FM On Demand with Tara Fitzpatrick: How food fits into the new corporate culture with T. Rowe Price’s head of global associate engagement

In this episode, our guest isn’t a chef or foodservice operator; Renee Christoff is head of global associate engagement at T. Rowe Price, an investment firm with many offices and many different employees. We talk about the pandemic’s lasting effect on what the workplace looks like, what she’s hearing from employees about reasons why and why not to return to the office. Like many companies, T. Rowe Price is encouraging employees to return to the office, but maybe just three days a week or some other hybrid setup.

That makes it tough to plan meals for this workforce, when they’re hard to pin down. Christoff and her team are looking at ways to make life easier at the office, at home and in between, and foodservice can be an MVP in that respect: Events that grab attention with culinary power, snacks on hand to graze on during office hours, food trucks to spice things up and even take-home meals for the busy employees, which have been a big hit. And getting to the heart of things, we talk about the power of comfort food: This investment firm loves its chicken tenders