This is exactly what you are worth to doctors and their staffs. My daughter, a NP, interviewed with three offices in the past two weeks and one of her"perks" was that lunch would be provided each day! By guess who. Do you know why most doctors are lousy dressers? Because we don't buy their clothes. I had a doctor who sent letters to selected reps that he wanted us to split the cost of the catering for his daughter's wedding! God honest truth!
Very sad that intelligent, well- educated, well trained professionals are perceived as little more than a meal ticket. Been doing this for twelve years, and it was bad early in my career, but is much worse now. I, personally am planning my exit from Pharma very soon. The money and benes are great, but not worth my own self respect. Being a caterer isn't why I went to college.
Even more sadly, management includes this activity as a metric by which to measure our performance. Don't do at least three lunches a week and you are perceived as not working! The pharma sales model that started about 20 yrs ago when lunches and dinner programs,became mandatory needs to be scrapped. Until we regain the respect from physicians that we once had, we are doomed, and e-marketing will replace us. As the newly minted, money- driven doctors continue to come into practice, we will be replaced by Amazon and Ali Baba....order your lunch by 9, delivered by noon. Product literature included free.