Lunch Hour Phasing Out
April 6th, 2007Whatever happened to the business lunch?
The end of lunch hour could be bad news for restaurants.
A new study shows that our lunch “hours” are more like 25 minutes, and often just 8 minute breaks. As such, we’re eating more “grab-and-go foods” from grocery stores at our desks – and restaurants are feeling the pain. More than a third of the $182 billion industry comes from lunch sales. But since 2000, the total growth for restaurant lunches has been under $1 billion. Sandwich joints are apparently in danger of going under, while desk jockeys load up on self-serve deli products (up 7.2%), fresh produce (up 12.9%), and bottled water (up 17.8%).
