Template Questions
All 9 Canteen Survey Questions
Nine questions covering everything from what ends up on the plate to how long it takes to get it. Question 3 (value for money) is consistently the strongest predictor of whether staff actually use the canteen. Employees who feel the food is overpriced relative to quality stop coming and bring their own lunch, which then reduces revenue per head and makes it harder to justify the catering budget overall.
Question 6 (dietary requirements) is often where canteens lose the trust of a meaningful portion of the workforce. Staff who feel their dietary needs are treated as an afterthought tend to stop using the canteen entirely, and they often say so in the open text. Getting this right can have a bigger positive impact on overall canteen usage than almost any other change.
01How would you rate the quality and freshness of the food available?Scale 1–5
02How satisfied are you with the variety and choice on the menu?Scale 1–5
03How good is the value for money compared to what you pay?Scale 1–5
04How satisfied are you with the speed of service and how queuing is managed?Scale 1–5
05How would you rate the cleanliness and hygiene of the canteen?Scale 1–5
06How well does the canteen cater for dietary requirements such as vegan, vegetarian, or allergen needs?Scale 1–5
07Overall, how satisfied are you with the canteen?Scale 1–5
08Would you use the canteen more often if improvements were made?Yes / No
09What one change would make the biggest difference to your canteen experience?Open Text
Why Canteen Quality Matters More Than You Think
It Is About More Than Just Lunch
Return to office
Food and social spaces are now among the top three factors staff cite when choosing whether to come into the office. Canteen quality is an office attendance strategy.
Staff wellbeing
Employees who eat well at work tend to have better energy and focus in the afternoon. The canteen is part of the workplace wellbeing story.
Contractor accountability
Staff survey results are some of the most useful data for holding contract caterers to performance standards and planning re-tendering conversations.
Sample Results
Your Canteen Survey Dashboard
After 124 employees at a 400-person financial services office responded, the value for money and dietary options gaps were the clear priorities. A menu refresh and better signposting of vegan options doubled the canteen's vegetarian and vegan take-up within six months:
Canteen Survey · 124 responsesSpring 2026 · London HQ
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Food quality
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Overall satisfied
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Would use more
Food quality and freshness3.9 / 5
Menu variety3.5 / 5
Value for money2.8 / 5
Speed of service4.1 / 5
Dietary options2.6 / 5
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this canteen survey template free?
Yes. Free forever with no signup. Up to 100 responses free. Pro ($19/month) allows 10,000 responses and trend tracking across survey cycles.
How often should I run a canteen survey?
Twice a year as a baseline. That gives catering operators enough time to make real changes between surveys. Run an extra pulse after significant menu changes, a new catering contract, or a refurbishment. For larger sites with multiple outlets, consider surveying each outlet separately.
Can I use this survey to evaluate a contract caterer?
Yes. Staff survey results are some of the most useful data for assessing catering contract performance and planning re-tendering. Share aggregated scores alongside any contractual KPIs. If scores are consistently low on specific dimensions, include them as performance improvement requirements in your contract review.
What is the most important canteen survey question?
Value for money (Q3) is consistently the strongest predictor of canteen usage. Staff who feel the food is overpriced relative to quality stop coming, which reduces revenue per head and makes it harder to justify the catering budget. Improving perceived value is often more achievable through better communication about ingredients and sourcing than through price reductions alone.
Should canteen surveys be anonymous?
Yes. Employees are more likely to give honest feedback about quality, hygiene concerns, or value if anonymous. This is especially important for hygiene feedback, where staff may be reluctant to report concerns if they think it could cause problems for individual catering team members.
How does canteen quality connect to return-to-office culture?
Several workplace studies found that food and social spaces are among the top three factors employees cite when choosing whether to come into the office on a given day. Canteen survey data is relevant not just to facilities teams but to HR and leadership thinking about hybrid working and office attendance.
Can this survey be used for university or school catering?
Yes. It works for university refectories, school canteens, hospital staff restaurants, and public sector cafeterias. Adjust the survey title and introduction for your setting. For student-facing catering, consider adding a question on opening hours, which is often the top complaint alongside value for money.
How do I present results to the catering team without creating conflict?
Share results as improvement opportunities rather than performance grades. Frame each low score as a question: what would need to change for staff to rate this higher? Include positive scores alongside critical ones. Share with the catering team before presenting to leadership so they are not blindsided. The open text suggestions are usually the most constructive starting point.
Is this canteen and workplace food survey template free?
Yes. Free forever with no signup required from you or your employees. Up to 100 responses on the free plan. Pro ($19/month) allows 10,000 responses and trend tracking across survey cycles.
What questions should a workplace canteen survey include?
A good canteen survey covers: food quality and freshness, menu variety and choice across different meal types, value for money relative to price, speed of service and how well queuing is managed, cleanliness and hygiene standards, how well the menu caters for dietary requirements including vegan, gluten-free, and allergen needs, overall satisfaction with the canteen, likelihood to use it more regularly, and open suggestions. This template covers all nine dimensions.
How often should facilities managers run a canteen survey?
Twice a year as a baseline, which gives enough time for catering operators to make meaningful changes between surveys. Run an additional pulse after significant menu changes, a new catering contract, or a refurbishment. For larger sites with multiple food outlets, consider running surveys per outlet rather than for the whole site.
Can this survey be used to evaluate a contract caterer?
Yes. Staff survey results are some of the most useful data when assessing catering contract performance and planning re-tendering. Share aggregated scores with your catering contractor alongside any contractual KPIs. If scores are consistently low on specific dimensions, include them as performance improvement requirements in your contract review. Many catering contracts now include satisfaction score targets as a formal KPI.
Should workplace food surveys be anonymous?
Yes. Employees are more likely to give honest feedback about food quality, hygiene concerns, or value for money if responses are anonymous. This is especially important for hygiene feedback, where employees may be reluctant to report concerns publicly if they think it could cause problems for individual catering staff.
What is the most important dimension in a canteen survey?
Value for money (Q3) is consistently the strongest predictor of overall canteen satisfaction and whether employees use the canteen regularly. Staff who feel the canteen is overpriced relative to quality stop using it and bring their own lunch, which reduces revenue per head and makes it harder to justify the catering budget. Improving perceived value is often more achievable through better communication about ingredients and sourcing than through price reductions.
How do I use canteen survey results to improve staff wellbeing?
Canteen quality is part of the broader workplace experience and contributes to employee wellbeing. Employees who eat well at work tend to have better energy and concentration in the afternoons. Low canteen satisfaction scores, particularly on dietary options (Q6), can indicate that a portion of your workforce feels excluded from the catering offer. Addressing dietary inclusion consistently improves both satisfaction scores and canteen usage among those groups.
Can this survey be used for university and school catering?
Yes. The template works for any institutional catering setting including university refectories, school canteens, hospital staff restaurants, and public sector staff cafeterias. Adjust the framing in the survey title and introduction to reflect your specific setting. For student-facing catering, consider adding a question on opening hours, which is often the primary student complaint alongside value for money.
What is the connection between canteen quality and hybrid working?
As more employees have hybrid working arrangements, the canteen plays a larger role in making in-office days feel worthwhile. Staff who rate the canteen poorly are less likely to choose office days voluntarily, which affects in-person collaboration. Several post-pandemic workplace studies found that food and social spaces are among the top three factors employees cite when deciding whether to come into the office. Canteen survey data is therefore relevant not just to facilities teams but to HR and leadership thinking about return-to-office culture.
How do I present canteen survey results to my catering team without creating conflict?
Share results as improvement opportunities rather than performance grades. Frame each low-scoring dimension as a specific question: 'What would need to change about the menu variety for staff to rate this higher?' Include positive scores alongside critical ones. Share results with catering team members before presenting to leadership so they are not blindsided. The open text suggestions from employees are often the most constructive starting point for joint problem-solving with the catering team.
Find out what your staff really think about the canteen
9 questions. Anonymous. Contract caterer evidence built in.
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