Turn lunch into a strategic advantage. Sugarless.Cafe provides low‑carb, Asian‑fusion meals that boost productivity, trim absenteeism, and cost up to 40 % less than an equivalent cash raise.
Give your team meals they’ll actually look forward to, and enjoy the business benefits that come with it.
50 % of meal costs are deductible; cash raises are fully taxable and trigger CPP/EI contributions.
Evidence-based menus lower blood-sugar spikes, eliminate the 2 p.m. slump, and reduce absenteeism.
87 % of candidates weigh wellness perks when choosing an employer; stand out with daily gourmet lunches.
One subscription price, no kitchen overhead, scalable from 5 to 1 000 employees.
| Benefit Category | What It Means for Decision-Makers | Evidence & Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hard-Dollar Tax & Payroll Savings | Meals are a deductible business expense (generally 50% in Canada); salary raises are 100 % taxable income and trigger payroll levies. | CRA caps the claim on meals/entertainment at 50 % of cost, but that still reduces taxable income versus a wage top-up where the full amount is taxed (Canada.ca) • A $3,600/year meal plan (≈ $15 per workday) really costs the employer ≈ $3,114 after the deduction (assumes 27 % general corp. tax). • To give employees the same after-tax $3,600 in cash, you must gross up pay to ≈ $5,100 (28 % average B.C. income tax + CPP + EI), plus employer CPP 5.95 % (Canada.ca) and EI 2.30 % (Canada.ca)—total employer outlay ≈ $5,475. → The meal route can be ~40 % cheaper per employee. |
| 2. Lower Health-Care & Absenteeism Costs | Healthy eating is the most evidence-backed part of wellness programs; it cuts chronic-disease risk and sick days. | Meta-analysis of 22 rigorous studies: every $1 spent on wellness saves $3.27 in medical costs and $2.73 in absenteeism (PubMed). • Absenteeism already costs Canadian firms >$16 B a year—roughly nine days per worker (teksmed.com). Even a 10 % drop in sick days saves ~0.9 days/employee, worth an extra $300–$400 of payroll productivity per person. |
| 3. Productivity & Cognitive Performance Boost | Stable blood-sugar meals prevent the 2 p.m. “carb crash,” keeping staff alert and engaged. | Harvard and other studies link low-glycemic, high-protein lunches to 25 % higher task accuracy in the afternoon—translating into real output gains (internal research portfolio; backed by HealthAffairs ROI above). |
| 4. Recruitment, Retention & Employer Brand | Wellness perks are now table stakes for talent in a tight labour market. | 87 % of workers consider health & wellness offerings when choosing an employer; average wellness ROI is 6 : 1 when both hard and “value-on-investment” (VOI) metrics are counted (SFM Mutual Insurance). • Feeding staff daily reinforces a caring culture and differentiates the employer brand on LinkedIn, Glassdoor and campus hiring circuits. |
| 5.ESG & Corporate Social Responsibility | Supporting metabolic health aligns with UN SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-Being) and boosts the company’s sustainability profile. | C-suite and investors increasingly score firms on holistic ESG performance; employee-health initiatives are a quick-win disclosure in annual reports and B-corp assessments. |
| 6. Simpler, Predictable Cost Control. | Fixed per-employee meal subscription eliminates the open-ended liability of wage creep. Plans can be flexed for on-site, hybrid or remote staff, billed to the wellness or training budget instead of payroll. | Sugarless.Cafe’s weekly plans are priced per head and change menus every week—no internal catering overhead for you. |
| 7. Compliance Leverage | Meals can be structured to minimize or eliminate taxable benefit status (e.g., modest on-site cafeteria pricing or inclusion in full-staff functions up to six times per year). | CRA treats subsidized meals as non-taxable when the employee pays a reasonable cost covering food + prep; all-staff social events (≤ 6/year) are 100 % deductible (Canada.ca). Your tax adviser can fine-tune the plan. |
| Scenario | Annual Employer Outlay | Net Cost After Tax/Premiums | Health & Absence Savings* | Effective Net Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15/day Healthy Meal Plan | $360,000 | $311,400 | –$150,000 (Harvard ROI midpoint) | $161,400 |
| Equivalent Cash Raise | $547,500 | $547,500 | $0 | $547,500 |
**Assumes $3.27 medical + $2.73 absence return per $1 spent; conservatively capped at 50 % realization in Year 1.
Please be advised that the provided pricing is for illustrative purposes only and serves as a reference. Final pricing is subject to change based on ingredient costs and other factors. We reserve the right to adjust prices without prior notice.
Result: A fiscally smarter, talent-magnet benefit that pays for itself while reinforcing your commitment to employee well-being.
Meet our team of experts
UBC‑trained MBA who speaks CFO & HR fluently. Put his type-2 diabetes into remission using a medication-free, low-carb diet and earned Health Coach certification from the renowned Dr. Berg. Helped over 600,000 followers with healthy eating online; now bringing that success to corporate dining.
PhD in Pharmacology Science. Over 30 years of professional kitchen leadership. Merges clinical nutrition data with restaurant‑grade flavor—every dish passes a double‑blind taste test.
Each weekly menu is macro‑calculated and micronutrient‑checked. Full nutritional panel is available for compliance & reporting.
Feature | Benefit |
Low-carb / Keto-Friendly Menus | Stable energy, no 2 p.m. crash |
Seed-Oil-Free Cooking | Anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy fats |
Gluten‑Free | Celiac‑safe; reduces inflammation & bloating |
Weekly-Rotating Dishes | Zero menu fatigue; global Asian-fusion flair |
Single Drop-Off | Meals arrive fresh each morning; no midday disruptions |
Step | What Happens |
1 Taste & Approve | We drop off complimentary sample lunches at your office. After the tasting you may confirm head‑count pricing and program start date. |
2 Order Weekly Online | Every Friday your coordinator selects dishes from the coming week’s rotating menu—takes under 5 minutes. |
3 Daily Delivery | Fresh, labelled meals arrive each weekday morning. Just contact us for any questions you may have. |
