According to the Edenred Restaurant Index, Czechs paid an average of 187.2 crowns for the lunch menu in restaurants and canteens in March, i.e. one crown and 20 pennies more than in February. The prices of lunches thus returned to the December level after a slight decrease.
Lunch prices in the Czech Republic are rising again. The average returned to the December level
| Video: Diary/Iva Haghofer
There are now two cities in the Czech Republic where the average price of a lunch menu has exceeded two hundred crowns. Brno has now joined Prague, which already surpassed it in December 2022. Its residents pay an average of 200.3 crowns for lunch. Since the beginning of the year, other regions have also seen a significant increase in prices, especially in the north-east of the Czech Republic. In Liberec, Hradec Králové and Pardubice, prices rose by more than 2.5 crowns during the first quarter. On the contrary, a significant decrease occurred in Olomouc. Compared to December, prices here fell by 5.7 crowns.
“Lunch prices have been rather stagnant in recent months. There are slight fluctuations in some regions, but overall it has been around 185 crowns since last July. The slowdown in the growth of consumer prices is clearly evident in the hospitality industry as well. Thanks to the gradual decrease in energy costs and the stabilization of raw material costs, after more than a year of persistent growth, restaurateurs finally have the opportunity to keep food prices under control,” says Aneta Martišková, member of the management of Edenred.
Regular meals in a restaurant will become more expensive
According to the Barometr FOOD1 survey, 72% of employees go to a restaurant for lunch during their lunch break, a quarter (26%) even say that they often. However, regular dining in a restaurant has a relatively significant impact on household budgets. Today, Czechs pay an average of 3,931 crowns for 21 lunches2 in a restaurant. This amounts to about 8.5% of the average monthly salary. Even here, last year’s price increase is noticeable. Just a year ago, diners could buy almost one full lunch extra for the same price.
People in Liberec and České Budějovice currently pay the largest part of their monthly income for meals, where the cost of 21 lunchtime visits to a restaurant or canteen is close to a tenth of the average wage. Paradoxically, the capital is located on the opposite side of the spectrum. Although lunch prices are by far the highest in Prague, Prague employees pay only 8% of the average monthly wage for regular lunches in restaurants, i.e. the lowest of all regions.
“The prices of lunches usually reflect the level of wages in individual regions fairly well. However, this is not always the case. Apart from Prague, Karlovy Vary, for example, stands out. Although prices here are significantly below the national average, the situation changes if we relate them to purchasing power. In addition, only about a third of Czechs reach the average wage. It is therefore likely that lunches at work often affect family budgets significantly more,” says Aneta Martišková. As an alternative, according to her, employees are increasingly choosing their own lunch “from a box”.
