The high cost of lunching

Food inflation, which prevails in the new year, has made dining an increasingly costly affair, whether you’re eating at home or splurging on a night out. But even humble midday meals are astoundingly more expensive, especially for office workers.

According to a January study by BLogic Systems first reported in Food & Wine, the average office worker’s lunch bill comes to $23.60 in major urban areas. Those fitting the profile of a “Daily Diner,” someone who exclusively dines out, could be spending well over $5,000 a year, making those “let’s do lunch” invitations a lot less appetizing.

BLogic Systems determined this price tag by using its Lunch Cost Model, which calculates the annualized cost of workforce dining amongst four distinct employee groups over the course of a standard 48-week work year. In addition to the “Daily Diner,” the study profiles the “Hybrid Balance,” a person who eats out three days when in the office and enjoys low-cost leftovers when working remotely; the “Fast Food Regular,” who eats only fast-food meals, and the “Strategic Packer,” who sticks to homemade meals.

For the first group, the total weekly cost of a premium casual lunch (specifically grain bowls, salads and protein plates) and a daily coffee totaled $118, with an annual expenditure of $5,664. The weekly outlay for the “Hybrid Balance” came out to $70.80, adding up to $3,878 per year. “Fast Food Regulars” who didn’t purchase a daily coffee spent $2,774 annually. Packing homemade meals and coffee, meanwhile, costs more than $1,320 per year.

“A home-packed meal averages $5.50, keeping weekly spending low and annual costs minimal,” the study specified. “Compared to a daily diner, packing lunch saves workers over $4,300 a year, making it the only option that consistently beats inflation.”

However, the study also implies that occasional lunchtime indulgences offer a different kind of value. “Because hybrid workers are on-site less often, office days usually become social lunch days, which increases spending on Tuesdays through Thursdays,” it said.

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