[Meal Subsidy Limit Raised for First Time in 40 Years] 'Kitchen-less' Cafeteria Sites Grow 5x in 5 Years; 2 in 3 Employees Feel 'Household Budget is Supported'
Bondish Inc.'s kitchen-less employee cafeteria business grew 5 times in 5 years. Fueled by a 40-year first tax exemption increase for meal subsidies, 66.7% of users feel it supports their finances.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 18:31 (224h 0m after Collected)
The kitchen-less employee cafeteria operated by Bondish Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shuichiro Kamigata; hereinafter Bondish), which plans and operates employee cafeterias and catering to 'connect bonds with a delicious dish', has expanded its bases by about 5 times over the 5 years since 2020. It was found that about 2 out of 3 employees (66.7%) of the adopting companies feel that 'it is a support for the household budget'.
As the tax exemption limit for meal subsidies is raised for the first time in 40 years from April, it contributes to the improvement of the working environment as an urban employee cafeteria providing warm meals regardless of location or facilities.
### Corporate Meal Subsidy Tax Exemption Limit Raised for First Time in 40 Years: From 3,500 yen to Max 7,500 yen
Starting in April, the government raised the non-taxable limit for meal subsidies in employee cafeterias from 3,500 yen to 7,500 yen per month. The meal subsidy system is a system where the portion paid by the company for meals provided to employees becomes non-taxable if certain conditions (*1) are met. This standard amount has been kept unchanged for 40 years since 1984, but this revision is taking place against the backdrop of rising prices and other factors.
*1: The employee bears 50% or more of the meal cost, and the company's burden is 7,500 yen or less per month.
### Kitchen-less Employee Cafeteria: 2 out of 3 Feel It Supports the Household Budget
As the legal revision of the meal subsidy system begins, our kitchen-less employee cafeteria, which requires no on-site kitchen, is gaining support as part of employee benefits. The kitchen-less cafeteria, which delivers dishes cooked in a central kitchen to each office via a catering method, has grown its number of bases by about 5 times over the 5 years from 2020 to 2025. It is expanding the number of bases at a pace of about 1.3 times every year.
Additionally, according to a survey (*2) conducted targeting employees of companies that have adopted our employee cafeteria, 66.7% of respondents, or about 2 out of 3 people, answered that 'having an employee cafeteria feels like a support for the household budget (a practical allowance)'.
Furthermore, when asked 'How much do you feel you are saving on lunch costs per meal by having an employee cafeteria?', about 80% of the total responded that 'lunch costs are cheaper'.
Looking at the breakdown, 'about 100 yen to 300 yen' accounted for 38.9%, and 'about 300 yen to 500 yen' accounted for 27.2%, making this price range the volume zone.
As the tax exemption limit for meal subsidies is raised for the first time in 40 years from April, it contributes to the improvement of the working environment as an urban employee cafeteria providing warm meals regardless of location or facilities.
### Corporate Meal Subsidy Tax Exemption Limit Raised for First Time in 40 Years: From 3,500 yen to Max 7,500 yen
Starting in April, the government raised the non-taxable limit for meal subsidies in employee cafeterias from 3,500 yen to 7,500 yen per month. The meal subsidy system is a system where the portion paid by the company for meals provided to employees becomes non-taxable if certain conditions (*1) are met. This standard amount has been kept unchanged for 40 years since 1984, but this revision is taking place against the backdrop of rising prices and other factors.
*1: The employee bears 50% or more of the meal cost, and the company's burden is 7,500 yen or less per month.
### Kitchen-less Employee Cafeteria: 2 out of 3 Feel It Supports the Household Budget
As the legal revision of the meal subsidy system begins, our kitchen-less employee cafeteria, which requires no on-site kitchen, is gaining support as part of employee benefits. The kitchen-less cafeteria, which delivers dishes cooked in a central kitchen to each office via a catering method, has grown its number of bases by about 5 times over the 5 years from 2020 to 2025. It is expanding the number of bases at a pace of about 1.3 times every year.
Additionally, according to a survey (*2) conducted targeting employees of companies that have adopted our employee cafeteria, 66.7% of respondents, or about 2 out of 3 people, answered that 'having an employee cafeteria feels like a support for the household budget (a practical allowance)'.
Furthermore, when asked 'How much do you feel you are saving on lunch costs per meal by having an employee cafeteria?', about 80% of the total responded that 'lunch costs are cheaper'.
Looking at the breakdown, 'about 100 yen to 300 yen' accounted for 38.9%, and 'about 300 yen to 500 yen' accounted for 27.2%, making this price range the volume zone.