Some states take their lunch breaks more seriously than others, according to a new report.
The Q1 2023 Restaurant Trends Report from Toast, an all-in-one digital platform designed for restaurants, reflects aggregated payment data from selected cohorts of metropolitan areas in the U.S. that use the Toast application. In addition to data explaining the impact of the pandemic on the lunch rush, takeout orders, and the cost of avocado toast, the report provides data on how much booze people purchase during lunch in each state. The information is presented as the percentage that alcohol accounts for out of the total number of items ordered in the meal.
At the state level, Toast’s analysis found that Wisconsin had the highest percentage of alcohol purchases during lunch than any other state, with booze making up about 30 percent of the items ordered on the average lunch bill. This is almost twice the national average, which was calculated at 16 percent. We’re not totally shocked, as it turns out that seven out of the 10 drunkest cities in America lie within Wisconsin.
A cluster of other midwestern states including Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota Nebraska, North Dakota, and Ohio share high percentages ranging from 18 to 23 percent. Other states where happy hour seems to start a little early include Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, and Wyoming.
States with notably low alcohol orders during lunch include New Jersey, Utah, Arkansas, and oddly enough, New York. Apparently, the stereotypical Manhattan two-Martini power lunch can’t compete with sad desk salads and to-go orders.
