Final Report
The Lunchtime Occasion
in Republic of Ireland and Great Britain
November 2013
Contents
Introduction & Research Objectives ..................................................................... 1
Research Method ..................................................................................................... 2
Segment Profiles........................................................................................................ 3
Executive Summary .................................................................................................. 8
The lunchtime occasion ........................................................................................ 10
Lunch at Home .................................................................................................... 12
Lunch at Work ...................................................................................................... 15
Lunch on the go .................................................................................................. 18
Lunch in a serviced restaurant .......................................................................... 22
The school lunchbox .............................................................................................. 27
Key Takeaways ....................................................................................................... 30
Appendices ............................................................................................................. 33
Introduction & Research Objectives
This report looks at lunchtime consumption in the Republic of Ireland and Great
Britain.
We were especially interested in understanding the following:

What is being consumed at lunch?

Where is it being consumed?

What is driving food and drink selection?

What is driving the choice of location for purchase and/or consumption?

Understanding the school lunchbox

How much is being spent on average on lunch?

What are the implications for Irish food and drink brands?
1
Research Method
It was quantitative research that took place from the 5th to the 23rd of September
2013 which comprised of:
•
A questionnaire of 1,000 respondents (571 in ROI and 423 in GB)
•
A seven day diary
•
Providing a total of 7,000 diary entries
The research was carried out on our behalf by Behaviour & Attitudes.
We looked at five core segments in the two markets:

Singles & prefamilies

Mums with primary children (who completed the diary for themselves and
one child)

Mums with secondary children (again who completed the diary for
themselves and one child)

Working Dads

Empty Nesters
These segments make up 88% and 87% of the population in Republic of Ireland and
Great Britain respectively. The unemployed and mums with babies were not
included in the research.
For further information on this study please email info@bordbia.ie or telephone 01
6685155.
2
Segment Profiles
Below are summaries of the lunchtime behaviours of the five core segments. To
recap the five segments in both markets were: singles / prefamilies; mums with
primary school children; mums with secondary school children; working dads and
empty nesters.
3
4
5
6
7
Executive Summary
The Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Great Britain (GB) were very similar in terms of
findings around the lunchtime occasion.
Typically we eat our lunch between 12pm and 2pm. We spend an average of 22
minutes per day having our lunch break which rises to 28 minutes on a Sunday.
In Ireland and Great Britain, our lunchtime choices are very alike:

Sandwiches (41% of people in ROI opt for a sandwich compared with 46% in
GB)

Fruit (17% in ROI; 10% in GB)

Soup (12% in ROI; 9% in GB)

Yoghurt (11% in ROI; 11% in GB)

Salad (9% in ROI )

Crisps (8% in GB)
At the weekends, the roast dinner features as a popular lunchtime choice. If we are
lunching at home, our favourite drink to accompany food is tea. However this
changes to coffee if we purchase our lunch (regardless of whether we eat in or take
away).
In ROI, on average we spend €4.91 when eating at home and €7.77 if we eat out of
the home. In GB it is very similar with £4.62 spent on lunch at home, with out of home
averaging at £5.20.
However it’s not all about lunch. One in five of us will work through our lunch break
at least once week. Meanwhile others use the time to stay connected, reading
(both online and offline), making or responding to phone calls and checking our
social media pages. In Great Britain, they like to use the time to go for a walk.
We looked in detail at four venues where people consume lunch:
At home – In ROI, half of respondents (49%) eat their lunch at home, rising to 68% at
the weekend. In Great Britain, 57% eat their lunch at home midweek, rising to 77% at
weekends.
These higher figures in Britain can be attributed to the percentage
8
breakdown of population with a higher proportion of empty nesters and mums in
Great Britain. 85% purchase their lunches at home during the main grocery shop,
which is similar to Britain at 90%, for reasons of value and convenience.
At work – More than a quarter (29% in ROI and 27% in GB) of all lunches are
consumed in the workplace during the week. However this drops off substantially to
just 7% in ROI and 5% in GB at the weekend.
On the move – This represents the smallest lunch segment at 6% in ROI and 5% in GB
midweek, rising to 8% in ROI and dropping slightly to 4% at the weekend in GB.
In serviced restaurants – One in six (17%) of Irish people will eat their lunch out in a
serviced restaurant during the week and this doesn’t change signifcantly at the
weekend. Whereas in GB only 9% will eat out midweek, but increases to 14% at the
weekend.
The school lunchbox
Mum is in control when it comes to deciding on the components and preparing the
lunchbox. Two thirds of mothers like to vary what is in the lunchbox to ensure their
child will be interested in eating it.
In terms of contents of lunchboxes, ROI would be slightly healthier with sandwiches,
fruit and yoghurt as the key elements. In Great Britain, crisps and chocolate feature
strongly.
Brands do have a role to play in the lunchbox and are rated as more important in
Great Britain than in Ireland.
Finally, €2.63 and £2.39 are considered good value price points for the school
lunchbox.
9
The lunchtime occasion
When do we eat?
Typically takes place between 12pm and 2pm, although the British can start lunch
from 11am which may be attributed to longer commuting times and earlier starts.
We spend 22 minutes on our lunch, which rises on average to 28 minutes on a
Sunday. Two in every five people in ROI spend 30 minutes or more enjoying their
Sunday lunch.
What are we eating and doing at lunchtime?
Lunch isn’t just about food.
People are using the time to stay connected with friends and catch up on news:

70% spend their lunch break reading (Also 70% in GB)

60% check their social media accounts (which differs to the British market with
47% preferring to go for a walk)

60% read news online (52% in GB)

56% are making or returning phone calls (48% in GB)
We also see that one in two of those in the workplace in ROI work through their lunch
break at least once a week, with 21% doing it two or three times every week. In
Great Britain, 58% do it at least once a week and 18% four times or more. In ROI, it is
empty nesters that are most likely to work through lunch. In Britain it is prefamilies /
singles and working dads who are working through.
10
Where do we make, purchase and consume our lunch?
We have segmented lunches into four venues – at home; at work; on the go and
eating out in a serviced venue based venues.
11
Lunch at Home
Lunch at home refers to eating lunch in your own home or that of a friend / family.
Who is eating at home?
As you can see from above, half of the population in ROI and 59% in GB eat their
lunch at home.
The two main segments eating lunch at home are mums with
children and empty nesters. The higher figure in GB can be attributed to the higher
population percentage of empty nesters and mums.
Where do they buy their ingredients?
In both markets, it is the main multiple where people shop for their lunch – 90% in ROI
go to the supermarket, rising to 95% in GB, with the majority of shopping occurring
during the main grocery shop. Both markets cite the main reasons for doing so are
value and convenience.
What are they eating and drinking?
We don’t like to vary our lunch too much with a third of us eating the same lunch
every day and over half (53% in ROI and 56% in GB) varying their lunch a little.
12
Top five food choices for lunches at home
Midweek in ROI, sandwiches lead the way at 47%, followed by fruit (19%) and then
yoghurt, salad and soup, all coming in at 10% or less.
At the weekends in ROI, sandwiches are still the number one choice at 27% but we
start to see more variety with roast dinners 16% following by salads, soup and fruit.
Midweek, tea tops the list in both markets (45% in ROI and 31% in GB), followed by
tap water at 19% in ROI and 17% in GB. There is more variety at the weekend with
tea (35% in ROI and 31% in GB), water (20% in ROI and 15% in GB) and coffee (16% in
ROI and 17% in GB) featuring as the favourite lunchtime drinks.
How much are they spending?
On average €5.10 is spent on lunch at home (€3.07 on food and €2.03 on drink),
compared with £4.11 (£2.48 on food and £1.63 on drink).
13
What is driving choices for lunch at home?

In ROI, they are very concerned about controlling their budget, as 36% cite
this as the number one reason for choosing what they eat, compared with
27% in GB. It is the singles / prefamily segment that are most concerned
about their budget.

The Irish are also very concerned about the ingredients that are going into
their lunch, as are the British, at 34% and 32% respectively. In particular this is
of greatest concern to the empty nesters.

Finally, almost one in five rate control over their diet as important in both
markets (20% in ROI and 16% in GB)
14
Lunch at Work
This is defined as those who eat their lunch in the workplace
Who is eating lunch at work?
More than a quarter of those surveyed are eating their lunch at work. The key
segments are working dads and singles / pre families. Unsurprisingly, there is a drop
off at the weekends, where people then choose to lunch at home instead.
Where do they get their lunch from?
Although they are eating at work, the majority are still bringing their lunch in from
home (57% in ROI and 64% in GB).
Following that, one in five (21%) in both markets go to the shop to get lunch to bring
back to work.
Finally of the remaining percentage, 22% in ROI eat a lunch in a canteen, compared
with 15% in GB. Bearing in mind that not every workplace would have canteen
facilities.
15
Venues for purchasing lunch to bring back to work
Again we see the importance of the supermarket in the lunchtime market – it is the
most popular place for purchasing lunch to bring back to work in both markets at
32% in ROI and 41% in GB. This is followed by convenience outlet at 32% in ROI and
30% in GB. In third place it’s the specialist sandwich store at 18% and 17% (ROI and
GB respectively) with forecourts and fast food outlets making up the remainder.
What are they eating?
Food selections for lunch purchased at work
16
What is driving food choices in the workplace?
The choice of where they buy their takeaway lunch is all down to proximity and
convenience to the workplace, regardless of the venue they purchase the food
from.
For those who eat in the canteen their reasons are for proximity and value for
money.
What are they spending on lunch consumed in the workplace?
In ROI, spend ranges from €4 to over €7 if going to a specialist sandwich store.
Lunch spend in ROI on lunch purchased to eat at work
In Great Britain, there is a higher spend on lunch in the workplace range from £5.75
to £7.75.
Lunch spend in Great Britain on lunch to eat at work
17
Lunch on the go
Who is eating lunch on the go?
This is our smallest segment for eating lunch and is largely represented by the singles
/ pre families and working dads
Where do they buy their lunch?
There are three places that those moving around
get their lunch:

Brought from home

Bought and brought back to work

Staff canteen
Those bringing their lunch from home represent
the largest proportion at almost seven in every
18
ten lunches on the go (69%) in ROI and more than half of these lunches in GB (54%).
In Great Britain, almost two in five lunches (39%) are purchased in a shop compared
with 28% in ROI.
Finally there is a small percentage that purchases their lunch in the canteen and
takes with them (3% in ROI and 7% in GB).
In both markets, the number one reason for their choice of venue in purchasing
lunch is proximity.
Of the food that is purchased, the main venue of choice in Ireland are forecourts
29%) compared with fast food outlets (33%) in Great Britain, who have continued to
add more healthy options to their food selection.
Following forecourts in ROI, other venues for lunch on the go in the Republic of
Ireland are:

Fast food outlets and the supermarket jointly at 21%

Convenience store / independent store at 19%

Specialist sandwich store at 9%
For Great Britain, in terms of order of importance for purchased lunch on the go,
after the fast food outlet comes:

Convenience store at 23%

Specialist sandwich store at 19%

Forecourt at 9%

Supermarket at 8%
What is driving food choices for lunch on the go?
We see a different consideration set for eating on the go than previously. It’s now
less about the budget/costs and more about the value (40% in ROI and 34% in GB).
It is also very important that the food choices are portable and easy to eat (38% in
ROI and 37% in GB). Finally, taste and enjoyment is important (34% in in ROI and 38%
in GB), with less concern about their diet or the ingredients that goes into their lunch.
19
What are they eating on the go?
We see some defined differences here due to the need for portability. Wraps are
now being consumed much more frequently, as are crisps. We also see hot deli
foods such as chicken wings or sausage rolls being chosen and also in Great Britain
especially we see sweet treats such as pastries being a popular choice.
Food choices for lunch on the go
Drink choices for lunch on the go
20
How much are they spending?
See charts in “Lunch at work” on page 17
21
Lunch in a serviced restaurant
Who is eating in serviced restaurants?
Eating out at lunch is three times more popular than lunch on the go. One in six
people are eating their lunch in serviced venues during the week and at weekends
in ROI. However it is much less in Great Britain midweek, but they do prefer to eat
out more at the weekend.
The core segment for this channel is the empty nesters. In ROI, the empty nesters are
eating out fairly evenly throughout the week, in comparison to Great Britain, whose
preferred day seems to be Tuesday.
Where are they eating out?
During the week it is coffee shops (32% in ROI and 41% in GB), casual restaurants
(31% in ROI and 29% in GB) and 11% in ROI and 20% in GB opting for fast food outlets.
22
What are they eating and drinking?
The choice of food very much depends on where they are eating.
Midweek
sandwiches are still the number one option. We also see sweet treats creeping into
the menu. However if it is pub or casual restaurants, the roast dinner features along
with fish / burger and chips.
Midweek – food choices midweek in serviced venues
Coffee and soft drinks are the preferred drink choices when eating out. They are
much more likely to consume soft drinks at the weekends when eating out, but also
midweek in the British market.
Drink choices midweek in serviced venues
23
At the weekend our choices do change when we are eating out with more
roast dinners, fish and chips and burgers appearing in both ROI and GB.
ROI lunches at weekends in serviced venues
GB lunches at weekends in serviced venues
24
How much are they spending?
The average spend in a ROI serviced restaurant at lunchtime is €10 (€9.88), and just
under £9 (£8.85) in Great Britain. Below we see a spend breakdown by different
venues in ROI:
Spend in ROI on lunch in serviced venues
Spend in GB on lunch in serviced lunches
25
Why are they eating what they’re eating?
Gone are concerns about control and waistlines, now it is all about taste and
enjoyment of food (59% in ROI and 52% in GB), regardless of the venue that they are
choosing. It is less about cost and more about value (40% in ROI and 41% in GB) and
we’re also seeing that a third of ROI are concerned that is it is the right portion size
for lunch.
In comparison in GB, they are more conscious of it being something that
will fill them at 29%.
Key frustrations when eating out at lunch are speed of service and expense with one
in five finding this irritating. In contrast what people do look for in a serviced venue is
value for money at 35%, convenient location at 32% and quality food at 31%.
26
The school lunchbox
Who is preparing the lunch box?
Mum is in control when it comes to the deciding on the components and preparing
the lunchbox, with 80% of Irish mums preparing the lunchbox compared with 68% in
Great Britain. Three quarters of mums decide what goes into the lunchbox, however
this drops when children reach secondary school age and take a more active role in
what they are eating, with a third of children making the decisions.
Three quarters of the lunchboxes are prepared in the morning. 68% of mums try to
vary the contents a little to ensure it is eaten.
What is in the lunchbox?
In terms of contents of lunchboxes, on average there are 3.44 items in a child’s
lunchbox. Ireland would be slightly healthier with sandwiches, fruit and yoghurt
being the key components. In Great Britain, crisps and chocolate feature strongly.
Water and juices make up the two favourite drinks in the lunchbox, with own brand
fruit juices being the preferred options over branded.
Top five lunchbox contents in ROI and GB
27
In terms of sandwich fillings, they are identical in the two markets
Sandwich fillings in ROI and GB
However contents of the lunchbox do change once the child reaches secondary
school. Cheese snacks decline rapidly and are replaced by more sweet treats.
Cheese sandwiches become the firm favourite in both markets.
Where do they buy the contents for the lunchbox?
Items are generally bought in the supermarket and often in multipack format.
How much do they spend?
28
On average, €3.67 is being spent on lunchboxes in ROI and £3.90 in Great Britain.
However when asked, €2.62 is considered good value for a school lunchbox in
Ireland and £2.39 in GB.
What is driving the lunchbox contents?
The key consideration is to ensure that the child will eat the contents, with 40% in ROI
ranking this as number one criteria and even slightly higher in Great Britain at 45%.
This is followed by the nutritional value (16% in ROI and 12% in GB), and also knowing
the child will like it (14% in ROI and 13% in GB). Finally the Irish are more concerned
about school rules with 13% of mums ranking this as a driver, compared with 7% in
GB.
The number one frustration for all mums about lunchbox choices is that they are high
in fat.
Are brands important?
Brands do have a role to play in the lunchbox and have a greater relevance in the
British lunchbox than Ireland, with a third of British lunchboxes containing brands
(30% versus 12% in ROI). Furthermore, 32% of mums in GB would believe brands are
important to have in the lunchbox compared with 18% in ROI.
In terms of yoghurts, Frubes would be the number one brand in both ROI and GB at
24% and 40% respectively. Cheestrings is the brand of choice for cheese in both
markets, with 58% who opt for the brand in ROI and 39% in GB. However in the British
primary school lunchbox, Babybel is higher at 44%.
In terms of fruit juices, own branded is rated higher than branded.
29
Key Takeaways
Below we highlight important information from the study and pose questions around
what these could mean for your product.
1. Eating isn’t always the top priority at lunchtime
As we know people lead busy lives and therefore have other priorities at
lunchtime, whether that is catching up on work or catching on the news of
the world that they have missed during the morning.
How can you target this audience? Should you consider online advertising at
lunchtime for your product?
2. Two thirds of lunches are consumed and/or made at home.
During the week in ROI, one in every two people eat their lunch at home,
rising to 68% at the weekend. Of the 27% people who have lunch at work,
57% of those are bringing their lunch from home, as are a small percentage
who are eating on the go.
Therefore home prepared lunches represent
approximately two thirds of all lunches consumed during the week in Ireland.
Nine out of ten people shop for these lunches in the supermarket.
Do you have the right positioning in the supermarket for your product to
ensure stand out as an option for lunchtime consumption?
3. If purchasing a lunch to bring back to work, convenience and proximity to
the workplace is of utmost importance.
People don’t have long to spare for their lunch and are in a rush to bring it
back to work.
How can you make it easier for people – could they pre order and pay online
/ telephone and have their lunch ready to collect at a specified time?
30
4. Only one in five lunches are actually purchased or eaten out in a serviced
restaurant
This is made of up of the those who buy lunch and bring it back to work or
those who choose to eat out at lunch. Empty nesters feature highly in the
eating in serviced venues.
How could you better target empty nesters to encourage eating out /
purchasing lunches?
5. When it comes to lunch, people want to keep control – over their finances,
their waistline and what goes into their lunch.
This is particularly the case in ROI, where control over their budget features
very highly in terms of lunchtime consumption, followed by transparency over
ingredients in their lunch.
How can you highlight the value that lunch choices offer the consumer?
31
Appendices
33
34
35
36
The Lunchtime Occasion in Republic of
Ireland and Great Britain
November 2013
For further information please contact
info@bordbia.ie or Tel: 01 6685155