I’m lucky enough to work directly across the street from home, so I can go back for lunch most days. I can’t overstate how much I enjoy that convenience. I never have to pack a meal, I can cook whatever I want, and lately I’ve been spending my breaks making and photographing grilled cheese sandwiches for a cookbook project.
Even though I love preparing my own lunch, I sometimes splurge on the lunch options that come to my office. I work at a company with about 3,000 employees, many of them in their twenties, and plenty of people don’t bring packed lunches. Because of that demand, our building has a wide variety of lunchtime choices: a cafeteria, several food trucks that visit daily, and a service called Fooda that arranges for three local restaurants to serve lunch on weekdays. The restaurants rotate on the schedule, so there’s always something different, and people have their favorites.
My favorite is Zocalo. When they’re on the Fooda schedule I often change my mind about going home for lunch and order from them instead. Zocalo is the sister restaurant to Taco Joint, another favorite of mine, and both offer flavorful, satisfying options that are perfect for a midday meal.
Fooda’s model brings established local restaurants into office and residential buildings across Chicago. It’s a smart approach: restaurants get to expand their lunch service into a busier window, the company introduces more people to their food, and employees get convenient, higher-quality options without leaving the building. For restaurants facing a slower daytime trade, it’s an efficient way to reach new customers, and for office workers it’s a welcome variety of tasty meals.
If you’re in Chicago, check whether Fooda serves your building or neighborhood. If they do, try Zocalo or Taco Joint when they’re on the roster—both make excellent lunch choices and showcase why these kinds of partnerships are so popular.
Happy Friday, and enjoy your next lunch whether you make it at home or order in.