From American cuisine surging 62% to high-protein orders accelerating week-on-week, we've crunched the numbers across thousands of workplace orders to reveal what's shaping office dining in the first half of 2026.
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Office food has the power to unite teams - from simple desk-drop snacks to lively in-office pop-ups and shared team lunches. And with the first half of 2026 already behind us, we've taken a deep dive into the top food trends among London's office workers.
Which cuisine is reigning supreme? Are teams opting for more communal dining experiences? And have this summer's heatwaves affected the kind of snacks people are ordering into the office?
You'll find all the answers in our latest report: Mid-Year Office Food Trends 2026. Check out the full infographic below, then read on for the key takeaways.
London Offices Wasted No Time in 2026
If there was any doubt about how seriously London takes its office food, consider this: the very first Just Eat for Business delivery of 2026 landed at 9:00 AM on January 2nd, the first working day of the year, to an office in St James's (SW1Y). Nothing says "back to business" like a team breakfast on day one!
Thursday Is the Undisputed King of Office Food
Mid-week continues to dominate workplace dining in 2026. Our data shows that Thursday is the most popular day for office food orders, accounting for nearly a quarter (24%) of all deliveries. Wednesday follows closely at 23%, with Tuesday at 15%.
Together, Tuesday through Thursday account for over 62% of all weekly orders, suggesting that collaborative, in-office days are when teams tend to come together around food. Friday sees 13% of orders but boasts the highest average order value among weekdays, suggesting end-of-week treats and team lunches are the most generous.
Monday remains the quietest weekday at 15%, though with hybrid working patterns still evolving, we wouldn't be surprised to see this shift higher in the second half of the year.
The Lunch Hour Reigns Supreme
When we looked at the time of day distribution, one statistic stood out above all others: 82% of all orders are delivered during lunch hours (11am–4pm). A further 12% arrive during the breakfast window (6am–11am), while just 6% of orders are delivered during the evening (4pm–10pm).
On an average day, the majority of workplace food is concentrated into a single hour, making it the heartbeat of office culture and the moment when teams connect over a shared meal.
Eating Around the World: The Top 10 Cuisines
London's office workers have always had adventurous palates, but the first half of 2026 has seen some significant shifts in the cuisine pecking order.
American cuisine has overtaken Japanese and Italian to become the #1 most-ordered cuisine in London offices, surging 62% year-on-year. Japanese holds strong at #2 with 19% of the cuisine share, while Italian rounds out the top three at 16%.
The full top 10 by order volume share:
- American - 20% (up 62% YoY)
- Japanese - 19%
- Italian - 16%
- Mexican - 10%
- Vietnamese - 9%
- Indian - 9%
- Scandinavian - 5% (up 19% YoY)
- Greek - 5%
- Middle-Eastern - 4%
- Thai - 3%
The Breakout Cuisines of 2026
While the top 10 tells one story, the fastest-growing cuisines tell another. Several cuisines have seen extraordinary growth in the first half of 2026:
- Brazilian — up a staggering 1,014% year-on-year, driven by new Brazilian restaurant partners joining the platform
- Eastern European — up 461%, reflecting growing appetite for hearty, comfort-food options
- American — up 62%, cementing its place as the new #1
- African — up 38%, signalling a growing demand for bold, global flavours
- Scandinavian — up 19%, riding the wave of healthy, minimal-eating trends
- Korean — up 16%, with gochujang establishing itself as a permanent fixture on office menus
Beat the Heat: Ice-Cream Orders Surged 57% in June
When the temperature rises, office snack preferences shift with it. Our data shows that ice-cream orders surged 57% in June compared to the monthly average!
Celebrate with the Team: Food Brings People Together
Office food isn't just about fuel, it's about marking moments with colleagues and friends. Our data reveals that key celebration days throughout the first half of 2026 drove significant spikes in order volume:
Valentines Day (14 February) +12% (vs. weekly average)
St. Patrick's Day (17 March) +10% (vs. weekly average)
British Sandwich Week (18 - 24 May) +7% (vs. weekly average)
Valentine's Day was the biggest single celebration driver in the first half of 2026, proving that any occasion to show appreciation for our colleagues is one worth celebrating. St Patrick's Day saw a 10% uplift as teams embraced the Irish spirit, and British Sandwich Week delivered a 7% boost, confirming the humble sandwich still commands national pride.
London's Taste Map: The Capitals of Office Cuisine
Food preferences vary dramatically across London's postcodes. We mapped the top three postcodes for each of the most popular food categories to reveal where different cuisines truly dominate:
- Where Salad Reigns Supreme — SW1Y St James's is London's salad capital, with salad cementing itself as #1 overall food category by volume.
- The Poke Powerhouse — EC2A Shoreditch captures 17% of all poke orders in London, making it the undisputed poke capital of the city.
- The Burger Baron — W1T Fitzrovia leads on both order count and total spend for burgers, claiming the burger crown.
- A Slice Above — SE1 Southwark has the highest average pizza spend per order, making it the pizza capital.
- The Hungriest Postcode — EC3M Fenchurch Street boasts the highest average order size in London, where City workers order the biggest and most generous team meals.
World Cup Fever: When England Play, the Pizzas Come Too
The 2026 World Cup didn't just capture the nation's attention, it transformed office food ordering patterns. On 29 and 30 June, as England wrapped up their group stage campaign and the knockout rounds kicked off, London offices went into pizza party mode.
Across the two days, 322 pizzas were delivered to London offices - that's approximately 2,576 slices. The biggest single day was 30 June, with 197 pizzas delivered as teams gathered to watch the knockout football and build excitement for England's first do-or-die match.
It's a testament to the power of food to bring people together around shared cultural moments.
What's Trending: The Flavours on the Rise
We tracked five trending food keywords across the first half of 2026 to see which flavours are gaining traction on office menus.
Pickle remains the undisputed king of trending flavours, with 2.5x more orders than any other food trend, across 36 restaurant partners. While its year-on-year growth has normalised after a viral 2025, pickle has cemented itself as a permanent fixture on office menus rather than a passing fad.
But the real story is high-protein. Ranked #3 by volume, high-protein is the fastest-growing food trend of 2026 so far, with orders surging 43.5% across the first half of the year. With over 20 restaurant partners featuring this food trend, protein-forward eating has gone mainstream in the office.
Miso, meanwhile, is on a steady climb with 22% growth, the umami favourite is quietly becoming an office staple.
The Global Lunch Knockout: The Ultimate Work Lunch, Decided
To celebrate the diversity of food on the Just Eat for Business platform, we ran something a little different this summer. From 18 June to 19 July, we asked the public one simple question: What's the ultimate work lunch?
We started with 32 international dishes in a head-to-head bracket tournament, a Global Lunch Knockout, and let the people decide. Round by round, dish by dish, the public voted until one champion remained.
The winner? Katsu Curry claimed the title of the ultimate work lunch.
It's perhaps no surprise - the comforting, satisfying combination of crispy breaded chicken, rich curry sauce and fluffy rice has become a fixture on office menus across London. Sometimes the classics win for a reason.
Dietary Trends: Gluten-Free Is Gaining Ground
Dietary inclusivity is no longer an exception, it's a baseline expectation. Our data reveals that gluten-free items now make up nearly a third (30.6%) of all items ordered, up from 29.3% in the same period last year.
Nearly 1 in 3 items ordered is vegan (28.9%), while vegetarian items account for over half of all orders (51%). Suggesting that plant-based isn't so much a niche anymore, rather a significant proportion of workers are opting for meat-free meals.
Bring the Trends to Your Office
From Brazilian cuisine breaking through to high-protein's accelerating growth, the first half of 2026 has shown that office food culture is more dynamic, diverse and exciting than ever.
Whether you're looking to cater for a team lunch, celebrate a milestone, or simply fuel your office through the week, Just Eat for Business brings the UK's best restaurants into your office. No fuss. No hassle. And all for the same price as going direct.
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