After two-plus years of upheaval, the office lunch routine is trying to find its footing.
Much has been written about the “ sorry desk salad”—that compostable bowl of chop greens that you , eyes fixed on a screen , rapidly puncture with a fork and gobble up in - between emails . Perhaps I ’m just nostalgic for pre - pandemic liveliness , or am take to ignore the throes of American capitalism , but Imissthose employment salads .
In my former office life , I ’d start to fantasize about organic cherry tomatoes as early as 10 am , deciding which coiffe I might choose for that day , just itching to embark on a jaunt of fresh tune and necessitate a human being for a side of bread .
The magic — if there ever was any — of the fast - casual salad articulation is no longer there . The line of office workers that once wrapped aroundSweetgreenduring peak lunch 60 minutes are now supersede with fully stock , digital filling - up shelf . Those urban farming tables , once crowded with antisocial patron scroll their feed , are no longer occupied . If there was something sad about the routine of it all , there ’s something even more sad about the deficiency thence .
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
The pandemic has kill the sad desk salad — for better or for worse . In reception , profligate cursory chain are pivoting to creative all - solar day concepts , expand into the suburbs rather than city centers , or , like Sweetgreen , veer nearer and closer to digital - only space .
The fact that more and more people are exercise from home is an obvious explanation for these shifts , as it ’s much easier to train dejeuner in our own kitchen . But “ lunchflation ” is also playing a role . According toSquare Data , we can counter spending 11 % more on salads this year , a result of labor shortages and supply chain progeny .
For those work remotely , that price tag might be too high to guarantee an excursion out of the firm , and for those that are render to the office , an expensive dejeuner salad is just one of the many things one must adjust their budget for , in summation to the increase price of commuting , day care , parking , etc .
Menu items at DIG on 4th|Photo by Nico Schinco
There ’s another possible explanation for ghostly salad shops , which is the idea that , in a semi - post - pandemic life , consumer are preferring on - premise dining offering more unique experiences . It ’s a construct similar to “ revenge travel , ” where people are uncoerced to spend money to make up for two years of isolated takeaway .
According to Yelp’s2022 State of the Restaurant Industryreport , many eating house are experiencing an increase in reservations , as consumers run towards experience - sharpen dining , such as conveyor sushi , supper clubs , and themed coffee shop .
The composition also let out that , while consumers are have near - disc menu price inflation , many of them continue to seek outhigher - priced dining experiences , “ which could intend that , while conscious of inflation , they want to drop their money on high - quality experiences . ” So perhaps people are not as happy to expend $ 17 on a dejeuner salad , but theywillball out on an omakase dinner .
“ In DC , for example , I ’ve point out there are a lot of locating with big offices that are now fully outside , and it ’s been interesting to see some of the restaurants in those areas only tender even service for dinner instead of lunch , ” read Tara Lewis , VP of community expansion + trends at Yelp . “ I can see why somebody might opt for either ready lunch at home and taking it into the office , or project out other solution so they can spend their money other than . ”
Dig , the riotous casual dining range known for its veggie - centric bowls , has tapped into this preference for sit - down dining with a brand new restaurant concept , Dig on 4th . It ’s an all - daytime coffee shop where you may enjoy a ego - serve coffee Browning automatic rifle in the morning , or turn back by afterwards for a dinner of nostalgic classic , like Brassica oleracea italica melts and beer — a complete deviation from the rise in digital ordering and drive - thrus that we ’ve seen over the retiring two year .
accord to Kay Teo , managing director of innovation at Dig , the melodic theme came from the observation that , after two years of isolation , people are looking for human connection . “ I was there the first few solar day of opening , ” she remembers . “ We saw multitude who were waiting in crease and were like , ‘ Can we serve you ? ’ And they were like , ‘ Oh , we ’re just waiting for a protagonist really . ’ And that was really awesome , because would you ever be like , ‘ Hey , can we meet at Chipotle for tiffin and cling out ? ’ Not really . ”
slam on 4th ’s welcoming dining space , with Zn countertops and French bistro chairs , grant visitors to stay put a while , to draw out a laptop computer or bask happy hour . It ’s a smart mode to make up for the dwindling lunch rush . Plus the $ 2 bottomless drip chocolate and $ 4 beer are enough to counter rising prices . “ I think that truehearted casual is go to begin to blur with all - twenty-four hours cafes , ” Teo adds .
Coinciding with this move , Lewis is especially concerned in the Yelp data point that themed coffeehouse are up 75 % , which relates to her own habits of come up coworking spaces for a change of subprogram and a sensation of community .
“ work from home , I do n’t get out as much , but I do count out for cool and interesting cafes to pluck up chocolate or a light breakfast . It might not be the whole office staff lunch outing with confrere , but it still feels peculiar , ” she say . “ I ’ll roost there for hour and will still be spend , whether it ’s on coffee or bite . So salads and sandwich might be on the declination , but I would expect that local cafes will develop their fare based on the kind of ft traffic they get . ”
And then there are developments likeWoodSpoon , which further blur the line between takeout and the unique experience that a restaurant , or dinner party party , might provide for you . The delivery platform offers homemade repast , prepare in the homes of neighbourhood chefs . “ Every one of our home chefs is manus - pick and has a unique chronicle to partake in with you , ” the website boasts , underscore a human touch .
Sweetgreenis moving in the diametric commission . The salad chain is piloting its first , digital - only pickup locating , open on the first of August in Washington DC ’s Mt. Vernon Square neighborhood . The space , which will not have an privileged dining orbit or front - avail line , is a snatch - and - go experience , designed to meet client where they are . ( Sweetgreen declined to comment for this story . )
“ I ’ve seen this happen with so many places in DC , ” Lewis pronounce . “ Businesses are evolving based on understructure dealings , operational costs , and anything else that will make them work smarter with special resources . ”
The continued shut - down of urban offices has also influenced fast daily salad chains to try out their luck in the suburbs , where many employees are forge from home . Chopt chief executive officer Nick Marsh toldBloomberg , “ The desk salad is a home desk salad now . ”
The website reports that “ Chopt will open 40 more restaurants in the next two years , Marsh said , with 80 % in the suburb . In April , the Mediterranean string Cava , a more suburban brand , announced it had raised $ 190 million to tolerate its expansion . Just Salad , which closed an approximately $ 20 million backing circle in July , suppose it will double up its localisation count in the next two days , with an stress on the suburbs . In July , TheNew York Timesreported on Sweetgreen ’s own suburban enlargement ; the chainfiled confidentiallyfor an initial offering in June . ”
According to Lewis , the fast - casual pivots to all - day coffee bar , digital - only blank , and suburban dwellings were only restrict to take place , but the pandemic accelerated these shifting .
“ A lot of the innovation that I encounter throughout the pandemic were thing I expected to see , just sped up , ” she says . “ So maybe these things were the hereafter , but a lot of business were force to face at them absolutely - on as a solution versus a thing to explore down the road . ”
