The consumer spend across foodservice outlets continues to grow as Irish consumers enjoy eating out at lunchtime. The relatively short and often limited amount of time spent on lunch breaks highlights the importance of convenience and food on-the-go options for time-poor consumers. Cafés are the most preferred lunchtime outlets which highlights the growing importance of coffee culture in Ireland. Sandwiches top the list of favourite packed lunch food items. Nevertheless, it is important to note that foodservice is increasingly being driven by consumers’ growing interest in plant-based eating, superfoods and healthy meals.

This Report examines consumer attitudes towards food eaten at lunchtime and explores the lunchtime habits of Irish consumers. It evaluates the main drivers and trends affecting the market and influencing consumer behaviour. Moreover, it draws on consumer research and examines the frequency of eating out for lunch on different occasions, length of time spent on lunch break, items eaten for a packed lunch, outlets consumers shop at when eating lunch out of home and attitudes towards various lunchtime behaviours.

For the purpose of this Report Mintel has used the following definition:

Quick-service Restaurants, referred to as QSRs, includes fast food outlets where customers order items and pay before eating. It also includes takeaway which can be defined as food that is eaten off restaurant premises. This food can be hot or cold and can be collected or delivered, often it also refers to food sold with precooked or preheated ingredients. Excluded from this definition is food that has been purchased from supermarkets.

Fast casual outlets have been identified in this Report as a competitor to QSR and takeaway outlets. Fast casual can be defined as restaurants that typically feature prepared-to-order items. In comparison to fast food outlets, menu items are made with fresh, higher-quality ingredients and price points tend to lie between quick-service outlets and full-service restaurants.

Coffee shops and cafés include venues such as independent, international and domestic stores covering those foodservice establishments where coffee is the primary sales item. These may operate in a number of locations – motorway service areas (MSAs), department stores and hospitals, for example, as well as standalone outlets. However, they must be independent of the facility they are located in.

A convenience store (also called a c-store or symbol group retailer) tends to be smaller in size compared to a supermarket, is traditionally open for longer hours and typically sells staple groceries and snacks, although it also stocks a range of non-food items. Many petrol stations also supplement their operations with the offer of convenience stores. Prices are typically higher than those in a larger supermarket.

In practice, c-stores should:

Be open seven days a week and have extended hours of opening

Sell a range of groceries beyond simply CTN (confectionery, tobacco, news) categories

Usually trade from a unit of less than 3,000 sq ft (280 sq m).

The scale and offer of a convenience store are dictated by its location and the amount of business it can attract.

At one end of the spectrum, a c-store can come close to fulfilling the primary shopping needs for a particular location. This is particularly true of the c-stores of the major grocers such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, but also of symbol groups such as Spar and Nisa.

At the other end, smaller stores serving more limited catchments can be more akin to a super-CTN. One Stop, Mace and Best-One are examples of these smaller c-stores.

Deli counter relates to a display cabinet within a store that sells cold or hot food items.

Forecourt relates to a large, open area near a petrol station / motorway service, providing consumers with convenience stores and food outlets, eg Applegreen.

In-store restaurants relate to food courts (common eating area shared by various food outlets) located in shopping malls for example.