ezCater, the #1 food tech platform for workplaces, released its third annual Lunch Report, revealing new insights into employees’ lunch habits. Although 98% of employees recognize the benefits of lunch breaks on job performance and productivity, nearly half (49%) skip lunch altogether at least once a week. Employees cite fear they won’t have enough time to get their work done (23%) and having too many meetings to take a break (19%) as key reasons they skip the lunch break.
“Lunch breaks are often sacrificed due to tight schedules, but they can play a major role in bringing people together and improving employee well-being,” said Kaushik Subramanian, Chief Revenue Officer, ezCater. “Organizations can be intentional in encouraging employees to take a break, and bringing in lunch is a great way to do that.”
This year, ezCater surveyed 5,000 full-time U.S. employees, uncovering how lunch breaks influence job performance, satisfaction, and well-being across generations and regions. Additional findings from ezCater’s 2024 Lunch Report include:
- Lunch breaks are losing ground: While employees recognize that lunch breaks can enhance job performance (98%), happiness (51%) and mental clarity (49%), only 38% take a break away from their desk every day during lunch.
- Gen Z workers are least likely to break for lunch: Despite half (50%) considering it the best part of the workday, 47% of Gen Zers miss out on lunch twice or more per week. Gen Zers are also four times more likely than Boomers to feel guilty for taking a break from work.
- Inflation bites into lunchtime: 78% of employees say inflation has impacted their lunch habits, with 36% opting for cheaper alternatives, 31% purchasing fewer meals, and 22% leveraging value menus, discounts, coupons or loyalty programs.
- ‘Little Treat Culture’ sweetens the workday: A trend that gained popularity on TikTok has become an office norm, especially among younger workers. Employees seek out small food treats for energy (53%), as a reward (42%), or stress relief (38%), with 87% of Gen Z enjoying treats weekly—the most of any generation.
- Free lunch boosts work attendance: Nearly 6 in 10 hybrid workers (58%) would work on-site 3 days a week if their employer provided free lunch.
“Providing lunch to employees not only prevents them from skipping meals and burning out, it also makes a sizable impact on their wallets. Whether companies subsidize some or all of the food cost, it is a workplace perk that will pay dividends in employee productivity and loyalty,” added Subramanian.
The full findings from ezCater’s 2024 Lunch Report are here. To learn more about how employers can use these insights to increase overall workplace productivity and job satisfaction, visit www.ezcater.com.
Methodology
These are the results of an online survey conducted from July 2024 of 5,000 respondents who are full-time workers who work in either a business office (full-time or hybrid), retail/grocery/warehouse setting, in hospitality, or a healthcare setting. Broken down, there were 1,000 respondents representing the national numbers and then 400 additional respondents each for the following DMAs: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Houston, Washington/Hagerstown, Boston/Manchester, and San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose. Sago Group, an independent research company, conducted the research.
