Editorial: If you're in the office today, consider going out for lunch
Amy Le has been in the bricks-and-mortar restaurant business for a decade. Her Latin-Asian fusion restaurant Saucy Porka offers Loop workers exciting options such as duck gumbo, guajillo pork 'bacos' (tacos made from bao), and Puerto Rican rice with panang curry chicken.
She does it all on a very tight margin at 335 S. Franklin St.
The year started out offering some hope, as more office workers returned to the area due to stricter in-office policies. But lately, Le told us, she has noticed that when groups come in, someone in the party usually brings food from home.
In 2024, Americans ate 3% fewer lunches out at restaurants and other venues, with a growing number of people opting to pack their lunch, according to Circana, a Chicago-based consumer analytics firm.
But that's not the only problem at Saucy Porka. Le also told us she expects that the cost of goods and produce will go up due to new tariffs; she purchases many of her supplies and produce items from Mexico, China and Vietnam. And if her costs go up, she is hesitant to pass too much on to customers, who are already becoming less likely to dine out for lunch. People notice a 10% increase on a $10 sandwich.
Uncertainty means people tighten their belts when it comes to little luxuries such as eating out. We can understand this decision, only logical when times are lean. But while you're tightening your personal budget, you might also consider the community you hope is still around when you're comfortable spending a little more money again. The big chains will most likely be able to weather this shift. The smaller joints — some of our favorites — could go under without customer support.
Lunch isn't just transactional at work — it's one of the rare moments during the day when you have a chance to bond with co-workers. You can build trust and rapport by picking up food for a colleague. Or walk to grab takeout together. Maybe even have a sit-down meal. Lunch is also a chance to try something new that's not available in your neighborhood — or anywhere else, for that matter. This is Chicago, after all.
In the years leading up to the pandemic, downtown developers fostered a new wave of dining hall-style experiences tailored to Loop workers, such as the now-defunct Revival Food Hall, which offered everything from coffee to barbecue to ramen to poke bowls. Others are still around, such as Willis Tower's Catalog and 'From Here On' in the Old Post Office, which between them are home to Chicago favorites such as Tempesta, Rick Bayless' Tortazo and Do-Rite Donuts and Chicken.
Variety like this makes downtown Chicago an appealing place in which to live and work. Without it, the city becomes a lot less vibrant and exciting. And after COVID-19 led to the closure of hundreds of restaurants and food-related businesses, we feel protective of the food joints that remain, especially downtown.
Le and her peers who made it through COVID just got out of survival mode. Let's not forget them as they navigate this new chapter.
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Follow him on Bluesky and X: @rickjnewman. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices.
