The lunch rush is dead as Americans live for the weekend

As the work landscape shifts towards a hybrid model, with many of us toggling between home and office, a curious trend emerges: the decline of the traditional workday lunch outing. Data from Square, a digital payments platform, reveals a 3.3% drop in weekday lunch transactions compared to pre-pandemic levels. Instead, consumers redirect spending towards weekends and happy hours, indicating a significant shift in post-work leisure habits.

This change is reflected in bustling cities across the U.S., where foot traffic rebounds more vigorously during evenings and weekends than on workdays. Many seem to be opting to save their lunch money for after-hours indulgence, with brunch becoming a particularly popular choice. The allure of socializing over food and drinks remains strong, even as prices at bars and restaurants rise.

However, this shift isn’t uniform across all establishments. Fast-casual brands like Sweetgreen and Chipotle are thriving, while traditional lunch spots are seeing declines in foot traffic. The evolving consumer landscape presents challenges for businesses, prompting them to innovate and entice customers with weekend specials and promotions.

But not everyone is partaking in this trend. Some, like Nicholas Louie, still spend on work lunches, albeit with varying consistency. For him, weekday leisure spending takes a back seat to office amenities like free alcohol, keeping his bar tab low…………[read more]

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How can businesses strategically leverage consumer behavior shifts towards weekend and evening spending to optimize their offerings and attract clientele in the post-pandemic era?

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