As the public’s view of lunch changes — opportunity grows. Set your sights on strategy, promos, and personalization to hit your target with today’s lunch crowd. It’s a midday triple play that will help you win the day(part) and attract consumers whose eating habits and WFH jobs are redefining the rules.

Be Ready: Strategy

To optimize the lunch game, it’s important to know your audience. Dig into local trends, analyze receipts, survey customers, and brush up your neighborhood market research.

Who’s coming in, and who can you attract? Gen Z or Boomers? Work-from-home or stay-at-home? Aim to meet the convenience, speed, and nutrition goals that score high marks with your restaurant’s best guests. For example, the WFH crowd depends on restaurants for meetings, flexible workspaces, and social vibes.

One guest is answering emails over a grain bowl. Another has exactly 22 minutes before their next meeting. And someone else? They’re just looking for a reason to leave the house.

What are diners looking for? While protein is still having its moment, fiber is coming in hot — a whopping 64% of Americans are actively trying to eat more of it, turning once overlooked ingredients into menu drivers.¹

40% of Gen Z and 45% of millennials prioritize fiber and functional ingredients in their F and their B². GLP-1 users are also riding the fiber bus. With 1 in 8 Americans on GLP-1s for weight loss³, it’s critical restaurants continue adapting accordingly.

Punch Up: Promos

Lunch promos are the gamechanger to drive interest and traffic. Today it’s all about V-A-L-U-E. And it isn’t just the name of the game for guests, it’s kitchen-critical. Maximize cross-utilization by choosing ingredients and dishes that work hard during lunch — and beyond.

• Mix & Match: The choose-your-own-adventure lunch gets a glow up with value pricing. Think beyond merely soup, salad, and sandwich combos to include Zebec® Hummus, spreads, and popular apps from your dinner menu.
  

  Round out your roster with whole-grain salads, loaded toasts, and international faves like dumplings or tacos. Options like Contigo® Empanadas and Zebec Chicken Shawarma add the global flavors diners crave while keeping your kitchen moving. They’re flexible for the guest — and efficient for your line.

• BOGO: This is everybody’s bestie because it works. Sure, BOGO burgers are everyday workhorses. But think out of the BOGO box and pair affordability with convenience. With your lunch, get a breakfast sammie to make the next morning easier; a heat-and-eat dish to check the box on dinner; or a DIY meal kit for date night. Make the most of what’s already in your inventory and on your menu to drive efficiency up and your costs down.

• Later Gators: WFHers can sometimes play a little looser with the clock. Try a late lunch promo that benefits their wallet and your kitchen. Make it clear you welcome lingering — remember, WFH folks are looking for a bit more from their lunch spot than just what’s on the plate.

Follow Through: Personalization

To put extra points on the board, lean into menu options that give guests choices and play into top trends.

• Healthy Habits: Most diners — 53% — are seeking out restaurants with healthier options.⁴ Wellness-driven dining is “in,” so ensure dishes deliver. Reel in guests with a veggie-packed primavera featuring Empire’s Treasure® Wild Alaska Pollock Protein Pasta, a frozen, cooked blank canvas that’s ready in 2 minutes (and doesn’t taste fishy!).

• Bangin’ Salads: Today’s salad-savvy diners want high protein (and not just from meat), colorful fruits and veg, simple dressings, and nutrient-forward add-ins to power up their health goals and the rest of their day.
  

  Peak Fresh Produce® is guaranteed for the highest quality and crispness, with fresh-cut options and prewashed salad mixes that streamline salad prep. Try the Purple Power Greens mix for nutrient pop plus visual pizzazz.

• Dietary Focus: Make it easy for folks to choose you. From vegetarian, to keto, to gluten-free, feature dynamic, flexi options front and center — not with an asterisk.

• Signature Sips: Though the three-martini lunch is in the rearview, you can still level up your bar game with the lunch crowd. Keep it fun and functional: from dirty sodas, coconut water, and prebiotic bevs to the NA creations on your dinner menu. The refreshing Rejuv® lineup of juice concentrates and ready-to-drink juices are made for mixing up some magic any time of day.

¹ Food Business News “Be First to the Trend: Fiber is About to Be Everywhere” 2026

² Food Business News “Fiber Trending Forward” 2026

³ Statista “Weight-Loss Drugs: 1 in 8 Americans Now Use GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss” 2026

⁴ Toast “10 Lunch Trends Shaping the Food Industry in 2026”