Why City workers have lost their appetite for lunch
Lavish corporate lunches are being axed to cut costs. In their place are less formal ‘credit-brunches’ -when businessmen meet their clients earlier and for less time,
Alex Moussaieff 25 year-old analyst a top investment bank, revealed in an interview that top executives are exempt from the the down-size. He said: “At the top level, expensive lunches have continued, now that is a right that you must earn”
As staff cuts increase and employees are left to shoulder the extra work, time allowed away from the desk has decreased. Alex estimates that in the junior department, such as his own, 90 percent of lunches are hosted in-house.
This allows clients to get a feel for how how company operates. But the long boozy lunches that typify the business meeting are not dead. Instead, they have been confined to the higher echelons of the corporate structure. However, as news of Jacqui Smith’s dubious expense account drags the issue of illegitimate claims into the spotlight. Perhaps this is the perfect time to reform the practice, beyond politics?
The rise of breakfast was formally recognised by the TV chef, John Torode. He publicy announced that the first-meal-of-the-day is having a resurgence on his BBC 2′s show, Master Chef. The new market has been further recognised has restaurants introducing new breakfast items. The prestigious hotel, The Wolseley in Piccadilly, resurrected its breakfast menu last month, while cutting down it’s lunch time a-la-carte option. We may be set to the see growth in pack lunch services.
Lunch at the desk has increased
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