Meal Allowance
Feed your team, wherever they work
Monthly meal credit for restaurants, food delivery, and groceries — employees choose how they spend it.
In most African cities, eating well during the workday means spending real money. Street food, delivery apps, restaurant lunches — the costs add up fast. A RibiBenefits meal allowance puts that decision back in your employees' hands, funded by you, with zero paper vouchers or manual distribution.
94%
Avg. monthly redemption rate
18+
Cities with restaurant partners
6
Delivery platforms supported
2 weeks
Go-live time
The benefit explained
What is it, exactly?
A recurring monthly credit your company loads to each employee's BenefitsCard. They can spend it at partner restaurants, load it to local food delivery apps, or use it for grocery shops — whatever suits their city and lifestyle that month.
Step by step
How it works
From setup to employees spending — here's the full flow.
Your company sets a monthly meal allowance per employee tier.
On the 1st of each month, the credit appears in each employee's BenefitsCard.
Employees choose: dine at a partner restaurant, order delivery, or shop groceries.
Vouchers and credits are issued instantly in-app. No paper, no claims.
Unused credit resets at month end.
Full coverage
What's included
The difference
Before RibiBenefits vs. after
- Manual voucher distribution every month
- Employees lose paper vouchers
- Only Lagos restaurants covered
- Finance team reconciles manually at month end
- Zero visibility on which benefits are used
- Credit loads automatically on the 1st
- Digital credits in-app — nothing to lose
- 50+ cities across 6 markets covered
- Fully automated reconciliation and reporting
- Real-time usage dashboard for HR and Finance
For your organisation
Why HR teams choose it
Zero admin overhead
No manual voucher distribution. No end-of-month reconciliation. The platform handles everything automatically.
Improve talent attraction
Meal allowances are one of the most valued employee benefits across Africa. Include it and stand out in competitive talent markets.
Tax-efficient in most markets
In several African markets, employer-funded meal benefits qualify for tax exemptions. Our team will advise on your specific markets.
Targeting
Who is this benefit for?
This benefit works across many employee profiles. Here's where it has the most impact.
Office-based teams
Daily lunch is a real cost. A meal credit covers it and removes a daily decision employees otherwise make alone.
Field & sales teams
Reps eating on the road spend personally. A meal credit removes the reimbursement cycle entirely.
Remote & hybrid workers
No office canteen. A meal credit compensates for what office workers take for granted.
All-staff programmes
Meal is the most universally valued benefit category — it's the right place to start if you're building a benefits programme for the first time.
The question Finance always asks
Why not just add it to salary?
Because cash disappears into rent, debt repayment, or savings — and employees don't associate it with you. A ring-fenced meal credit is used for meals every single month. Employees see your company name every time they eat. That visible, recurring value builds loyalty in a way an equivalent salary bump simply doesn't. Studies across African markets consistently show that named benefits have 30–40% higher perceived value than equivalent cash.
The perception gap
Equivalent cash added to salary
55% perceived value vs cost
Named benefit credit
87% perceived value vs cost
Based on RibiBenefits employee surveys across African markets, 2024.
Employee perspective
What employees get
Benefits only work if employees actually use them. Here's why they do.
Spend how you want
Restaurant this week, groceries next week. No restrictions on how you split your allowance.
Works in your city
We activate local restaurant and grocery partners where your employees actually live — not just in the capital.
No paperwork
Book a restaurant, get a voucher code instantly. Show it at the door. Done.
“Our employees used to ask why we didn't offer meal allowances like competitors. Six weeks after launching on RibiBenefits, that question stopped completely. The app makes it visible — they see the credit land every month and they know exactly who put it there.”
Where it works
Available markets
Tax & compliance note
In Nigeria, employer-funded meal benefits are exempt from PAYE up to certain monthly thresholds under FIRS guidelines. In Kenya and Egypt, similar exemptions apply. We'll walk you through the specifics for your markets during onboarding.
Common questions
Questions
Build your package
Pair it with
Most companies combine 3–5 benefit categories. Here's what works well alongside meal allowance.
Ready when you are
Add Meal Allowance to your package
Book a demo and we'll show you exactly how it works for your team and markets. Most companies go live within two weeks.
- No procurement process — one contract
- Go live in 2 weeks or less
- Dedicated onboarding support included
- Cancel any time, no lock-in