According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21.6% of the workforce works remotely. That group is about evenly split between people who exclusively work remotely and those on a hybrid schedule. A new NACS consumer survey reveals some distinct shopping and eating patterns that have emerged to differentiate full-time commuters from those who work fully remotely or have a hybrid work schedule, creating opportunities and challenges for retailers.

How They Eat Matters

“The hybrid work model is here to stay,” noted Denton Cinquegrana at the April 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit.

There is pretty close alignment when it comes to how many meals a day commuters and hybrid/remote workers consume; on average 46% of consumers eat two meals a day and 31% eat three meals a day. The one big difference: hybrid/remote workers are much more likely to say they eat more than three meals a day compared to daily commuters (13% versus 4%). This difference is explainable when you consider the work-from-home crowd probably has easier access to their own kitchens.

There are also some differences when it comes to which meals they consider to be their main meal. Dinner is the main meal for most Americans, regardless of their commuting situation, but commuters are more likely than the general population to say breakfast is their main meal, while hybrid/remote workers are more likely to say lunch is their main meal.

Which meal do you consider your main meal?

On a typical weekday, about one in 10 daily commuters eats breakfast outside the home, and about half eat lunch out. One in 10 eat dinner out, whether by themselves or as a family.

Meanwhile, hybrid/remote workers are about half as likely to eat breakfast and lunch outside the home compared to commuters, but they are more likely to go out for dinner.

Weekday meals eaten outside the home

While people are often creatures of habit, we do see that daily commuters are much more likely to vary their eating patterns. This presents a great opportunity to entice these constant commuters with new offerings, products or services.

My eating habits are …

Along those same lines, we find that daily commuters also are more likely to “try new or different things” when shopping for food or drinks at a convenience store.

When shopping at a c-store, I usually

A potential big opportunity for retailers, echoing a theme from the 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit, is to offer—and communicate—a better-for-you offer.

Most daily commuters say that they probably aren’t eating as well as they should. By contrast, those without a daily commute are mostly pleased with their eating habits. These findings reveal an actionable gap that stores can seize. Because daily commuters already eat out more often, retailers can draw in these customers with better-for-you offers that may resonate with customers.

If you had to choose, which statement comes closest to your view?

Interestingly, hybrid/remote workers are twice as likely as commuters to eat more than one meal a day outside the home. As much as they might enjoy the convenience of working from home, they still want to get out and interact with people—and perhaps grab some food.

For convenience retailers, there could be an opportunity to highlight these meal occasions—which may not be traditional sit-down meals but snacking occasions that act like meals.

How many times do you eat out?

What Times Do People Eat Meals?

There are some significant differences in times that workers eat meals.

• For breakfast, commuters are much more likely to eat earlier in the day. The majority of commuters eat breakfast a full two hours before those who are hybrid or remote.
• For lunch, both sets of workers are most likely to eat between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. The biggest difference is that hybrid/remote workers are more likely to extend the lunch time hour to either before and after that one-hour peak period.
• For dinner, hybrid/remote workers eat between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., while commuters have a more delayed dinner time.

Overall C-Store Trips Are Similar Between the Groups

As it relates to convenience stores, food/meal/drink purchase habits do not vary significantly.

How many times do you purchase food or drink from a c-store as part of a meal?

There is also relatively little variation when it comes to what initially brings customers to a convenience store. It’s no surprise to see that the main reason is to buy gas, though daily commuters are slightly more inclined to be come in to purchase a beverage.

What was the main reason for your last trip to a c-store?

Opportunities for Retailers

While more businesses are ramping up return-to-work mandates, it seems likely that flexibility will be a big part of the shift in work requirements post-Covid. Some sort of hybrid work environment—such as working one day a week remotely—seems to be the norm for many office workers.

Our research shows that remote workers want to get out of the house, and that presents some opportunities for convenience retailers. The challenge is to align your offer with their schedules.

According to office occupancy experts, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are the days when the highest percentage of workers are in the office. For those days, retailers may want to continue with a traditional commuting offer.

But what about Mondays and Fridays? There could be opportunities to customize an offer that appeals more to remote workers, with one big caveat: There is a big difference in mindsets between the beginning of the week and end of the week. We’ll explore some of those key differences in future consumer research.

About the Survey

NACS has conducted consumer surveys since 2007 to learn about specific areas of interest to convenience retailers. This survey was conducted by national public opinion research firm Bold Decision (bold-decision.com). A total of 606 convenience store customers (i.e., consumers) were surveyed in December 2024, with a focused drilldown on the 65% who were employed full-time or part-time. Among this group, more than two-thirds (68%) “commute to work every day” while the remaining 32% either commute “a few times a week” (16%), “less than once a week” (3%), or do not have a commute and “work remotely / exclusively from home” (13%).