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| Montreal workers go for lunch less than those of other cities |
A recent study revealed that we go out for lunch far less frequently than workers in other cities, as half -- precisely 50 percent -- of all Quebec workers brown-bag it every single day.
The percentage of workers in B.C. that bring their lunches every day is just 39 percent, while Albertans are at 43 percent.
In Ontario workers eat out for lunch more than any other province: 20 percent eat out three or more days per week, in fact only 34 never go out for lunch while at work.
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| Lord Sandwich deserves a statue in Montreal |
So why don't we go out for lunch? Well, perhaps we're too busy to leave the office, perhaps we're too cheap, maybe we don't like the line-ups, we're better organized at the start of the day, or maybe we're just not impressed by the nearby food court.
The average cost for lunch is $8.80 in Canada, according to that same study and of course you could make your own lunch at a fraction of that price.
Until the inception of the GST in Jan. 1991 Quebec's tax system offered a no-tax deal on meals of $3.25 or less.
As a result, virtually every restaurant would have a $3.25 lunch special at that time.
The $3.25 amount of 1990, adjusted for for inflation, is about $5.60 today. Consumers are no fools, so they surely recognize that lunch at $8.80 today is overpriced by about $3.20, that's well over 50 percent more expensive than the $3.25 rate in adjusted terms.
So the culture of heading out for lunch -- something I used to do all the time at Bell Canada mainly because it offered me something to look forward to a break from the boredom -- is not a deep rooted custom here.
I don't have any data suggesting that we used to do it more or less than we do now.
Quebec's restaurant industry has been going strong for many years. However Montrealers tend to go to restaurants as a form of evening entertainment more than other big Canadian cities where residents prefer to spend their money more evenly with other cultural activities.*
Food courts and other lunch-oriented restaurants really have to work harder to attract the worker-drone clientele, perhaps they could offer teasers sample booths near the metro in the morning to entice workers to come back for lunch, but most of all, they should start by aggressively slashing their prices to get business up.
Here's an even-more-recent study done by Tim Horton's and Ipsos Reid which suggests that most Canadians take half an hour for lunch or less, with only 2 percent working through their lunch break.
*From a study I read a few months ago but was unable to subsequently find on the internet, if somebody comes across it, please let me know.
Those lunch dollars are being saved for the cinq a sept
ReplyDeleteYeah... it's just too expensive. I have the luxury of being able to go home for lunch, a 3 minute walk. Even when I worked downtown, I'd go out for lunch 2-3 times per month.
ReplyDeleteThrough the mists of time, I fondly remember those $3.25 days. Yet I betcha some Catering setups are faring well~somewhat doubt certain politicos brown~bag it or venture to the lowly Food Court. Problem, as I see it, are not simply the assorted taxes imposed on consumers of almost anything. Nor the stonkingly large overheads imposed by mall monoliths to their lessees. But as well the cold, inedible fact that us Montrealers have been well~bled dry of all disposable $$'s. Food court workers and Depanneur owners are all incredibly hard working. 'Tis a shame so many of us risk D.V.T's by following the Earl of Sandwich.
ReplyDeleteThe cost of eating out has definitely gone through the roof.
ReplyDeleteAll through school I used to regularly eat lunches out. The prices then were reasonable andno sales tax. Hated the idea of lugging sandwiches to school. Never used the high school cafeteria, either.
Once I started working, I always looked forward to eating lunch at nearby restaurants--nothing fancy, mind you. This all ended around 1993 when prices became ridiculous, so I began to bring my own lunch. Not only did I save money, but it gave me extra time to read during the lunch hour as well. Later on, when I had a bit more spending money, I would eat out on Friday's only.
True, much of the restaurant food is probably not that healthy, anyway, so we're probably better off not overdoing it.
One smart gimmick they have in Australia: most restaurants charge less than the menu price if it's a "takeaway", so you have the option of taking your fish and chips to a nearby park or the beach rather than pay full price taking up a seat and table in the restaurant.
A great idea! Think they'll ever try it here? I doubt it?
It's probably also why we're one of the thinner cities in Canada.
ReplyDeleteIf one just keeps in mind that anything that's remotely "fun" is, in the end, gonna hurt you, then there truly is little solace to be found here.
ReplyDeleteThe newly~imposed "SIN Tax" will hit the 5 à 7's hard, 514-489.
Trickle~down time once again, alas.
Didn't like the Holiday Period anyway.....
You can't have this discussion and not mention the lack of street food in Montreal. In Toronto, for example, you can go out and grab one of those big ol' sausages for a few bucks, or choose from several other types of grub from street vendors. Not here.
ReplyDeleteBTW, have you been to a food court at lunchtime? Jammed! With lineups a mile long. It's not a pleasant way to spend your time, especially when you inevitably end up with an $8 plate of salty grease from a franchise operation. (OK, I know there are other options, but the sameness of the food courts is depressing.)
In my case I spent all last winter working from home (and eating there). When I started working downtown in the spring I went out for lunch almost every day. After a while though I wondered if that $50+ a week could go elsewhere, especially since I was already growing tired of the lunch options. (You just can't eat a heaping pile of Asian noodles every day and still be healthy.)
Now I bag it 2-3 days a week and eat out the others. I have a handful of reliable places to go to, including the Arouche Armenian pizza place on the ground floor of the Molson School of Business at Concordia. (So delicious, plus cheap and not so unhealthy!)
Agree with Blork 100% on the overall
ReplyDeleteDeath~Eater effect any DT Food Court
at lunchtime has on appetite/mental health.
Bring/buy your own and our climate precludes the freezing of our skinny Québec arses in public places~not that too many seats are ever available.
Used to, every blue moon, like the Thai place in the Faubourg. But they sure need some furiously good new Mgmt & PR what with the infamous cockroach headliner in that building.Pity. Good places.
What precisely did happen after huge Ciggy Tax increase to pay for the Olympic Stadium? Meant to be paid off -please
ReplyDeletecan anyone help me here?!
Seems we're getting into more inquiries that cost us. Somehow this certain tax did not perhaps be abolished.....Furthermore, where did & does all of the mulla go? Got b--- copy & paste here, hence cannot be truly expressive. Forgive me & HTC.
I wonder if more Quebecers are doing vegetarian, gluten-free, low-carb or other restricted diets that practically mandate bringing your own food rather than grabbing a slice and a pepsi.
ReplyDeleteAverage montreal wage has not kept up with inflation.
ReplyDeleteKate, no doubt more and more people are going the restricted diet route, but in the grand scheme of things I don't think it has a big impact on the food courts. While it can seem like every second person you know is doing that, the reality is that it's still a very small minority.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of a slice and a Pepsi, where can you even get a slice downtown? There's that place on de la Montagne just below Ste-C that used to be good, but last two times I went it was awful (heavy, doughy, undercooked). There's a PizzaPizza on Ste-C between St-Marc and St-Mathieu, but the slices there are pretty anemic and seem to be right out of a frozen food factory.
There used to be a good place in the tunnel between the Eaton Centre and PVM, but that's been closed for a while. Forget about food courts for a slice; you're pretty much forced to get a "combo" and pay $7 when all you want is a goddamn slice.
Some of the Ole Time Department Store restos used to be an OK deal. Could self-serve at Eaton's metro-level food shop, pay little and eat fairly healthily. Veggie-lovers at places like Commensal should stick to the lighter menu items (seaweed,lettuce), or they'll be lighter of wallet,too.
ReplyDeleteGreat pizza slices (in my opinion)can be found at the top end of the food court of the Alexis Nihon Plaza.
ReplyDeleteWhat are sorely missed are the many public cafeterias Montreal used to have. They can still be found in hospitals, of course, but with variable quality.
Oh so agree with Blork and UrbanLegend. I've never had street food in Toronto, but lived off it in NYC for days on end.
ReplyDeleteWhatever Montreal is offering right now might be cool and foodie frienly, but these new food trucks have nothing to do with the 5$ hallal and 2$ hotdog stands I'm so fond of. What about in Paris where you can grab a huge (and FRESH) ham and butter baguette for 2 euros?
For now I'll bring my lunch. Downtown Montreal is one of the saddest places on earth for lunch.
Place desjardins food court is the home of the ten dollar crap meal. Which is about $5 more than they ought to be charging for the krap swill they are shoveling onto plastic plates for us peons.
ReplyDeleteWho knows about the stats regarding Quebecker's lunch time habits, but when I lived in Vancouver other than China Town, there was a dearth of inexpensive lunch places, and it seemed most people brown bagged it. But that was 2decades ago. No lunch life an not much night-life...Ottawa was not great for eating out at lunch also whe living there and working. Not sure how Montrealers can be going out less when there are so many restaurants that are (compared to other cities) affordable maybe due to so many university students who live here. As for Pizza, there is Al Tahaib (3 places around Concordia - though the pizza quality has gone down), the pizza place on the corner of Maisonneuve and Peirce just beside Arouche Pizza mentioned above. There are numerous others. Not great but a slice and pop is not Haute cuisine. Have to head up to places on Dante around Little Italy for good pizza. All the food courts, little eats in the Plateau, Mile End seem always busy at lunch to me...but who knows about the high end business crowd. Have one friend who worked in a law firm in TO, and said no-one went out to lunch downtown as much as here, she said everyone sat in their offices and ate. Hell, a buddy of mine is a pilot for Air Canada, and instead of spending the 50+$ a day food allowance he gets when flying, he packs a bucket lunch like construction workers! Saves money and is no heavier than we were in high school 30 years ago. Maybe something to that theory!
ReplyDelete