A few decades ago, the business lunch was a solid part of the dealmaking process.
The long, often boozy, meals became a staple of working in the City or media, but a shift in workplace culture meant it quickly fell out of favour.
The pandemic proved to be the final death knell.
The hospitality industry, dealing with the impact of working from home, was then dealt the cost of living crisis which drove customer numbers lower.
Boozy business: Restaurants are betting on the revival of the business lunch
Now, there are some shoots of growth as more people return to the office and the business lunch starts to make a revival.
Figures from Opentable show an increase in lunchtime dining across the UK, with a 9 per cent increase at 12pm and a 11 per cent increase at 1pm between January and June, compared to the same period last year.
Laure Bornet, vice president of international growth at Opentable, said: ‘The increase in lunchtime dining compared to last year in the UK highlights the impact that flexible working hours could have, whether by driving people to engage in more face-to-face business lunches, dining out more during their lunch breaks, or opting for more lunchtime specials.’
‘We’re bringing back the business lunch’
Andrew Gray, who launched wine bar Plume based in Covent Garden six years ago, is seeing a lunchtime boom too.
The bar has seen an increase in appetite from customers looking for both business and pleasure, with a third now repeat custom.
‘We have a mixed demographic of people that come here. You’ve got City workers and lawyers from Chancery Lane, theatre-goers, shoppers, local residents… hospitality as well.
‘People come out to feel something. They come out to say this makes me feel better than I was at home.’
Or indeed better than the office. Plume is hoping to capitalise on the return to the office by trying to revive the business lunch hour.
‘As people return to work, we’re trying to create a little bit of a tongue-in-cheek idea of getting people to enjoy a really fun, buzzy lunch instead of going to Pret.
‘Pret is amazing at doing what it does, but how do we get people around a table in a fun, relaxed atmosphere to be out of the office for a bit?’
Plume founder Andrew Gray launches power hour business lunch deal for £14
It has responded by reintroducing a ‘power hour’ lunch which will run from Monday to Friday from 12 to 3pm.
The deal, which is fixed at £14, includes a sandwich or flatbread with chips or a side salad, and a glass of wine.
Plume promises to serve all items within an hour and if service exceeds that, customers will receive a complimentary glass of wine.
Plume’s head of food Rob Wade says: ‘There’s a noticeable shift among the younger demographic, showing a preference for moderation in alcohol, with a trend towards less booze-heavy lunches.
‘Nonetheless, thank goodness the appreciation for a premium cocktail or a select glass of wine during lunch persists.’
A return to the office won’t guarantee customers will flock to Plume, or indeed any restaurant, but a £14 lunch with a glass of wine might be more tempting than spending the equivalent on a sandwich, crisps and drink.
Rob says: ‘In terms of the price, we’ve been quite generous.
‘We’re part of the community, we want this to work, we want people to discover us.
‘There is no real magic sauce to how you sell great food cheaply, it just kind of works as a whole package for us…’
Andrew accepts habits have changed since the pandemic: ‘People are discerning but they do spend more… It’s very venue-specific. You have to be very reactive now, think creatively… people don’t want something stale.’
Other restaurants are adopting similar tactics, with fine dining restaurants, which have been hit particularly hard during the cost of living crisis, offering cut-price lunch deals.
Pavyllon at the Four Seasons, which has one Michelin stars, offers a ‘five courses in 55 minutes’ for £55.50 during the week.
Angela Hartnett’s one-star Murano offers two or three courses for lunch, which they say can be served in under an hour.
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