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| Hospitality Today | Oct/Nov 2016
82% of Brits don’t take
a lunch hour
The average lunch break is now just 28
minutes and only 17% of British workers
take a full lunch hour, according to
research from Mastercard and Ipsos MORI.
A hardcore 12% of workers never or hardly
ever take a lunch break
Two thirds of workers (66%) don’t leave
their workplace to eat lunch. Of those
working in offices, 70% don’t leave the
building.
Margaret Mountford, businesswoman,
lawyer and star of The Apprentice is
urging British businesses to bring back
the lunch hour. She said: “Throughout my
career I’ve seen employees hunched over their
desks wolfing down a sandwich. It makes
workers less productive, hampers creativity
and numerous studies have shown it’s bad for
health, so why do we still do it? Bosses should
lead the way by encouraging a culture of lunch
breaks – it will boost productivity, creativity
and morale as workers feel better and take on
the afternoon revitalised. It’s time to stamp
out the culture of not taking a lunch hour.”
giraffe acquires Ed’s Easy Diner
giraffe Concepts Ltd confirmed on 12
October that it has acquired Ed’sEasy
Diner. This consists of the brand, the
head office team and 33 Ed’s Easy Diner
restaurants.
MD Tom Crowley commented: “Ed’s Easy
Diner has been an integral part of the
UK casual dining scene for the past four
decades and we are very excited about
the business joining the group and the
opportunities ahead.”
giraffe Concepts Ltd is part of Boparan
Restaurants Holdings. BRH also owns and
operates a collection of other successful
dining brands including Harry Ramsdens,
FishWorks and The Cinnamon Collection.
Snacks and side orders
are a new trend
Eating out operators in the UK are
holding down the cost of main courses
on their menus but boosting customer
spend by increasing the price of starters
and desserts and focusing on more side
dishes, snacks and nibbles, according
to recent research from foodservice
consultancy Horizons.