3 min readNew DelhiJan 9, 2026 01:48 PM IST
First published on: Jan 9, 2026 at 01:48 PM IST
A Los Angeles-based CEO has sparked online discussion after revealing that he spends nearly $3,000 a week buying lunch for his employee, an expense he considers well spent.
In a candid Instagram post, John Hu said treating his 30-member team to weekly meals is far from a frivolous perk. “I spend $3,000/week buying lunch for my team,” he wrote, addressing critics who often question the return on such spending. While some see it as wasteful, Hu said the value goes far beyond numbers.
He shared that lunchtime is when real connections are built. “I genuinely love spending time with my team… I actually do think there’s a huge ROI to this… We talk about life. We talk a little about work, and we laugh until our sides hurt.”
He adds that many might consider this “unproductive” on the surface, but he argues it is foundational to how his company functions. “Because the amount of connection, collaboration and good energy felt between the team outside of work builds so much cultural cohesion inside work,” Hu wrote.
“Our team operates at 10x the effectiveness of companies twice our size.”
Hu credited this culture-driven approach as a key reason his company has scaled rapidly. “We’ve grown to $30M+ ARR with just 30 people because,” he wrote, adding that when employees feel genuinely cared for and trust one another, they don’t just meet expectations, they exceed them.
“They’re pumped to absolutely CRUSH IT and lunch pays for itself.”
In the caption, he reinforced his belief that strong performance and positive culture are inseparable. “The brutal truth? A high-performance culture IS a feel-good culture, for the right people,” Hu said, noting that culture isn’t about surface-level perks but about creating an environment where talented people can thrive.
“So yes, that includes buying them lunch.”
Check out the post:
The post drew widespread appreciation in the comments.
An individual wrote, “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 person commented, “I love this so much! And what an incredible team you all are.” A third person added, “So incredibly cool to watch your progress!! Not afraid to take a different route and invest in PEOPLE!”
A fourth user shared, “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.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Hu studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before completing his education at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He began his career as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs in 2016, and founded his own company in 2021, taking on the role of CEO.
Hu shared that lunchtime is when real connections are built 
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