There’s no such thing as a free lunch. In fact, lunch is more expensive than ever.
According to research from ezCater, (1) workers with in-person or hybrid jobs spend over $108 weekly on work lunches in 2025, up from $88 weekly in 2024. Costs are up for both food purchased at home and for meals out, with workers buying lunch an average of 2.6 times per week and spending $34.82 on average to do that (up 26% from last year).
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These rising costs have real consequences, with almost one in five workers reporting that they’ve intentionally skipped meals to save money. This can affect both the hungry workers and the business.
"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.
Still, despite the downsides, those who can’t afford to absorb these added costs have had to make changes.
Here’s what cash-strapped workers are doing as lunch prices rise, along with some tips on how to keep your own costs down.
How are workers dealing with rising lunch costs?
Unfortunately, food inflation is undoubtedly making life harder for workers and especially for young workers, as Gen Z and Millennials report spending 54% more on groceries they’re using for work lunches and 32% more per meal on work lunches, compared with older generations.
Still, rising costs are not just a young person’s problem, as 74% of all workers say inflation has changed their habits.
Some of the different ways that workers have responded to higher prices include:
- 34% of workers are choosing cheaper options for lunch
- 33% are buying lunch out less frequently
- 26% have used value menus, loyalty programs or discount coupons (up 18% since the prior year)
- 18% are choosing smaller food portions
- 17% are preparing meals in bulk
- 15% are taking advantage of snacks or meals their employers offer
Some of these options, like using value menus, can be a far better approach to dealing with cost increases than skipping meals altogether.
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How can you make sure lunch doesn’t break the bank?
For the many struggling workers, finding a solution to the problem of high lunch costs is key. After all, no one wants to work without a good meal in their belly, but you also don’t want to spend half your paycheck just to fuel up during the workday.
The good news is, there are techniques, many of which workers are already trying, that can help keep costs reasonable even as food prices have gone up.
Meal planning and batch cooking around sales flyers can be one of the best approaches. Workers can sit down with their weekly grocery store flyers, see what’s on sale and then plan to batch cook a few huge meals with those discounted ingredients. Freezing these meals means there will always be something to grab on busy mornings, which can help to reduce the temptation to eat out.
Cutting back on restaurant meals makes a big difference too, as dining on food prepared at home is always going to cost far less than purchasing a meal even at a quick service restaurant.
And, for those who do want to occasionally eat out, using value menus and coupons can help make the costs of doing so more affordable. Workers can also be on the lookout for new restaurants opening in the area that might offer special promotions to bring in new customers.
Struggling staff members also don’t necessarily have to give up all meals out if they can use these techniques to bring the bill down — but should make sure to build dining out into their budget so their splurge doesn’t send them into debt or cause compromises in other important areas like retirement savings.
Finally, while eating out can be okay sometimes, food delivery services such as DoorDash should ideally be avoided due to the huge added costs of having meals brought to your door. If you must use these services, try to do it when other workers are ordering from the same place in order to split the delivery costs and fees — but remember that the food itself is probably still marked up and so you’ll be paying a lot more anyway.
By making a detailed budget that includes occasional meals out and by employing the other techniques here including using coupons or batch cooking, hopefully those workers who are struggling with rising food costs can find better solutions than skipping meals — which could compromise their health, happiness and even job performance.
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EXCater (1)
This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Your weekly work lunches now cost $20 more than just 1 year ago — is ‘hanger’ taking a bite out of your productivity?
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.