Let's bring back lunch

The pandemic changed our attitudes about the office and place of work. It should change our attitudes about lunch, too. Join the campaign to spend quality time together, over lunch (or whatever).

Welcome to Professional Lunch. A few weeks ago, I wrote a LinkedIn post about lunch. Well, eating and drinking really. I suggested that post COVID, if we’re going to take the trouble to get together, we ought to make the most of that time.

In short, I think food and drink should be more a part of our professional lives. And I lamented the loss of lunch in favour of a made-hours-before-and-fairly-gross Pret sandwich eaten at a desk.

Sometimes, lunch is more interesting if it does come in a box.

The response was strong. The guide seems to have circulated much farther and wider than I ever expected. And I’m incredibly grateful (and flattered) by the interest.

But since I published it, I’ve been to new places and have fresh suggestions.

So I wanted to create a place where I could keep the guide up to date, and to write longer reviews. This is it.

I also wanted to bring back a feature that Adam Coghlan and his team created at Eater London before the pandemic: A weekly summary of all of the London-relevant reviews from professional critics.

Finally, I’m hoping to occasionally do a feature inspired by Lunch with the FT where I write-up a chat over lunch with a colleague or friend.

I’m going to publish regularly. I have a good back catalogue of reviews to write at first, so I’m hoping to start with a weekly update. We’ll see how long I can sustain that given other commitments.

But please do subscribe, and pass the word along to friends and colleagues who are interested in food, wine, and getting together for a Professional Lunch.

And if you want to suggest a restaurant that I should visit or any other suggestions, please do get in touch.

I hope you enjoy this little project. Thanks for joining.