$3,000 on team lunches! Startup boss spends ₹2,70,450 weekly on meals, calls lunch money the “best investment”

Work perks come in all shapes, but the best ones build real connections that bring in results. In quick-paced, typically professional startups, where ideas fly and pressure looms, leaders set the tone by connecting with people over policies.


It is actually the shared moments like team lunches and joint dinners that help to build trust, creativity, and loyalty that spreadsheets can't measure. Setting an example is a Los Angeles-based CEO who spends thousands of dollars on his team, meets and greets each week.

The $3,000 weekly lunch habit

Los Angeles CEO John Hu shells out nearly $3,000 or ₹2,70,450 each week on lunches for his 30-person team, making it his top spend. According to his Instagram post, he shared visuals of team time and wrote that these meals boost closeness and smooth operations. Far from casual eats, they include connection into daily rhythm, proving small costs yield big cohesion for lean

It's about creating an environment where people work there best

Hu skips flashy extras, prioritising setups where talent grows. In the Instagram caption, he wrote, “The brutal truth? A high-performance culture IS a feel-good culture... for the right people.” He continued, “Culture isn’t about ping pong tables or unlimited PTO. It’s about creating an environment where the best people can do their best work. So yes, that includes buying them lunch.”

Why does it pay off at the end

Hu calls lunch cash his “best investment,” adding, “It’s in the people who make everything possible.” Photos show relaxed hangouts creating energy that lifts work. His startup grows faecause of this team spirit, 30 people punching way above their weight against huge companies. Meals around the table build that rock-solid trust, changing regular groups into total powerhouses.

Social media response

Hu's post lit up social media feeds. One commenter said, “If they have to ask what the ROI is, they don’t get it! I’m glad you can spread this message and hopefully inspire some change in other offices!”

Another wrote, “I used to manage a team of 80 people, sitting down with them for lunch and just chatting about anything and everything that didn’t have to do with work was some of the best investment of time I made there. You are nothing without your team, and you are unstoppable when they feel heard and valued.” Fans appreciated the human touch.

John Hu's background

Hu also has a solid educational background and career trajectory. His LinkedIn lists a degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Stanford GSB. He kicked off at Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst in 2016 for over a year, then launched his LA startup as CEO in 2021.