Hello, Home Office; Bye-Bye, Dunkin' Drive-Thru

As many states ease the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of Covid-19, shoppers are beginning to trickle back to malls, restaurants and hair salons. But even as they venture away from their living rooms for those activities, many who hold office jobs are still working from home. This abrupt, widespread adoption of telecommuting has roiled the restaurant industry, and could continue to do so if large swaths of workers end up settling into this model on a more routine basis — particularly when it comes to certain niches. Breakfast is a prime example.

U.S. restaurant traffic in the morning hours suffered from a steeper initial drop during March and early April than was seen at lunch or dinner. Even now, breakfast is recovering more slowly than those other mealtimes. This almost certainly reflects the fact that commutes have disappeared for legions of workers. After all, it doesn’t make sense to take your regular spin through the McDonald’s drive-thru lane when you’re not already in the car en route to your cubicle. And a ritual pop-in to the Starbucks near your subway stop is no longer convenient.