A recent analysis from Square, the technology company, quantified the “lunchflation” that workers like Ms. Jacobson were facing. The average price of wraps last month was up 18 percent from a year earlier, with sandwiches up 14 percent and salads up 11 percent. At the same time, fast-casual restaurants are drawing more lunchtime customers as offices fill back up. Orders placed at quick-service restaurants in the United States from mid-March to mid-April rose nearly 13 percent from a year earlier, according to the analysis.Companies are trying to head off the clashing forces of inflation and return-to-office expenses with attempts to make transportation and food more affordable. The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted in its recent Consumer Price Index that the price of food at workplaces had decline …
