A message to all the bosses out there: the half-hour lunch, or even the hour lunch are things of the past. The 90-minute lunch is the now.
Oh, I can see how you wouldn't want your employees stretching the lunch break to two hours and beyond, but I'm making the argument for the 90-minute lunch. This is self-serving for our website because we want the good workers of Waco to be able to experience any restaurant in town on their lunch breaks. So that's full disclosure.
But that doesn't mean we're wrong.
As Exhibit A, I offer the lunch specials at Lone Star Tavern, two of which appear in the picture with this blog. That would be the chicken fried steak lunch and the hamburger basket, both of which come with fries (tots or onion rings) and a salad for just $4.95.
Lone Star Tavern offers other items on their lunch specials, including but not limited to meatloaf, beef tips and chopped steak. On this Monday after Thanksgiving, I enjoyed the chicken fried steak with cream gravy, a little Tabasco dribbled on top. Ideal hardy lunch. Hit the spot.
The only plausible reason for someone who likes things like chicken fried steak and cheeseburgers not to enjoy the lunch special at Lone Star Tavern is that this steakhouse is kind of far out for a lot of people. If you sit in a cubicle in Hewitt, it might seem almost impossible to drive to Bellmead for lunch and get back to the cubicle in an hour. Granted, it would be difficult. From the middle of town, it took about an hour and 15 minutes round trip (eating time included) for me today, though my lunch companion and I spent a few leisurely minutes finishing a conversation after our food was gone.
So that's why we think the 90-minute lunch's time has come.
See, Mr. Bossman, the working man needs more than sustenance at lunch time. He needs time to clear his head, to visit with co-workers, to dip fresh-cut french fries in cream gravy. The working man will appreciate this more than you can imagine. He'll return to his desk with renewed faith in human kind, more creativity and a greater sense of loyalty to the company.
And, Mr. Bossman, since we live in a world of instant connectivity, you always have the ability to send unmitigated directives through text messages littered with capital letters and exclamation points. "NELSON!! NEED TPS REPORTS BY 1:30!!!!!"*
(*We do not endorse the use of more than one exclamation point.)
Mr. Bossman, I know you're interested in the bottom line, so here it is: if there's a quality chicken fried steak available for $4.95 anywhere in town, you need to allow your employees time to get to it, so long as it proves to make them happier and ultimately more productive.
(And to the working man, if you decide to order a pitcher of beer at Lone Star Tavern while you're there on your lunch break, just keep that to yourself.)
