More LA workers are skipping lunch as restaurant prices rise and a simple midday meal becomes unaffordable.
According to a report recently released by ezCater, 51% of 1,000 full-time U.S. workers said they skip lunch at least once a week. Workers spend an average of $108 on lunch during a typical five-day workweek, up from $88 a year ago — about a 22% increase. Because of higher lunch costs, 74% of respondents said they changed their lunch habits.
Jingu Han (25), who works for a battery manufacturer, said, “When I calculated my weekly lunch cost, it came out to more than $100 including tips. These days, even a 10-dollar bill feels too much, so I pack my lunch or just hold out with company snacks when I don’t have one.”
The term “lunchflation” — combining lunch and inflation — emerged after the pandemic to describe workers giving up lunch because of rising prices.
In the LA–Long Beach–Anaheim region, the food-away-from-home price index rose 4.4% year-over-year as of September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Andrew Jeong (42), who works at a Korean American bank, said, “These days, with coffee, tip, and parking, a meal for four easily goes over $140. Because lunch is so expensive, you rarely see coworkers going out together like before.”
Restaurants are seeing the impact. Sanggeun Ju, owner of Shinchon Seolleongtang in Koreatown, said, “We used to be packed with workers at lunchtime — even with a waitlist — but now lunch crowds have noticeably shrunk. We often have empty tables even during peak hours.”
A representative from the catering business Songi Matjib said orders continue to rise among office workers: “Lunch costs are burdensome because of tips and parking, so we hear a lot of people say they use catering because of rising prices.”
The ezCater report also warned of business losses due to “hanger” — a combination of hunger and anger that lowers focus and increases irritability. Among workers who skipped meals, 84% said they experienced hanger and 88% said their work efficiency decreased. They also reported slower task completion (43%), more mistakes (39%), and lower work quality (31%).
Jaeun Lee (31), who works in downtown LA, said, “At first, I avoided eating with my boss because it felt awkward, but now the cost burden is so high that when a boss asks to eat together, I don’t bother saying no.”
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
