What Does It Really Cost to Go Out to Lunch Every Day?
Going out to lunch is a common habit for many office workers. When their lunch break rolls around, many professionals head to their cars to visit a local restaurant and take a break from the hustle of the day.
When you stop to think about this pattern, however, it becomes clear that this is an expensive habit to maintain. Dining out has only grown more expensive in recent years, and the cost of a daily lunch will quickly add up to a sizable monthly tab. By offering affordable, tasty, healthy lunch options in micro markets or snacks in an office vending machine, you can provide employees with an attractive alternative to the pattern of dining out. Take a moment now to get in touch with InReach and learn more.
The Cost to Eat Out Every Day
Some Staggering Numbers
You don’t have to do any complicated math to arrive at some figures that are quite significant when it comes to the money spent on lunch during the workday. For this math, let’s use an estimate of $10 per lunch out— and that’s almost certainly on the low end for most people in most places, but it’s a starting point.
If a worker in your building goes out to lunch every day of the work week, that’s $50 total for the week. For an employee who works 50 weeks of the year (with two weeks off for vacation), the grand total is a whopping $2,500. That total could easily be higher if the lunches were occasionally more expensive, so you can see how this habit can get out of hand in a hurry from a financial perspective.
Now, of course, it’s not necessarily the case that an employee will go out to eat every single day of the week. Maybe they bring lunch a couple of days and go out on the other days. No matter how you slice it, however, dining out regularly during the workday is expensive and will take a big bite out of anyone’s monthly budget.
The Value of Time
There is no getting around the financial cost of buying lunch outside the office every day. But even if that cost was suitable for someone’s budget, there are still reasons to think about looking for an alternative. One such reason is the time it takes to travel to a restaurant, sit down and eat, and get back to the office.
Even for a restaurant that is located physically close to the office, there is the matter of sitting down, ordering, and waiting for the food to be brought to the table. This process can take a while, especially during a lunch rush with plenty of workers from other offices. With so much to be done in the average office and only so many hours available, spending extended lunches out in restaurants can put a strain on workers’ schedules. With office vending, it’s possible to save much of that time while still giving employees quality options to consider.
Health Costs Are Also a Factor
Let’s face it: the food available at restaurants doesn’t tend to be the healthiest. That’s not true across the board, as some restaurants do offer lighter and healthier fare, but for the most part, dining out is about indulging in food that tastes great but isn’t particularly healthy.
Having an occasional meal out is an enjoyable experience that’s fine every now and then, but going out day after day throughout the year could lead to some unwanted health consequences. Opting for lighter choices most days while mixing in the occasional lunch out may be a more appealing plan for many people.
Presenting an Attractive Alternative
You certainly aren’t going to tell your employees not to go out to lunch, but you can team up with InReach to give them a great option if they choose to stay in the building for the lunch hour. With quality meal and snack options just steps from their desks, it is certain that at least some of your team members will take advantage of the benefits of a vending machine or micro market several days a week. Let’s get started today!