What's Hot at Work for 2006; ARAMARK Industry Expert Richard Wyckoff Offers Top 5 Predictions for Which Office Refreshments Will Make Employee Productivity Sizzle

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2005--As a leader in workplace snacks and beverages, ARAMARK Refreshment Services Inc. recognizes that a quality refreshments program increases employee morale, loyalty and satisfaction, which in turn increases workplace productivity for company profitability. But how will "quality" be defined in 2006?

Richard Wyckoff, president of ARAMARK Refreshment Services and Business & Industry - Facility Services, is expert in spotting the latest workplace refreshments trends. Based on insights gained from the company's service to more than 100,000 client locations and nationwide research conducted by ARAMARK of consumer preferences, Wyckoff summarized his Top 5 Predictions for 2006:

“Our continual evaluation of attitudes, habits and perceptions enables us to develop more innovative services that help employees refuel, recharge, and get back to work.”

-- Demand percolates for single-cup coffee - Two trends will converge this winter: consumers' growing desire for more sophisticated coffee, and more aggressive marketing of single-cup brewers for home use. Coffee drinkers will increasingly demand coffee options at work that meet their individual tastes and offer the ease of use that single-cup coffee systems provide.

-- Tea's time - An increasing number of studies suggest several health benefits from the regular consumption of tea, and many companies are enhancing tea's appeal with new flavors and herbal supplements such as ginseng and Echinacea. This will drive more employees to regularly seek out tea as a quick "pick-me-up" in the office.

-- Water, water everywhere - Health and diet regimens across the board call for people to drink more water, and ARAMARK studies have shown that consumers are calling for water in the workplace more than any other beverage. Filtered and bottled water will proliferate in offices nationwide to help keep employees healthy and motivated.

-- Healthy vending goes mainstream - Employees are more frequently making their eating decisions at the office based on how convenient and portable their food options are. Recent Nutritional DiningStyles* research from ARAMARK shows that 96 percent of adults say that convenience and portability are critical to their eating decisions. At the same time, consumers are increasingly aware of the health implications of what they eat. Consumers are looking for help in refueling, recharging, and getting back to work more quickly, and help in finding and understanding healthier foods. More employers will respond with healthy vending options as an additional benefit, and as a way to provide a more comfortable and satisfying workplace.

-- No cash, no problem - Workplace satisfaction is often about convenience. Leading companies will begin to offer employees the ability to make vending purchases through credit cards, debit cards, and even employee identification badges.

"ARAMARK has a long history of researching consumer preferences and projecting how those preferences will change over time," said Wyckoff. "Our continual evaluation of attitudes, habits and perceptions enables us to develop more innovative services that help employees refuel, recharge, and get back to work."

About ARAMARK Refreshment Services

ARAMARK provides workplace refreshments to more than 100,000 locations throughout North America, offering clients a single source for office coffee service, water filtration, brand-name beverages, and food and break-room essentials. Through its Complete Breaktime Experience(TM), ARAMARK offers a holistic approach to providing outstanding client service.

About ARAMARK

ARAMARK Corporation is a world leader in providing award-winning food and facilities management services to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and corporations, as well as providing uniform and career apparel. ARAMARK was ranked number one in its industry in the 2005 FORTUNE 500 survey and was also named one of "America's Most Admired Companies" by FORTUNE magazine in 2005, consistently ranking since 1998 as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 242,500 employees serving clients in 20 countries. Learn more at www.aramark.com

*Editor's Note: ARAMARK's Nutritional DiningStyles research was conducted by Datassential Research and analyzed by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, independent research firms. It comprised 5,279 online interviews with adults aged 18 and over from across the United States. The data was weighted for age, gender, race and socio-economic status to ensure the total sample accurately reflected the U.S. adult population.