The cost of lunch breaks is soaring - and more workers are skipping meals to manage

"High prices are eating into workers' paychecks as costs jump 23% year-over-year, a new report found. Between groceries and eating out, employees spend an average of $108.68 each week on work lunches. Nearly 1 in 5 workers intentionally skip meals to save money, the report by ezCater found."

"Inflation isn't just driving up the cost of rent and groceries - it's coming for your lunch break, too. New data from ezCater shows employees are spending more than $108 a week on work lunches, up sharply from $88 last year. And as costs climb, a growing number of workers say they're skipping meals entirely to save money."

""Our data shows that hangry workers are bad for business: 43% take longer to complete tasks, 38% report being blunt with colleagues, and 25% avoid interacting with their peers," Robert Kaskel, VP of People at ezCater, said of the report's findings. The ezCater report found that not only are younger workers more inclined to skip lunch, they're also more likely to feel guilty about taking a lunch break at all. Gen Z employees in particular are 110% more likely than their older colleagues to believe their boss will frown on them taking a break, the report found."

A June 2025 online survey of 1,000 full-time U.S. employees in on-site or hybrid roles measured lunch spending and behaviors. Employees spend an average of $108.68 weekly on work lunches, up from $88 the prior year, with lunch purchases averaging 2.6 times per week and $34.82 per week on buying lunch out (up 26%). Overall lunch-related costs jumped 23% year-over-year. Nearly one in five workers intentionally skip meals to save money. Younger workers, especially millennials and Gen Z, are more likely to skip lunch and feel guilty about breaks. Skipping lunch correlates with slower task completion, bluntness with colleagues, and reduced peer interaction.

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