Breakroom budget by headcount.
A 50-person office running a healthy managed program at $7 per employee per day will spend about $7,700 per month, or $92,400 per year. Coffee-only at $2/day comes in around $2,200/month. This guide breaks down what each tier, $2, $3, $5, $7, and $10 per employee per day, actually delivers, with monthly totals across five common office sizes.
How the per-employee-per-day math works
The standard formula across the industry: headcount × per-employee-per-day rate × 22 working days per month. A 100-person office at $5/day = 100 × $5 × 22 = $11,000/month. The rate compresses everything (coffee, snacks, equipment, service, delivery) into one number, but what you actually get for that rate varies wildly by tier.
| Tier | 25 ppl | 50 ppl | 100 ppl | 200 ppl | 350 ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee-only ($2/day) | $1,100 | $2,200 | $4,400 | $8,800 | $15,400 |
| Basic managed ($3/day) | $1,650 | $3,300 | $6,600 | $13,200 | $23,100 |
| Good managed ($5/day) | $2,750 | $5,500 | $11,000 | $22,000 | $38,500 |
| Healthy / premium ($7/day) | $3,850 | $7,700 | $15,400 | $30,800 | $53,900 |
| Specialty ($10/day) | $5,500 | $11,000 | $22,000 | $44,000 | $77,000 |
Monthly totals at 22 working days. Annual = monthly × 12.
What $3/day actually buys
Basic snacks (variety packs, mass-market brands), drip coffee with commodity beans, limited dietary options (maybe one or two vegan items, no GF labeling), weekly stocking. Equipment is basic drip machines, possibly rented. This is the tier most national broadliners default-quote without prompting, adequate for offices that don\'t prioritize wellness.
What $5/day actually buys
A real managed program. Coffee shifts to mid-tier beans (Peet\'s, named regional roasters), snacks include some better-for-you brands (Kind, RXBAR, Lesser Evil), dietary options expand to ~20% of menu, biweekly or weekly stocking with photo-confirmed visits, basic account portal. The floor for a program your wellness-conscious employees won\'t complain about.
What $7–$8/day actually buys
The sweet spot for healthy programs. Specialty coffee (Counter Culture, Sightglass, local roasters), 40–60 SKUs across six categories with 30%+ dietary inclusion, bean-to-cup or higher-grade equipment, weekly stocking with menu input from your team, full account portal with real-time inventory. This is what we benchmark in our provider directory.
What $10+/day actually buys
Executive-tier. Single-origin coffee, chef-curated rotations, fresh-prep stations, dedicated account manager, custom branded packaging, monthly tasting events, and premium amenities. Justified at the very top of the market or for client-facing offices where the breakroom is a brand asset.
Hybrid office adjustments
If your office is 2–3 days per week in-person on average, negotiate consumption-based pricing, per drink, snack, and coffee actually served. Most providers will offer this, but you have to ask. Expect to land at 40–60% of nominal headcount cost. Don\'t pay $7/day per nominal employee if 60% of them aren\'t there.