Weekend lunches on the rise in Houston

Houston's restaurant spending is shifting from weekday lunch hours to the weekends, per new Square data.

Why it matters: It's a reflection of pandemic behavior changes — and an important insight for restaurants as they continue adapting to survive and thrive.

By the numbers: Houston's share of weekday lunch purchases from food and drink establishments using Square fell from 21.7% in 2019 to 18.7% in 2023.

• Meanwhile, the weekend's share of lunch purchases from those establishments rose from 30% in 2019 to 32.9% in 2023.

Zoom out: Weekday lunch's share of overall restaurant transactions fell nationally from about 21% in 2019 to 18% in 2023, based on data from food and drink establishments using Square.

• By contrast, the weekend's share grew from about 30% in 2019 to 35% in 2023.

How it works: Square, which makes payments processing technology, defines the "weekday lunch" period as 11am-2pm, the "weekend" as all day Saturday and Sunday, and "happy hour" as weekdays from 4-6pm.

The bottom line: See you at brunch.

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