. And many operational models in the sector were still designed for an industrial logic from the 1990s.<\/p>\n
The result is visible:<\/p>\n
\u2022 difficulty hiring
\n\u2022 growing absenteeism
\n\u2022 high turnover
\n\u2022 loss of productivity
\n\u2022 decline in operational quality<\/p>\n
Several food service sectors already recognize labor shortage as a structural problem. Some companies have begun to respond with smarter initiatives:<\/p>\n
\u2022 hiring professionals aged 50+
\n\u2022 internal training paths
\n\u2022 operational leadership programs
\n\u2022 more flexible schedules
\n\u2022 automation of repetitive processes
\n\u2022 strengthening organizational culture<\/p>\n
And here there is an important point:<\/p>\n
The future of the sector will not be decided only by the ability to sell contracts, but by the ability to attract and retain people.<\/p>\n
There is a reality that is rarely discussed in the segment:<\/p>\n
Many operational managers were promoted because of their technical excellence, but were never prepared to lead people.<\/p>\n
The result appears in emotionally worn-out operations, disengaged teams, and high-tension environments.<\/p>\n
Today, leading a food service unit requires very different skills from those required a few years ago:<\/p>\n
\u2022 emotional intelligence
\n\u2022 multigenerational management
\n\u2022 communication
\n\u2022 fast decision-making
\n\u2022 indicator analysis
\n\u2022 retention capacity
\n\u2022 strategic understanding of the client<\/p>\n
It is no longer enough to simply \u201cmake the operation work.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is necessary to develop leaders capable of sustaining culture, experience, and results simultaneously.<\/p>\n
The companies that are standing out are investing heavily in:<\/p>\n
\u2022 corporate universities
\n\u2022 continuous training
\n\u2022 indicator-based management
\n\u2022 climate monitoring
\n\u2022 development of soft skills<\/p>\n
Because in the current scenario, leadership has become a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n
Perhaps this is the greatest paradox in the market.<\/p>\n
While costs are increasing \u2014 food, energy, labor, logistics, and sanitary requirements \u2014 many contracts continue to be negotiated exclusively based on the lowest price.<\/p>\n
The problem is that this logic destroys value for everyone:<\/p>\n
\u2022 compresses margins
\n\u2022 reduces innovation capacity
\n\u2022 weakens quality
\n\u2022 increases turnover
\n\u2022 limits investment in technology
\n\u2022 compromises the end-user experience<\/p>\n
The sector needs to decide whether it will continue selling \u201ctrays\u201d or whether it will begin selling:<\/p>\n
\u2022 well-being
\n\u2022 productivity
\n\u2022 experience
\n\u2022 health
\n\u2022 employer branding
\n\u2022 operational intelligence<\/p>\n
The most innovative companies have already understood this and have begun to move away from a purely commercial war through:<\/p>\n
\u2022 gastronomic experiences
\n\u2022 personalized menus
\n\u2022 health-oriented offerings
\n\u2022 convenience
\n\u2022 internal retail
\n\u2022 honest markets
\n\u2022 journey technology
\n\u2022 nutritional curation
\n\u2022 consumption data<\/p>\n
Differentiation is no longer only in the kitchen: It is in the complete experience.<\/p>\n
Clients have changed profoundly. Today, they want:<\/p>\n
\u2022 cost reduction
\n\u2022 premium experience
\n\u2022 indicators
\n\u2022 ESG
\n\u2022 health-oriented offerings
\n\u2022 food safety
\n\u2022 technology
\n\u2022 personalization
\n\u2022 contractual flexibility
\n\u2022 real-time data<\/p>\n
And all of this, often, while paying less. In addition, food has begun to directly impact:<\/p>\n
\u2022 employer brand
\n\u2022 internal satisfaction
\n\u2022 talent retention
\n\u2022 perception of the company\u2019s care for its employees<\/p>\n
The meal is no longer just a benefit.<\/p>\n
It has become a tool for organizational culture.<\/p>\n
This may be one of the most underestimated movements in the market. Collective food service operators no longer compete only with one another.<\/p>\n
Today, they compete for space with:<\/p>\n
\u2022 benefit cards
\n\u2022 convenience platforms
\n\u2022 delivery
\n\u2022 autonomous markets
\n\u2022 foodtechs
\n\u2022 hybrid models
\n\u2022 decentralized food solutions<\/p>\n
The corporate client has begun to compare completely different models with one another, and this changes the entire competitive dynamic: benefit companies offer flexibility, foodtechs offer technology, autonomous markets offer convenience, delivery offers variety.<\/p>\n
If the traditional sector continues operating only with an industrial logic, it will lose relevance.<\/p>\n
In the past, contracts lasted for years. Today, many do not reach 12 months.<\/p>\n
The market has become more aggressive, more opportunistic, and less relationship-driven.<\/p>\n
Changing suppliers has become faster because:<\/p>\n
\u2022 the difference among companies has become small
\n\u2022 price criteria prevail
\n\u2022 the client is under greater pressure
\n\u2022 there is a lower technological barrier
\n\u2022 experience is still underexplored as a differentiator<\/p>\n
This requires a radical change: It is not enough to win contracts; it is necessary to continuously build perceived value. Those who do not generate experience, intelligence, and proximity easily become replaceable.<\/p>\n
The rise of GLP-1 medications and the growing search for health and well-being are beginning to directly impact eating behavior.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s consumer:<\/p>\n
\u2022 eats less
\n\u2022 seeks lighter foods
\n\u2022 pays more attention to ingredients
\n\u2022 values protein, functionality, and balance
\n\u2022 rejects excess
\n\u2022 wants practicality without giving up health<\/p>\n
This completely changes the design of corporate menus.<\/p>\n
The future tends to favor:<\/p>\n
\u2022 functional food
\n\u2022 personalized menus
\n\u2022 balanced meals
\n\u2022 intelligent portioning
\n\u2022 traceability
\n\u2022 nutritional experience<\/p>\n
The corporate restaurant will need to act almost like a well-being platform.<\/p>\n
Digital transformation has finally reached industrial kitchens, and we are not talking only about ERP.<\/p>\n
We are talking about:<\/p>\n
\u2022 demand intelligence
\n\u2022 automation
\n\u2022 AI applied to consumption
\n\u2022 waste forecasting
\n\u2022 real-time management
\n\u2022 operational monitoring
\n\u2022 digital user experience
\n\u2022 data integration
\n\u2022 analytics
\n\u2022 self-service
\n\u2022 invisible payments<\/p>\n
The most prepared companies are using technology to:<\/p>\n
\u2022 reduce waste
\n\u2022 gain efficiency
\n\u2022 improve experience
\n\u2022 personalize consumption
\n\u2022 optimize purchasing
\n\u2022 increase operational predictability<\/p>\n
Efficiency, predictability, and control have become absolute priorities for the sector. The future of the sector will be defined by repositioning, not only by operation. The collective meals market still moves billions and remains extremely relevant.<\/p>\n
But there is a difficult truth to ignore: Traditional models are becoming obsolete.<\/p>\n
The companies that will survive in the coming years will probably have some characteristics in common:<\/p>\n
\u2022 strategic vision
\n\u2022 consultative positioning
\n\u2022 intensive use of technology
\n\u2022 focus on experience
\n\u2022 strong culture
\n\u2022 professional management
\n\u2022 data intelligence
\n\u2022 capacity for innovation
\n\u2022 valuing people<\/p>\n
Because the future of corporate food service will not be decided only by those who serve meals.
\nIt will be decided by those who manage to transform food into perceived value.<\/p>\n
– Kely Bonin is Commercial and Marketing Director at Ondina Alimenta\u00e7\u00e3o e Servi\u00e7os.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"