What large employers really want from their breakroom partners

What do large employers really expect from their breakroom partners? At the NAMA Coffee Tea & Water show in Miami, Sarah Hooper, senior manager of health and wellness at Shaw Industries, and Jeremy Querin, hospitality manager at Insight Global, offered perspective on how their companies evaluate, select and retain breakroom service providers.

Their message was clear: the best convenience services operators listen, collaborate and innovate with their customers. For operators, their conversation offered a playbook for what large clients value most — and that goes beyond pricing and product lists.

Be a partner, not a vendor

Both speakers emphasized that they wanted their convenience services operators to be partners, not merely vendors. “Don’t just sell products — co-create solutions,” Hooper said. Shaw’s breakroom partner collaborates on menu planning, engagement and on-site events rather than simply fulfilling orders.

Responsiveness and communication are key

Both Hooper and Querin stressed that fast response times and transparency are essential when problems arise. “Being in Atlanta with our C-suite, if the executives go onto the 15th floor and that pot of coffee is not right, I'm the first person to know, right?” Querin said. “I have a standard within myself. My leaders are holding me to a standard, and I'm holding my vendor to the same standard.”

“Yes, it's a partnership,” Querin added. “When I relay information about product that is not performing correctly or a machine is down, my expectation of my vendor is to meet with the same level of urgency. That’s what’s really important to me, building that relationship.”

At the same time, authenticity is key. Both Hooper and Querin warned against overpromising. Hooper noted that false assurances erode trust while honesty strengthens it: “If you say yes when that’s not a reality, I’ll question your next yes.”

Bring innovation and imagination tailored to the client

Operators should understand the makeup of the workforce — blue collar vs. white collar, shifts, demographics — and design food and beverage offerings accordingly, both Hooper and Querin said. Breakroom services are tools that the companies lean on to build inclusion and engagement. Offering products that make associates feel seen and welcome — for example, stocking Jarritos sodas in locations with Hispanic associates — is a way for the company to reinforce culture and build engagement, Hooper said.

“Making sure that our employees feel seen regardless of what their location is or what their nationality is — that’s important as part of our culture as a whole,” Hooper said. “It’s not something that we write out as policy. It’s embedded within who we are.”

In addition to thoughtful product recommendations, Hooper and Querin said they expect their convenience services partners to stay one step ahead of the trends. Offer to host custom coffee tastings or pop-up sampling events for new snacks and beverages. “Don’t let someone else show up at my door with something new before you do,” Hooper said.

Measuring success

Shaw’s Hooper noted she meets weekly with her convenience services partner to review a proprietary dashboard that tracks product sales and helps identify service issues. At the same time, success looks beyond sales data volume to employee satisfaction and fewer complaints.

Both companies have put in place technology mechanisms to handle problems and complaints quickly.