Last August, the number of in-office workers hit a five-year high, according to research from real estate firm CBRE. A lot of employees nationwide aren’t happy about returning to the office, whether it’s because they miss the quiet of working at home or not having to commute. But new research highlights another reason they may miss being fully remote: the unbelievably high cost of lunch.
A new study by BLogic Systems finds that the average office lunch now costs $23.60 in major metro areas. And even “inexpensive” fast food isn’t much cheaper.
- To come up with the cost of lunch, the study uses a Lunch Cost Model that compares the actual cost of a meal bought during the work day, a meal brought from home, and the annual totals of all of them.
- Using this, the study finds that a “daily diner,” someone who buys lunch every day at the office, could spend around $5,664 a year.
- BLogic Systems came up with this amount using popular lunch options like grain bowls, salads and protein plates, which cost between $18 and $23.
- It turns out, hybrid workers are spending even more, they’re getting coffee as well, and spending about $55 per day in the office. Those who are in the office three days a week could spend as much as $3,398.40 on lunch and coffee over a year.
- Fast food is cheaper, but not like it used to be. The average cost of a meal is $11.56, which adds up to $2,774.40 a year for those dining at places like McDonald’s regularly.
- Packing a lunch from home is by far the cheapest option at around $5.50 per meal. That saves workers more than $43-hundred a year, even with rising grocery prices.
For any employers out there wondering how to keep workers happy at the office, there’s a pretty simple solution: offer free lunch. According to a spokesperson for BLogic, “58% of employees say that free lunch would make them more willing to come in, but only 5% actually get it.”
Source: Food and Wine