Food for thought – Mintel and GetLunched reinvent the lunch hour

As a summer to remember for Britain draws to a close, many consumers will be putting away their bunting, hanging up their holiday gear and getting back to the normal 9 – 5 routine. However, while many are content with the status quo, new research from Mintel reveals the unpalatable truth behind Britain’s lunch hours and the quest for something more stimulating.

Time for a change? Today in Britain’s lunch hours….

– A massive 75% of working Brits think shop bought sandwiches are overpriced.
– Over one in five Brits (22%) work through lunch more often than not.
– Over one in five (23%) say that they are just looking to ‘refuel’ at lunch.
– Just one in ten (11%) working Brits think it is important to socialise with colleagues during their lunch break.
-42% of working Brits agree that they are more likely to buy sandwiches out of home which are part of a meal deal.

Peter Haigh, CEO at Mintel, said:

“We are seeing an increased need from consumers to multitask over lunch and with one in ten Brits working through their lunch and just one in ten finding it important to socialise with colleagues, making lunch hours enjoyable as well as productive has never been more important.”

To challenge the status quo, Mintel has partnered with new social networking site GetLunched to offer individuals and businesses the opportunity to lunch with Mintel’s expert analysts and get more out of their lunch break than simply refuelling. The GetLunched “Dream team” page offers the opportunity to be introduced to a variety of Mintel’s dedicated analysts and read more about their areas of expertise. Participants will then be able to click through to enter to win a lunch with the analyst of their choice, where they can discuss their industry and queries specifically related to their business or market sector.

“Mintel combines great data with great analysis and our expert analyst team are the best in the business. We are delighted to be partnering with GetLunched to provide businesses and individuals an exceptional opportunity to lunch with our expert analysts in the sector of their choice and receive insight and analysis to help their business succeed – and provide the perfect incentive to reinvent the lunch hour with arguably the most productive working lunch available.” Peter continues.

Matt Bandy Co Founder at GetLunched said:

“It’s great that the world’s leading insight company, recognises the game-changing potential of location-based, business social networking. As technology brings networking full circle, GetLunched helps everyone develop deeper, more valuable business connections: one face-to-face lunch can be worth so much more than 100 emails or phone calls ever could. Mintel’s analysts are a fascinating and illuminating addition to a new GetLunched Dream Team.”

The news also ties into the Mintel Inspire trend FSTR HYPR – examining how the breakneck speed of life has consumers demanding instant access and instant gratification. Mintel’s Principal Trends Analyst Richard Cope, said:

“With more consumers than ever demanding instant access and instant gratification, eating out may become a more commonplace necessity in the future, replacing home meals to a degree. Venues can variously offer consumers convenience, a social dimension, or a place to work. Whilst some customers will see eating as just one component in a multitasking approach to life, others will want to focus on the experience itself. We may see a growth in faster-paced dining. In the meantime, traditional sit-down restaurants may want to consider offering to-go options or ‘express meals,’ and allowing consumers to order ahead of time via mobile apps.”

To view Mintel’s dreamteam of analysts and more about the campaign, visit www.getlunched.com/mintel