As the Fight for Talent Intensifies, New Data Shows Office Pantry Investment Holding Strong

New Report Reveals 2026 Office Pantry Spend Data

CHICAGO, IL — September 30 — Crafty, the leading national provider of office pantry services, today released the 2026 Ultimate Guide to Office Pantry Budgeting, giving workplace leaders new data on how companies are investing in pantry, plus the benchmarks, framework, and strategies to make every dollar work harder.

For the first time, the guide brings employee-level Pantry Intelligence Index benchmarks together with a strategic framework for building, optimizing, and forecasting pantry budgets. The data reveals where investment is holding strong, which company types are spending the most, and what those patterns mean as companies set their 2027 budgets.

Key findings from the 2026 data include:

• Companies invest $10.85 per employee per day on average. Across Crafty-powered workplaces, that translates to $15,088 in average pantry spend per office per month. 
• Employee-level investment is holding steady. Average spend moved only slightly from $10.94 per employee per day in Q1 to $10.74 in Q2, even as attendance and seasonality shifted. 2026 Budget Report
• The highest pantry investment is concentrated among company types navigating major shifts in how and where work gets done. Markets & Trading leads at $19.50 per employee per day, followed by Investment Firms at $14.71, with higher investment also showing up among company types competing for specialized talent or relying heavily on the in-office experience.

The findings underscore a broader shift in how workplace leaders are approaching pantry investment. As companies navigate changing talent demands, evolving attendance patterns, and greater scrutiny on spend, benchmarking provides a clearer picture of what and how the market is investing to have the greatest impact.

“Every leader is being asked to do more with less, and that makes precision more important than ever,” said Nate Rosenstock, CEO and Co-Founder of Crafty. “The smartest workplace leaders aren’t starting with an arbitrary number and trying to make it work. They’re starting with the experience and outcomes they want to create, then using data to determine where to invest, where to pull back, and how to make every dollar count.”

What’s inside the 2026 Ultimate Guide to Office Pantry Budgeting

• New Employee-Level Spend Benchmarks: Compare daily pantry investment across industries and company types to understand where your program stands.
• A More Precise Model for Building Your Budget: Translate employee consumption into cost per person and scale with headcount.
• Proven Strategies to Optimize Every Dollar: Use performance data to identify where to invest, where to pull back, and where to optimize.
• 12 Months of Data to Plan What’s Next: Anticipate shifts in demand using real pantry performance and seasonal trends.

As workplace leaders plan for 2027, the pressure to get more from every investment continues to grow. With talent harder to win, efficiency under pressure, and every dollar under greater scrutiny, leaders need the data to know where to invest, where to pull back, and how those decisions affect the employee experience. The result is a more precise approach that connects investment to performance and adapts as business needs change.

“As a leader, I want to know that every dollar we invest is being managed thoughtfully,” said Rosenstock. “Staying within budget matters, but so does understanding what that investment is delivering. Good stewardship is about having the strategy and visibility to make smart tradeoffs, maximize impact, and put resources behind what matters most.”

This report connects market benchmarks, employee-level consumption, and historical performance data to bring greater rigor to how pantry investments are planned and managed. Beyond the numbers, it gives workplace leaders the context to articulate what their program requires, advocate for the right resources, and make a stronger business case for how pantry investment supports broader workplace priorities.

The 2026 Ultimate Guide to Office Pantry Budgeting is available now at [LINK].

About Crafty

Crafty is a leading national provider of office food and beverage programs, helping top workplaces elevate the employee experience. Powered by an innovative, centralized platform, Crafty delivers tailored, scalable pantry services designed to meet each client’s unique needs. Since 2015, companies like DraftKings, Robinhood, and Zillow have partnered with Crafty to create workplace experiences that foster culture, connection, and productivity. With operations in 45+ markets and a growing national footprint, Crafty supports 750+ offices and serves more than 300,000 employees each month. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York and the Bay Area, Crafty is helping companies craft better workplaces, one pantry at a time.

Media Contact

Sarah Berger, VP of Marketing

sarah.berger@craftydelivers.com