The NPD's study confirms the results of a 1997 survey by the Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada and Chatelaine magazine. That survey found 21 per cent of all Canadians eat lunch at their desk during the week. Getting food back to the desk in a timely fashion means restaurateurs, such as Andrew Laffey of the Hot House Cafe in Toronto, are under pressure. Customers, he said, have become more demanding and want immediate service. Everyone has such a hectic lifestyle and there is so much demand on the staff.
Time is critical.
His restaurant, which seats 400 people, has changed its lunch menu. Now it serves quick, takeout-friendly foods such as pasta dishes, salads, soups, sandwiches and pizza. The restaurant does not deliver, but Mr. Laffey said staff are faxing more menus each day for takeout service. He said takeout eats up about 15 per cent of the lunch-time business. Customers who do sit in the restaurant are usually having a working lunch or talking on their cellphones, he said.