A strong company culture doesn't just happen. Culture is an important element of employees’ workday, and it can create teams that people want to be a part of - or tear them down. It takes proactive effort to create a culture of engagement, collaboration, and productivity. Building team culture is an important part of a business leaders’ role.
One of the most effective ways to foster such an environment is through regular team lunches. These occasions provide an opportunity for employees to connect, build relationships, and recharge in the middle of their workday. You can host team lunches as part of a celebration, or for no reason at all. Many companies feel that team lunches don’t apply to them since they have dispersed teams - but that’s not true. Leaders just need to be a bit more creative! If you can’t organize a regular in-person event, you can always offer a stipend to be used when remote staff members are able to get together.
Here are some of our favorite team lunch ideas, broken down for in-person and remote teams.
Lunch ideas for on-site teams
Sitting right next to your coworkers? That makes things easier. Even so, you’ll want to get creative and have some fun in planning. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
1. Potluck Lunch
Organize a potluck lunch where each team member brings a dish or snack to share. This not only encourages teamwork but also allows employees to showcase their culinary skills and cultural diversity. It's a great way to appreciate different tastes and foster a sense of belonging within the team.
You can come up with a fun theme like “Around the world” or just let everyone bring their particular specialty. Some companies choose to provide a “main dish” and have all of the side dishes brought in. It’s also helpful if you provide the plates, napkins, silverware, etc. This is a nice idea for organizations who are a bit short on budget but want to get everyone together.
2. Food Truck Festival
Arrange a food truck day in your company parking lot or nearby area. Invite a variety of food trucks to offer diverse cuisines, from tacos to sushi. This unique lunch experience will inject excitement into the workday and allow employees to explore different flavors together while supporting local businesses.
There are a couple ways you can handle this, depending on your budget and number of employees. Some food trucks will have a minimum that they would like guaranteed in advance, so you may need to pay up front. In this case, you are treating your employees and they can come and order from the trucks and it will go toward the deposit you already paid.
In another scenario, you can choose to have employees pay for their own lunch. It’s great to give them some options and people can choose to take advantage of the food trucks or not - either way they’ll appreciate the variety and novelty. If you don’t have enough employees to make an entire “festival” worth it for food trucks, try just choosing one. Or, you can tweak the idea and try a coffee truck in the morning or an ice cream one for a mid-day treat. No matter what, it’s always fun to mix things up and this is a simple way to do that.
3. Lunch and Learn Sessions
Combine learning opportunities with team lunches by hosting "lunch and learn" sessions. Invite guest speakers or colleagues to share their expertise on various topics while enjoying a catered meal. This not only provides valuable knowledge but also encourages engagement and collaboration among team members.
Need some ideas? Here are some of the topics diverse teams tend to find most valuable:
- Time management and productivity (as long as it’s not presented as a way to push employees to do more).
- Communication or conflict resolution
- Diversity and inclusion
- Cybersecurity and data privacy issues
- Stress management or mindfulness/meditation
- Personal finance and budgeting
- Career growth and goal setting
- Health and wellness (such as a nutrition expert or yoga instructor)
- Industry trends and updates
- Reports from particular departments (such as having your marketing team share the highlights from their latest event)
It’s a nice idea to package up some takeaways that attendees can keep as a resource. For example, if you choose the personal budgeting topic, you can have a folder with some pre-printed budget templates, a list of resources, and an article from the speaker.
If you choose health and wellness, you could create a folder with some good recipes and a list of local yoga studios. If you really want some brownie points, have custom yoga mats or water bottles printed for all the attendees. Goal setting? Try some nice journals or fancy pens. You get the idea!
4. Team Building Lunch Activities
Engage your team in fun and interactive activities during lunch breaks. Plan team-building games or challenges that require collaboration and problem-solving. For instance, organize a trivia quiz, a team scavenger hunt, or a mini escape room challenge. Team building activities promote camaraderie, boost morale, and create lasting memories. Make sure to give everyone an extra long lunch that day so they have time to eat as well as enjoy the activity.
Note: if your workplace has employees take lunch at different shifts, give some consideration to how to organize activities so that everyone gets a chance to participate at some point.
5. Outdoor Picnic
Take advantage of good weather and plan an outdoor picnic for your team. Find a nearby park or a scenic location where everyone can enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and delicious food. Encourage team members to bring outdoor games like frisbees or footballs to enhance the experience and create a relaxed atmosphere.
A company picnic is a great option if you’re trying to extend a team lunch into more of a team-building activity or “day out” of the office. Let a leisurely lunch turn into fun and games at the park all afternoon, and it’ll surely be a day your employees remember. As far as food, you could have the event catered, try a potluck, or even order pizza.
Another fun option is a management BBQ, where company leaders prepare and serve the meal to everyone. Just make sure that whatever venue you choose has plenty of seating and space for eating. If not, take the time to spread out blankets and pillows in advance - you can have a comfy boho vibe that people will get a kick out of. For other team outing ideas, browse our past articles.
6. Entertainment
One important element of any team lunch is actual conversation and bonding taking place. You don’t want to simply facilitate an event where everyone eats the free food while staring at their phone. That’s why bringing in some kind of entertainment can be a great idea.
Get some good old-fashioned laughs with a stand up comic or enjoy a live musical performance from a local artist. Think about what’s available in your area and what might pique everyone’s interest. Don’t be afraid to get creative and set up an art gallery in your space or host a wood-worker or other specialty.
Lunch ideas for remote teams
Teams scattered around the country? That doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of team lunches. Here are some innovative ideas to boost company culture for remote teams during their virtual lunch breaks.
1. Virtual Potluck
Just because remote teams can't physically share their dishes doesn't mean they can't enjoy a potluck lunch. Encourage team members to share recipes and photos of their homemade meals in advance. During the virtual lunch, each person can present their dish, discuss the preparation process, and bond over their shared love for food. If you want to amp up the fun a bit, have awards for things like “most colorful dish” or “most decadent dessert”.
2. Virtual Cooking Classes
Arrange virtual cooking classes for your remote team during lunch hours. Hire a chef or cooking instructor to guide the team on preparing a specific dish or cuisine.
This interactive experience will not only teach new culinary skills but also provide an opportunity for team members to connect and engage in a shared activity. If you’re feeling generous, send everyone a stipend for groceries along with the recipes in advance. This way people can get the groceries required to follow along and make their own delicious meal.
3. Virtual Coffee Hour
Create a casual and inclusive atmosphere by organizing virtual coffee chats during lunchtime. These informal sessions allow team members to connect, share updates, and discuss non-work-related topics.
Encourage participants to bring their favorite coffee or tea and create an environment similar to a coffee shop where colleagues can relax and socialize. Pro tip: limit the work talk! Try to get everyone to focus on the informal, friendly nature of these coffee hours and simply get to know their co-workers better.
4. Team Trivia or Game Sessions
Host virtual trivia or game sessions during lunch breaks to promote team bonding and friendly competition. Utilize online platforms or specialized team-building software to facilitate engaging virtual games. You could also come up with a scavenger hunt with items people are likely to have in a remote office. This not only provides an opportunity for fun and relaxation but also encourages communication and collaboration among remote team members. Check out this article if you need some more ideas for games.
5. Virtual Wellness Workshops
Employee well-being is becoming increasingly important. In recent years, many people have become more concerned about their overall health and the ways in which work can add to mental health struggles. Progressive management teams have embraced this interest and proven to their staff that they truly want to help keep everyone safe and healthy.
Promote employee well-being by organizing virtual wellness workshops over lunch. Invite experts to conduct sessions on mindfulness, stress management, or physical exercise. This encourages remote team members to prioritize their health while creating a sense of unity and support within the team. Again, if you really want to secure participation, go a bit above and beyond - for example, put together a swag bag of healthy goodies, or offer a stipend for the ingredients for healthy recipes or new workout equipment. Make sure people know there’s a little something extra in it for them if they hop on the virtual workshop!
If health and wellness is an overall priority for your organization, try kicking things off with a virtual workshop where you share the ways that your company will support everyone (for example, by subsidizing a gym membership).
Tips for hosting impactful team lunches
No matter which type of lunch activity you choose, there are some things you can do to make sure everything runs smoothly and you achieve your goals. Follow these best practices when planning and executing your next team lunch:
- Choose a date and time that works for most people in your organization.
- Think about the type of group event you want to host. Every team is different, so consider your own colleagues and what their interests and schedules are.
- Locate the right venue. Whether that’s a meeting room in your own office, a rented space, or a local restaurant, think about the space and materials you’ll need, and how that works out in your chosen venue.
- Send out invitations. Remember to keep things informal and light - this is supposed to be fun, after all! If you’re planning a lunch and learn session, include some bullets on what people can expect to learn at the event.
- Remind your team and send out any preparatory materials. This is a good time to send things like recipe cards or grocery stipends for a cooking class, for example.
- Follow up after lunch. Send out a broad thank you note to all attendees, and ask people if they have ideas for your next lunch gathering.
Don’t stop at team lunches
Once you have a few team lunches under your belt, it’ll get easier to plan. Maybe you can even set up a recurring monthly lunch or virtual event. This would be an excellent first step in improving company culture. However, if you hope to take an even bigger step, consider hosting a team-building retreat with a full day (or two) of activities planned.
Getting offsite and engaging with co-workers is an important way of nurturing current relationships and building new ones. If you haven’t planned a company retreat because you’re intimidated by the logistics, let us help. Whether you have 20 or 500 people, we can help you to get everyone together and have fun - seamlessly and stress-free!
