UserTesting (NYSE: USER) have dug into Australian employees opinions on rising costs of food and coffee as they plan their return to the workplace, with the study finding mixed views on the growing ‘Lunchflation’.
The study showed lunchflation to be a genuine concern to Aussies, with 85 per cent of respondents believing lunchflation to be a serious concern.
The term has been coined to describe the increasing price of popular lunch choices like sandwiches, tacos, salads and coffee, which is altering the preferences of Australian employees.
Around 90 per cent of respondents mentioned that coffee has observed the highest jump in the prices when compared to other food items, with salads and sandwiches also following this trend.
However, it seems employees still plan to return to the office regardless, with some people stating that they would be open to the option of bringing home-cooked meals and reducing the frequency of lunch outings to counterbalance the rise in costs.
This matches up with another insight of the UserTesting survey, which showed that 55 per cent of respondents said that they bought outside lunch 3-4 times a week pre pandemic, but only 50 per cent would like to go out only once or twice a week today.
This change in mentality on a relatively large scale could see local cafes, restaurants and food vans seeing an impact on their bottom line.
Plenty of food for thought, I guess.
