Define ‘lunchtime’

Having too much time on my hands, I frequently eat lunch in Café Nero in the centre of town. Their hot chocolates really are too good to resist. Yesterday I arrived halfway through the possible lunchtime rush, so imagine my surprise finding the majority of the tables taken up by customers having only ordered a coffee. It was lunchtime. Where was their lunch? I felt pretty stupid being one of only a handful of diners at 1 o’clock. Finding out that another of our restaurants in Stafford had indeed recently told customers that unless they were eating between 12 and 2, they had to sit in another part of the restaurant, I allowed myself a small smile. How many of you have entered a restaurant and struggled to find a seat because all the tables are taken up with coffee drinkers? Be honest now, hands up. I have! It is very frustrating. Perhaps the increasing obesity problem in our country is having more of an impact than we originally thought. All things considered, I’m going to stick with a wonderful quote that my best friend told me yesterday; ‘coffee is the new lunch.’ Perhaps…but lunch will always get my vote.