No Meal! No Deal!
Taco Bell launches a lunch war against Big Sandwich and its so called ‘meal deals’ with a new ‘Lunchtime Meal Deal Reform Act’
- ‘Lunchtime Meal Deal Reform Act’ plans to force supermarket meal deals to be actually substantial, actually tasty and actually a deal
- Protestors petition outside Westminster with an open letter, poking fun at the injustice of the UK’s Meal Deal culture while offering a superior alternative
- Open letter states: Big Sandwich Is Eating Your Lunch – pointing to the recent cost rises in meal deals and the injustice of inadequate lunches
- Follows research revealing 1 in 2 employees are unashamed creatures of habit when it comes to their lunchtime choice, with nearly a third eating exactly the same lunch every day of the week without fail.
- 46% agree to suffering with lunch choice regret immediately after buying their lunch and wish they’d bought something else
- In response, Taco Bell has launched its own Cravings Lunch Deal priced at £3.49 (for app members) / £3.99 (for regular customers) and includes a Cravings Burrito, regular seasoned fries plus a regular soft drink (available 11am-3pm, Mon-Fri, in store only)
Following news that Brits’ favourite meal deals have increased in price by 6% over the last 12 months, dissenters have taken to the streets of Westminster to protest for a Lunchtime Meal Deal Reform Act, as a third of Brits admit they’re bored of sandwiches.
The protest follows research which reveals that a staggering 1 in 2 workers are unashamed creatures of habit when it comes to their lunchtime choice, with nearly a third eating exactly the same lunch every day of the week without fail.
In response, Taco Bell has penned an open letter to the British public reminding them that they don’t have to settle for poor quality, sub-standard lunches. After all, a sad sandwich, boring crisps and a drink is NOT a meal!
The study of 1,000 Brits, commissioned by Taco Bell, found that when it comes to our lunchbreak, busy office workers now take a ‘micro’ lunch equating to mere 14.9 minutes a day to grab a meal deal before sprinting back to their desk.
The most popular lunchtime time sandwich is the humble tuna mayo, however chicken seems to be universally acknowledged as the preferred filling – with 34% preferring it with either bacon or salad.
In fact, 1 in 10 have followed this exact lunchtime ritual with the same identical lunch for the past 5 years! This is the equivalent of eating 3,750 Tuna Mayo sandwiches every day. Ironic, given that the vast majority of Brits (85%) consider themselves to be adventurous eaters!
On average men favour meat-based options when choosing their meal deals, opting for a Chicken & Bacon sandwich with a chocolate bar snack, washed down with a full fat coke. Whilst women opt for a fish-based lunch, with their top combination being a Tuna sandwich, yoghurt and still water.
Gen Z’s favourite sandwich is a trendy mozzarella and pesto wrap, but 23% of millennials play it safer with a chicken salad sandwich. Residents of Wales choose a chocolate bar or plain crisps as their favourite snack, whereas a third of Londoners opt for a yoghurt. Keeping it simple – still water is the most popular drink choice overall for Brits.
Surprisingly, 46% agree to suffering with lunch choice regret immediately after buying their lunch and wish they’d bought something else.
1 in 5 start to think about what they’re going to eat at 11.01am, whilst a shocking 5% start thinking about lunch as soon as they’ve woken up and showered! Funny, given almost half (42%) take just 10 minutes to scoff down their meal.
And it seems that a sad sandwich isn’t sufficient for most Brits, with 5 in 10 claiming that the post-sandwich hunger pangs hit by 3.25pm.
44% wish they could take a proper lunch break and eat something more substantial despite admitting they are more likely to change their grocery shop (15%), lottery numbers (14%), utility provider (12%) and haircut (11%) over their lunch option.
When shopping for lunch, 34% simply opt for the cheapest meal deal with 44% saying a special offer sways their choice.
Despite Brits’ thriftiness, office workers would happily fork out up to £6.40 on average for a good quality lunch that filled them up until dinnertime, 42% more than the average cost of a meal deal which now costs £4.50.
In response to Big Sandwich’s grip on the nation’s lunchtimes, Taco Bell has launched its Real Meal, Real Deal; the new Cravings Lunch Deal combo includes a choice of Cravings Burrito, regular seasoned fries plus a regular soft drink all for £3.99. Taco Bell loyalty members can also benefit from an exclusive £3.49 deal when ordering in app.
Chet Patel, Chief Marketing Officer from Taco Bell comments: ”Our research shows just how monotonous the nation’s lunchtimes have become and how many Brits are suffering with sad sandwich woes. Big Sandwich has hoodwinked hard working people for too long with their overpriced and disappointing lunchtime offerings. Despite office workers saying they would be happy to fork out up to £6.40 on a good quality lunch which fills them up, they don’t have to with our Real Meal, Real Deal offer which allows people to indulge in a much more satisfying and flavourful option, but for the same price or less than they are spending on a pre-packaged supermarket meal deal.”
The brand-new meal deal is available across all stores and via the Taco Bell app.
Those who want to stop throwing their money at Big Sandwich can visit Change.org to sign the Meal Deal Reform Act.
Top 10 List of humdrum sandwiches chosen by Brits:
- Tuna Mayo sandwich
- Chicken salad sandwich
- Chicken & bacon sandwich
- Ham sandwich
- Sweet Chilli Chicken wrap
- Cheese sandwich
- Cheese & Onion sandwich
- Ham & Cheese sub
- Egg & Cress sandwich
- Chicken Stuffing sandwich
