Workers are pulling back at midday. ezCater's survey of 1,000 US employees found that in 2026, 54% of full-time staff went without a workday lunch at least weekly. Robert Kaskel, ezCater's vice president of people, told CNBC Make It that meal skipping has climbed for four straight years. Back in 2023, when the poll began, 48% said they skipped one meal at work each week.
Spending is sliding too. On average, workers shelled out $100.23 per week on lunch in 2026, including both groceries and orders, an 8% drop from 2025. Kaskel called the pullback "evidence" that inflation is shaping lunchtime behavior.
Inflation is the main driver. Four in five respondents, 81%, said rising prices forced them to adjust their workday eating. People reported tightening their belts in a bunch of ways: buying food less often, opting for cheaper picks, leaning on discounts or loyalty apps, tracking a strict budget, meal prepping, and even scavenging for snacks around the office. And lunch time itself matters enough that 35% would pick a guaranteed daily break over more paid time off.
Fewer breaks come with tradeoffs. The report flags less social time at work when lunch gets cut. A majority say they prefer to eat with others, yet just 36% manage to leave their desk for lunch every workday.
Performance takes a hit too, with 84% saying working on an empty stomach hurts how well they do their jobs. As clinical psychologist Samantha Buchman at NYU Langone put it, "There's a sense that we all have to be plugged in and connected 24/7," and "I think those stressors probably really impact people's ability to make a healthy choice in the moment." She also noted, "Humans are social animals," and that eating with others is closer to our natural pattern than dining solo.
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Work environments are not helping. Nearly a third of employees, 31%, say more demanding workloads make it tougher to step away for a real break. People also cited company culture, tight schedules, meetings, and manager expectations as reasons they eat at their desk or skip the meal outright.
The burden lands heaviest on younger employees. Compared with older coworkers, Gen Z and Millennials face over double the odds of feeling manager pressure to skip lunch. Buchman tied that to a tough hiring backdrop: "From working with young adults, it's not that easy to find jobs these days," adding that some feel, "OK, now I have a job, and I need to do everything possible to keep this job and impress my boss and perform at my absolute best."
Providing lunch could move the needle on office attendance. Even with longer commutes, nearly seven in ten Gen Z and Millennial workers said they would come in at least three days a week if a free catered lunch were on offer. Among Gen X and Boomers, 45% said the same.
"We also believe and hear from the folks in the study that a catered lunch is is a valuable benefit that that employer can provide. We feel like this is an opportunity for employers to earn the commute," Kaskel said.
Price trends are not disappearing either. The Economic Research Service at the USDA expects the food-away-from-home index to rise 3.5% in 2026, roughly matching the 20-year norm, while grocery prices are projected to climb 2.4%, slower than the long-run average. Inflation is well below 2022 peaks, but people still feel it in their budgets.
For your day-to-day, this points to more brown-bagging, fewer trips out, and a stronger pull toward employer-provided meals. If lunch is where you keep costs in check, you are not alone, and companies know it.
Skipped breaks and second jobs point to the same pressure. Get the free Market Briefs daily newsletter and read the signals.
