Once upon a time not that long ago, it was customary to spend an hour or more at a proper table in a restaurant for lunch. Unfortunately modern times killed one of the great pleasures of businessmen of the 20th century. What should we make of this?

There used to be a time where lunch was a pleasure, not an obligation. You were not merely feeding yourself between meetings but you would sit down, put a white napkin on your lap, order the menu du jour and perhaps a glass or two of wine. If the day was good and you were in good company, perhaps a bottle was allowed. Food was heavy but certainly good. I am quite certain that people were leaving the table with a smile on their face. You do not believe me? Please see below the menu du jour in the Baur au Lac hotel in Zürich:

*Baur au Lac Hotel Lunch Menu, September 1950. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History.* *https://texashistory.unt.edu* *(accessed April 27, 2026). Credit: Rosenberg Library.*

Clearly people knew how to lunch in style. Although no wine list was found, I do not doubt that the courses were paired with a great bottle of wine. How about a tête de veau with an Alsatian riesling? Or a côte de porc with a claret?

This is very far from nowadays lunch, where people munch a sad sandwich in front of their desk while fixating their screen. So what happened? One could argue that the way we work changed, driven mostly by a shift of paradigm in the 1980s. Suddenly the American way of doing business took over. The corporate world started to track profits more aggressively, and the adage time is money took over. Employees are tracked on their performance, whether billable hours or financial results.

What was greatly built around these lunches were relationships that are now less relevant in the name of sheer efficiency. In 2026, you do not need to sit at the table with someone to discuss business. Phone calls, Zoom, Teams have replaced that. But have they really?

There is something very artificial about discussing business over the phone or through a camera. Sure, I can confirm simple information, but you cannot grasp the emotions or intentions of your counterpart through a screen. It is simply not the same. Then there is the question of time. When you have lunch in a restaurant, you know that you will spend an hour or so at the table and if you were well raised by your parents, no phone should disturb the moment. You can dedicate this time to your guest and to the wine, perhaps helping improve the flow of conversation.

There is a guilty pleasure in opening a bottle of wine over lunch. You know that you will not be of robotic efficiency in the afternoon, but the light buzz will remind you of the little pleasures of life. Forget the numbers, leave the sacrosanct of efficiency for a moment. Remember that we mortals should be reminded to enjoy the path and not only push contentment to later. Today is as important as tomorrow.

Of course some pockets of resistance exist in Western Europe. Famously, the French ruled that desk lunches are against the law. You need to get out to eat and enjoy the company of your colleagues. Some restaurants either promote or keep a tradition of proper lunches. London has Noble Rot restaurants who offer fair prices for their lunch menu and if the heart pushes you for a glass of exclusivity, they have a formidable selection of wines by the glass. Down south in Madrid, restaurants are populated by people in search of a good lunch that will last for hours. A spot favoured by locals is El Pescador, perhaps one of the best fish restaurants in the world. Some barnacles to start with, a grilled fish and a bottle of Godello. What else should you ask for?

It is important that you join this hedonistic resistance group, where lunch is a pleasure and not an obligation. Wine is of course not mandatory but as often in life, it may bring a bit of sunshine into your day. Cheers.

The death of the business lunch

Georgia