Today is Employee Appreciation Day, and I wanted to share a quick thought and a practical resource sparked by an article we posted in this week's Monday Minute, “In the land of office perks, lunch is still king” (ICYMI).

The piece highlights how, even as companies trim back on flashy benefits, food remains one of the most valued ways to say “thank you.”​

Research shows that corporate catering has actually surpassed weddings as a revenue source for caterers, and roughly half of catering companies now say corporate clients are their primary business.

I believe in the power of "breaking bread." That's why lunch still matters.

Long before we had HR handbooks and employee surveys, people built trust and community by sharing food.

Sitting down to a meal has always been one of the most basic ways humans say, “You’re safe here. You belong with us.” Across cultures and centuries, “breaking bread” has meant more than filling a plate; it’s how families reconcile, how neighbors become friends, and how teams become something more than a collection of individuals.

That’s why lunch is still king.

When we “break bread” together—whether it’s pizza around a conference table or a delivered meal to a remote home office—we’re doing something our species has always done to create connection.

The conversation feels different when there’s food on the table.

People lower their guard, share stories, and see each other as people first and job titles second. It’s a small, everyday way to build the kind of trust that no software platform or policy can manufacture.

In a profession like building design, where so much of our work is about relationships—between designer and client, designer and builder, firm owner and staff—shared meals become an extension of our craft.

In the homes we design, we bring people together in kitchens, dining rooms, and great rooms; doesn’t it make sense that we should also use food to bring our own teams and partners together?

“Breaking bread” is a reminder that our work is ultimately about human connection, not just producing construction documents.

That’s why I’ve leaned into services like DoorDash for Business for our fully remote A-Team, and ezCater when I’m hosting in‑person gatherings like our recent AIBD pizza party, or AIBD Connects (neither is an AIBD sponsor, btw).

Those tools are just modern ways to do something very old: to gather people around a meal and say, “You matter to us.”

You don't have to have employees for these referrals to be valuable resources.

Whether you have a staff of ten, a single assistant, or a practice of one, intentionally “breaking bread” with the people who support your work—employees, collaborators, clients, or chapter members—is one of the most practical, time‑tested ways to appreciate them.

About half of our community is made up of solo or very small firms, and Employee Appreciation Day can feel like it’s “for other people.” I’d encourage you to see it differently:

• Treat your collaborators – engineers, drafters, bookkeepers, or that realtor who sends you referrals – to lunch now and then.
• Use tools like DoorDash for Business or ezCater when you host client design sessions, builder roundtables, or local chapter meet‑ups; they both support small teams and one‑off events, not just big corporate campuses.
• And if nothing else, appreciate yourself today: a good lunch and 30 minutes away from the screen is still one of the simplest ways to protect your creativity and reduce burnout.​

No matter the size of your practice, I hope you’ll take a moment today to recognize the people who make your work possible.

Even if that's just you.

Steve Mickley

Executive Director, American Institute of Building Design

Email: steve.mickley@AIBD.org​

Let's chat: AIBD.org/meetsteve

PS - The AIBD virtual conference room is always open (https://meet.goto.com/AIBD). Join me around noon today, I'll be having lunch.