News from Premier Inn

Premier Inn reveals workers missing breakfast costs UK business over £8 million a day

The business of missing breakfast is costing the UK economy £8,870,518 each day, research by Premier Inn reveals.

By skipping breakfast people are lowering their productivity in the workplace, taking longer to reach their full work potential. 14% of the population don’t eat breakfast and 803,489 of these workers don’t perform to their full potential for the first two hours of the day.

This is costing UK businesses £2,306,334,826 a year in wages on unproductive workers. If these workers did eat breakfast and perform from their full potential in the morning, it could boost the UK's economy by £20,408,620 per day.

Premier Inn’s research also highlights how not eating breakfast could be holding people back from reaching the top of their professions, with people admitting they are more easily distracted (25%), short tempered (15%) and more stressed (15%) if they have not eaten breakfast.

To combat this, Premier Inn has worked with top nutritionist Juliette Kellow to identify key breakfast nutrients that can maximise performance at work by counteracting adverse conditions that impact productivity:
• Reduce stress by choosing foods that contain magnesium to help relax tense muscles including banana, seeds and yogurt. Plus opt for eggs which contain the amino acid tryptophan to boost levels of the happy-chemical serotonin in the brain
• Improve alertness with foods that contain iron such as bacon, baked beans and bran flakes in order to keep haemoglobin levels high to ensure sufficient oxygen is carried around the body to the brain. Keeping hydrated is also key to aiding concentration
• Keep energy levels steady with low glycaemic foods such as porridge and baked beans

Successful business figures realise breakfast is a secret of success. Breakfast is the most important meal for Simon Woodroffe, Dragon’s Den star and founder of Yo! Sushi. Before every board meeting he gets into positive gear by eating protein-rich poached eggs on toast, which helps the brain to produce the mood-enhancing chemical, serotonin. Fellow Dragon’s Den star Peter Jones opts for a cappuccino, oatmeal flap jack and banana to provide sustained energy and concentration so he is able to calmly deal with anything thrown his way.

Juliette Kellow said “Premier Inn’s research shows that 14% of workers don’t eat breakfast. Having breakfast, and choosing the right food, helps you start the day with plenty of energy, so that you perform better and so are more productive and likely to succeed in your chosen career.”