Sloppy Joes
A Sloppy Joe is comfort food in a bun - until it’s all over your hands, shirt, and possibly your desk. It’s messy, saucy, and never stays on the bun where it should. Satisfy your cravings on the weekend and not near your keyboard.
Tuna Salad
Tuna salad tastes great—until the smell hits the room! That fishy smell clings to everything. Just one bite, and suddenly everyone is looking at you. It’s fine at home, on your own. But at work? It’s not something you want to bring to the office.
Boiled Eggs
Boiled eggs might be healthy and full of protein. But, let’s be honest - it smells like something set off a stink grenade. That sulphur scent travels fast, and your co-workers will run straight out the door. Rather, save it for breakfast—at home!
Blue Cheese Anything
Blue cheese is a bold choice for lunch. It’s creamy, salty, and unapologetically stinky. Yes, that blue cheese salad or pasta tastes amazing, but that funky aroma will hit the room so fast that people will think a sewer pipe has burst somewhere close by.
Kimchi
Kimchi is spicy, tangy, and oh-so delicious, right? It’s also pretty powerful. So powerful in fact that just opening the container is enough to wake the dead. The hit of fermented cabbage is not great when you’re sharing an office with other people.
Fish Curry
No one wants to sit in an office space that smells like a seaside market in the sun. Fish curry is yum, no doubt, but it’s another smelly meal you shouldn’t be eating for lunch. There’s just no masking the smell when you’re in an open office with nowhere to hide.
Garlic-Heavy Pasta
The taste of garlic pasta will stay with you for hours after you’ve eaten it. And, unfortunately, so will the smell. Do you really want to walk into a meeting where every word you say comes with a puff of garlic? We don’t think so.
Durian Fruit
Durian lovers swear that the fruit is creamy and delicious. But, they can’t deny that it smells like a garbage can on a hot day. If you know, you know. If you don’t, you’ll have to learn the hard way that this is not something you should be eating for lunch.
Ribs
Ribs are amazingly sticky, smoky, and satisfying. But, they’re also impossible to eat neatly or without messing sauce all over your shirt. You’ll likely need napkins, wet wipes, and possibly even a shower when you’re done. Typing after a rib lunch? Forget about it.
Spaghetti With Tomato Sauce
Spaghetti looks innocent enough for a yummy lunch at work. One wrong move, though, and there’s sauce on your desk, your face, and goodness knows where else. The risk-to-reward ratio is not in your favor, so eat it at home where the stains don’t judge.
Hard Shell Tacos
Hard shell tacos are just impossible to eat gracefully. Just one bite and it’s crumbs, fillings, and regret everywhere. Sure, they’re fun, but they’re not work-friendly at all. Well, not unless you fancy vacuuming your lap and office after lunch, that is.
Buffalo Wings
Buffalo wings have the ability to hit the spot just right. Unless you actually enjoy sticky fingers and orange smudges on everything, skip them for lunch. Also, wiping your mouth every two seconds isn’t exactly what you want to do during a working lunch, right?
Loaded Nachos
Where do you even start with loaded nachos? The cheese, salsa, and sour cream seem to just slide off all at once. By the time you find a clean bite, your lunch break’s over. They’re super fun food, but not something you could eat at work.
Meatball Sub
Meatball subs are super tasty. But those sauce balls love to escape and roll around. Delicious? Yes. Practical? Not a chance. We suggest only eating one if you have a bib and no witnesses to see you mess sauce all over your hands and mouth.
Mac and Cheese
When you think of comfort food, what comes to mind? For us, it’s a warm, creamy, and cheesy mac and cheese. But this is one of those meals that requires a nap and not a meeting after you’ve indulged in a bowl. It’s just too cozy for a work lunch.
Lasagne
Lasagne is amazing, but far too dense to eat for lunch. After just a few bites, your energy tanks and you spend the rest of the afternoon in a cheesy fog. Skip it unless you’re okay with yawning and counting down the minutes until home time.
Full English Breakfast
Bacon, eggs, sausages, beans - it’s a heart attack disguised as lunch. It’ll fill you up so much you can barely move, so it’s not something you want to eat for lunch. Save this glorious meal for Sunday morning, not for your work break.
Fried Chicken and Chips
Fried chicken and chips sound like a real treat. But after lunch, you’ll feel heavy, greasy, and absolutely ready for a good nap. It’s a great meal, but really bad timing, and your productivity will vanish with that last chip.
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Feeling fancy while tucking into a mushroom risotto is cool. But it’s not something you want to eat at work. It’s rich and heavy, and just a few bites will make you feel sleepy rather than sharp and productive. Save this one for when you can collapse on the couch after.
Carbonara
Cream, bacon, cheese, and pasta - what could go wrong? The answer? Your energy. Yes, carbonara is tasty and comforting, but it’ll send you straight to snoozeville before 3 PM. Stick to a salad or something that’ll boost your energy—not tank it.
Crab Legs
Want a lunch that requires a full toolkit to get to the meat? That’s crab legs for you - cracking shells, flying bits, a fishy smell. It’s hardly office-friendly. By the time you get anything, lunch is over, and so is your patience. Oh, and you’ll still be hungry too.
Corn on the Cob
Grace and manners go out the window when you’re eating corn on the cob. You really need to ask yourself if you want your co-workers to see you getting bits of corn stuck in your teeth, butter dripping everywhere, and looking slightly feral.
Artichokes
Artichokes are pretty confusing. What part do you even eat? You peel, dip, and scrape, but it still feels like way too much work for too little reward. It’s not the quick, stress-free lunch option you want when you only have 30 minutes to eat.
Pho
Welcome to slurp city! Pho might be delicious and soothing, but it’s also loud, messy, and steamy. Slurping noodles and hot broth in public is not a good look. On the other hand, it’s also messy—one splash and your shirt’s ruined.
Sushi and Wasabi
A little wasabi adds a tasty kick to your sushi lunch. Too much, though, and you’re instantly crying, sniffing, and gasping for air. It’s not a good look at your desk. Go easy on the wasabi or stick to the sushi with soy sauce instead.
French Onion Soup
French onion soup smells amazing, but eating it without spilling that lava-hot cheese is almost impossible. It’s also way too hot to tackle at work. All it takes is one wrong spoonful, and you’re nursing a burnt tongue and possibly a bruised ego.
Ice Cream Sundae
Ice cream for lunch? What could possibly go wrong? It sounds like a fun little lunch treat, but it’s pure sugar. You’ll feel great for about ten minutes before you crash hard. It’s not exactly the balanced and nutritional meal you should be eating for lunch, let alone at work.
Cold Baked Beans
Cold baked beans straight from the tin isn’t lunch - it’s sadness. What happened to a good old sandwich or chicken salad? Warming the beans up doesn’t even help. You deserve something better. Ditch the beans and eat something yummy and filling.
Pickled Eggs
Pickled eggs belong in a pub jar and not in your lunchbox for work. The smell alone will clear the room. Add in the fact that they’re sour, rubbery, and confusing as a meal choice, and you’ve got a lunch that you shouldn’t be eating at work or anywhere else.
Spam
Spam is super yummy when it’s cooked right. But it’s not something we’d eat at work. There’s nothing sadder than cold spam straight from the tin. It’s salty and squishy, so fry it up and toss it in a salad if you really want to eat spam for lunch.
Leftover Trifle
Dessert disguised as lunch is never a good idea. Why? Because all those layers of cream, jelly, and sponge will give you a sugar rush - and then a nap attack. Dessert should stay where it belongs - in your belly after dinner at home.
Instant Noodles
Ramen has made instant noodles pretty popular. But that’s Ramen, and not those cheap packets of instant noodles you get at the dollar store. They have zero nutritional value and look more like a sad cry for help than a delicious lunch.
Chip Sandwiches
A chip sandwich is crunchy and fun, but it’s totally lacking in nutrition. It’s fine for a lazy snack at home on the weekend, but not a meal you’d eat at work. You’ll be hungry again in an hour and wondering why you didn’t pack more lunch.
Onion Rings
Who doesn’t love onion rings? The people in your office, that’s who. Sure, they’re tasty and addictive, but they’re also greasy and loud in every sense. The smell clings to your hands, hair, and clothes long after you’ve eaten them. Great for snacking, bad for lunch.
A Juicy Burger
A big, juicy burger is delicious - until you try to eat it politely. The bun inevitably slips, the sauce drips down your hands and arms, and the fillings escape out the back and plop onto your plate or desk, leaving a mess. Save your burger for after hours..
