Back in the 80's in addition to half-day Fridays, we also had more flexible lunch breaks.
The basic purpose of a two-hour lunch was to allow time for people to actually have business lunches and network.
Research has shown that negotiations are more successful when participants take the time to get to know each other a bit first. So it isn't just about a free lunch. It's also about increasing productivity. (Cialdini, 2018)
Of course, rarely was I wined and dined. Although I did go out to local diners with co-workers on occasion.
Instead, I used the extra time to either run errands or work out. This enabled me to maintain work/life balance even while working past 8 pm most evenings.
I've read a lot lately about the need to improve work/life balance, but I haven't heard anyone discussing the idea of bring back lunch.
Perhaps they should.
Cialdini, R. (2018, May) The Six Principles of Successful Workplace Negotiation. influenceatwork.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022, from,
https://www.influenceatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Workplace-Negotiation-article.pdf
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