The 5 Restaurants That Corporate Workers Expense the Most

By Kate Taylor Oct 09, 2013
Rien Meulman Fotografie for Starbucks

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Forget business negotiations over elaborate dinners and wine. Today, business people are spending company cash on fast and cheap food.

Starbucks and McDonald’s top the list of most-expensed restaurants in a survey released Tuesday by Certify, an expense-management software company.

The average expensed meal was $18.72 in the third quarter, up from $16.72 in the second quarter. Of the top five expensed restaurants, Panera was the restaurant where people spent the most – $35.35 per meal. The cheapest was McDonald’s, where expensed meals averaged $7.45.

Of course, spending patterns differed by region. While Starbucks remained on top in most cities, in New York, orders on Seamless reigned supreme, representing 7% of all expenses on average.

Check out the slideshow below to find out which restaurants are making the most off of hungry corporate workers.

Related: From Starbucks to Domino’s: 6 Tasty Companies With Awesome Mobile Apps

1. Starbucks

Percent of expenses: 4.9 percent

Average charge: $9.51

2. McDonald’s

Percent of expenses: 3 percent

Average charge: $7.45

3. Subway

Percent of expenses: 1.9 percent

Average charge: $14.09

4. Panera Bread

Percent of expenses: 1.6 percent

Average charge: $35.35

5. HMS Host

Percent of expenses: 1.3 percent

Average charge: $16.26

Forget business negotiations over elaborate dinners and wine. Today, business people are spending company cash on fast and cheap food.

Starbucks and McDonald’s top the list of most-expensed restaurants in a survey released Tuesday by Certify, an expense-management software company.

The average expensed meal was $18.72 in the third quarter, up from $16.72 in the second quarter. Of the top five expensed restaurants, Panera was the restaurant where people spent the most – $35.35 per meal. The cheapest was McDonald’s, where expensed meals averaged $7.45.

Of course, spending patterns differed by region. While Starbucks remained on top in most cities, in New York, orders on Seamless reigned supreme, representing 7% of all expenses on average.

Check out the slideshow below to find out which restaurants are making the most off of hungry corporate workers.

Related: From Starbucks to Domino’s: 6 Tasty Companies With Awesome Mobile Apps

1. Starbucks

Percent of expenses: 4.9 percent

Average charge: $9.51

2. McDonald’s

Percent of expenses: 3 percent

Average charge: $7.45

3. Subway

Percent of expenses: 1.9 percent

Average charge: $14.09

4. Panera Bread

Percent of expenses: 1.6 percent

Average charge: $35.35

5. HMS Host

Percent of expenses: 1.3 percent

Average charge: $16.26

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Kate Taylor

Reporter at Business Insider
Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor.

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