Get All Access for $5/mo

The 5 Restaurants That Corporate Workers Expense the Most Fast-food chains such as Starbucks, McDonald's and Subway make up the highest percentage of meal expenses on corporate cards.

By Kate Taylor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Rien Meulman Fotografie for Starbucks

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

Image Credit: knightnews.com

1. Starbucks

Percent of expenses: 4.9 percent

Average charge: $9.51

Image Credit: cbsnews.com

2. McDonald's

Percent of expenses: 3 percent

Average charge: $7.45

Image Credit: THOMAS METTHE/REPORTER-NEWS

3. Subway

Percent of expenses: 1.9 percent

Average charge: $14.09

Image Credit: jimdonovan.com

4. Panera Bread

Percent of expenses: 1.6 percent

Average charge: $35.35

Image Credit: HMS Host

5. HMS Host

Percent of expenses: 1.3 percent

Average charge: $16.26

Kate Taylor

Reporter

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. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This Former Starbucks Employee Started a Side Hustle That's Making More Than $70,000 a Month — and He's Not Done Yet

When Tom Saar moved to New York City, he spotted a lucrative business opportunity.

Business News

Is One Company to Blame for Soaring Rental Prices in the U.S.?

The FBI recently raided a major corporate landlord while investigating a rent price-fixing scheme. Here's what we know.

Business News

Amazon Has a Blank Book Problem: Buyers Report Receiving Fakes of Bestselling UFO Book

The book looked fine on the outside, but the inside was out-of-this-world.

Business News

Paramount Leadership Alludes to Layoffs If Merger Does Not Go Through

Paramount is awaiting approval on its merger with Skydance Media from majority shareholder Shari Redstone.

Business News

Microsoft Reportedly Lays Off Over 1,500 Employees in Cloud Sector as Partnership with OpenAI Strengthens

Alphabet also reportedly laid off employees from several teams in Google's cloud unit last week.

Marketing

6 SEO Tips to Help You Rank in the New Era of Quality Content

What is the best SEO strategy after Google's March 2024 core update? Here's what you need to know.