Question: why is lunch cheaper than dinner?

I recently took a position at a 4-star hotel in the catering
department. I have noticed (as have my clients) that lunches often
cost 1/3 or 1/2 less than dinners, even using the same menu. I don't
really know what to tell them and no one I work with has been able to
offer me a truly acceptable answer. Does anyone know why this is
almost universally true?

(Sully) wrote in
om:
I recently took a position at a 4-star hotel in the catering
department. I have noticed (as have my clients) that lunches often
cost 1/3 or 1/2 less than dinners, even using the same menu.

Even if the menu is the same, the portions are usually smaller at lunch.
Also, people usually spend much less time at lunch, so the same number of
workers/tables can serve more people at lunch time.

Often there is a 'lunch menu' and separately (or only shown in the
evening) a 'dinner menu'.
Most times, besides smaller portions, soup and/or salad is omitted.
Even the main courses are different with less 'accoutrements'.








"Iti is better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong.
--J. M. Keynes