The United States eats differently. Sometimes, that’s not such a good thing. Edenred performed a study on its employees to see how they ate lunch and how they viewed it. The study spanned 14 countries and contained just fewer than 2500 anonymous participants. The study showed that Americans prefer to have lunch delivered to their office over going to restaurants and that the US doesn’t have a lot of time for midday eating.
Take out or delivery?
81 percent of Americans prefer grabbing take out or having a box lunch delivered to them, rather than go out to eat at a restaurant. The United States was outdone only by Greece and Venezuela in the survey, each registering at 82%.
Part of this is due to Americans not having much time for lunch. According to the survey, nearly two-thirds of the respondents took less than half an hour to eat. Compare this to France where 43 percent of those surveyed take in excess of 45 minutes.
Lunch: Office delivery or takeout?
Another issue is the fast-paced, 24-hour cycle many of us have become accustomed to. In an article on BBC.com, professional dog walker Vanessa Monroy says she often sees people spending their entire lunch breaks waiting in line for their food.
“Quick food is more convenient, but fast food isn’t good for you,” she says.
Despite this, the largest factor affecting people into buying lunch outside their office is how close to the office their lunch is. To combat this, many companies have well-stocked kitchens. ThirdLeaf NW is a local leader in hand-delivering snacks and even goes as far as stocking the kitchen for its clients.
Food should taste good
Roughly one-third of US respondents said that they eat at lunch due to a driving, physical need. Compare that to the 51 percent who use lunch as a time to relax and you really get a picture of how lunch is viewed stateside: Eat if you must, what you like.
We can deliver fruit and snacks you must eat and will like. If you aren’t ready to jump in with both feet, a free trial may be more your speed. Check it out today!