Future of work | Will COVID-19 spell the end of working lunches?

For many years, business lunches have played an important role in the world of work. Some employees may have booked a swanky restaurant to woo bosses or clients, while others would have opted for discreet locations to sign-off business deals.

Yet, with so many organisations still working from home, and social distancing measures still in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it raises questions about the future of the traditional business working lunch. Restaurant owners have even shared projected fears about a slump in the demand for business lunches.

‘The demand for business lunches will drop’

In a recent interview with BM Magazine, Ranjit Mathrani, Owner of Mayfair-based Veeraswamy, explained that the demand for business lunches and corporate entertainment will drop drastically. “Strict adherence to public transport guidelines would result in a major reduction of people coming to offices… it will present us with a huge set of negatives,” Mathrani added.