Lunchtime gets longer
British workers are spending more time and more money on lunch, according to the eighth Lunchtime Report by contract caterer Eurest.
Its survey of nearly 2,500 adults across Britain and Northern Ireland found workers taking their longest lunch breaks in a decade, an average of 36 minutes.
Three in five workers (or 60%) are now making time for lunch each day, compared with just 44% in 1997.
And the number who never take a lunch break has plummeted to 18%, from 29% in 1997. Staff in Yorkshire appear to work the hardest, with 21% routinely skipping lunch.
Workers now spend an average of £1.98 on lunch each day, 17% more than in 1998, when they spent £1.69, and 65% up on 1990's average of £1.20.
Londoners are the biggest spenders at £2.40 and workers in the north-east of England the lowest at £1.51.
The free staff lunch has become a thing of the past for all but 5% of workers. At the extremes, only 2% of North-easterners dine courtesy of their employer, while 8% of staff in the South of England and Northern Ireland are served for free.
This perhaps explains why employees in Northern Ireland are the greatest fans of the staff restaurant, which is the top choice for 28% of the workforce there.
The sandwich remains the top lunchtime food for 49% of the labour market.
Eurest is the workplace catering arm of Compass Group.
by Angela Frewin angela.frewin@rbi.co.uk
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