Global Relay’s new menu draws in work from home staff

Global Relay employees are allowed to work from home but many are returning to the office. Could a high quality staff lunch be better than remote working?

Work from home vs the office

Unlike Amazon, this tech giant isn’t forcing employees back to the office full time. Global Relay’s incentives, such as smoothies, subsidised lunches and afternoon drinks, draws work from home staff back to the office on its own merit. 

Global Relay’s London office, located on Cannon Street, has evolved over the past few years. With multiple floors and kitchens, employees have the freedom to work, relax and enjoy good food in the office. The building offers quiet areas for prayer, a terrace for summer barbecues, and a games room for socialising. 

In 2023 Head Chef Slavko Švagelj was feeding around 240 people a day, as most employees chose to work from home. His team now caters up to 560 meals for lunch. Of course employees still enjoy flexible and remote working, but the increase in office catering shows a significant demand for what Slavko and the office has to offer. 

What’s for lunch?

Slavko seasonally rotates his bistro menu. Feeding a diverse team with varying dietary requirements, he needs to offer protein, vegan, and gluten free options. In summer, a typical lunch might be Korean Glazed Chicken with a crunchy salad, while a typical winter meal would be Beef Bourguignon with creamy mashed potatoes and tenderstem broccoli. 

He offers a soup of the day all year round, alongside freshly baked bread or croutons. “Yesterday we served Corn Chowder and it was gone in 5 minutes.. it’s so delicious and creamy with soft pieces of potato.” Lunch is served promptly at 12:00 every day, and his carefully curated menu leaves no room for wastage. 

How do you feed 560 people at once?

Slavko creatively combines fresh and frozen ingredients. By working with key suppliers like Mustard Foods, his chefs can focus on making things like gnocchi and baked salmon fillets from scratch, while pairing it with a quality supplied product. “I use Steak Diane on the winter menu. I serve it with homemade gnocchi, sautéed greens, and a dollop of creme fraiche”

On the afternoon we visited, Slavko and his team were preparing large trays of lasagna for the following day. Once again, he cleverly combined ingredients layering lasagna sheets with a homemade bechamel and Mustard’s Bolognese Sauce. 

Why partner with Mustard?

Slavko and his team aren’t simply preparing staff breakfast and lunch, they cater for board meetings with executives, canapés for cocktail parties, and high profile events like their partnership with the Royal Ascot. Slavko needs a high quality, consistent food partner to maintain the company’s high standards for all catered events. 

“For the Royal Ascot we served arancini with freshly grated truffle and truffle honey, it was incredible. I like to give people good quality food.”