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Could toting homemade lunches to work be having a notable impact on restaurants revenue? Quite possibly.
More employees are bringing lunches from home than they have in years, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The number of lunches bought from restaurants and other businesses fell 3% in 2024 from 2023, according to consumer analytics firm Circana. That is fewer lunches than were purchased during the height of the pandemic work-from-home wave in 2020. On the flip side, food purchases from grocery and other stores that shoppers plan to eat at home or bring to work for lunch have climbed by 1%.
The pivot to bringing your own lunch is a threat to the already-struggling delis, cafes and other office-area eateries that nearly went out of business during the 2020 pandemic.
Lunchtime foot traffic at fast casual restaurants in the U.S. dropped an average of 7.9% year-over-year in the first quarter, according to market-research firm Black Box Intelligence. Traffic to fast-food chain outlets and other quick-service restaurants showed a similar trend, falling an average of 4.2%.
Many workers say they can’t afford to eat out for lunch. Hybrid office workers spent an average of $21.06 on lunch in 2024, up from $16 in 2023, according to a study by videoconferencing company Owl Labs.
While preparing your lunch may cut back on eating out costs, the Wall Street Journal reports, it comes with its own challenges, like finding a spot in the packed company fridge, forgetting your lunch at home or being bored with your meals.
