Restaurants now offer express menus at noon as the long lunch becomes short

The days of business lunches that stretch into the evening are mostly gone. Australia's top restaurants are now pitching express offerings to time-poor workers.

At Sydney and Melbourne's Pei Modern, executive chef Mark Best said many business diners were more influenced by the length of time they had rather than the prices.

“Lunch seems to be back, just shorter than they used to be," says Terry Durack. Photo: Louie Douvis

"Traditionally, usually by the time they've had their meeting with their client, the entrees are only just being served," he said. "So we've recognised that and now offer Eat, Pei, Quick, two courses and a coffee for $39. It means most people can get out in just under an hour."

Mr Best said lunch generated about 60 per cent of the venue's sales and was the biggest growing timeslot.

"By using seasonal produce, it allows high-quality food at a reasonable price," he said.

Both Pei Modern venues and Marquee have been named in The Australian Financial Review Australia's Top Restaurants, presented by Qantas Airways and Vittoria Coffee.

Over the next three months, chefs and restaurateurs from 500 venues, selected by Fairfax Media critics, will be able to vote for their top-10 favourite restaurants. The results will form a list of Australia's top 100 restaurants.

Renowned food writer, critic and award director Jill Dupleix said the long lunch was now the short lunch.

"Pre-GFC, there was plenty of money around to spend on oysters and Wagyu," she said.

"Post-GFC, the big spenders went internal and less conspicuous. Even if they had the money, companies preferred to entertain privately in boardrooms than publicly in the fine dining restaurants of the day."

Celebrity chef and restauranteur Guy Grossi agreed lunch goers were after fewer courses and many opted to go without alcohol.

Upstairs at Grossi Florentino, "Veloce", a set-price, two-course tasting menu is offered during the week.

Instead of the complimentary glass of wine, guests are allowed to have bottomless glasses of mineral water.

"We still get the odd long lunch but the market has changed," Mr Grossi said.

"There's been a change in the lunch mentality. This happened a few years ago and definitely relates to economic pressures and political instability. But since the GFC, there has been an explosion in the number of restaurants and the way people view restaurants and eating out. People's attitude to eating at lunch time has changed."

Mr Grossi said for each of his restaurants, he had created lunch offers that suited the venue. Merchant offers barbecue spit on Fridays, which sells out within an hour.

The Sydney Morning Herald chief restaurant critic and award director Terry Durack said people would always want to connect with their colleagues and associates at the table, but in recent years, the table shifted from the high end of town to a more modest bistro or even a cafe.

"Meeting for breakfast or coffee was easier, faster and cheaper than committing to a two-hour lunch," Mr Durack said.

"But lunch seems to be back, just shorter than they used to be."

For Guillaume Brahimi, lunches at his Paddington restaurant Guillaume are far from a rushed affair. He said the nature of his restaurant, which only serves lunch – a four course degustation –on Fridays and Saturdays, saw guests beginning at midday and lazily wandering out after six hours.

He said Australians were bigger lunch goers than their European counterparts, with only tourists filling the restaurants in Paris during the middle of the day.

"That's the type of venue it is but for our city restaurants, lunch is shorter," Mr Guillaume said.

However, his Bistro Guillaume venues in Melbourne and Perth are thriving with an express lunch a popular choice for diners.

"Depending on the customer, it works," he said. "Some might start with a glass of champagne and then you know they want a more relaxed time."

But one thing is for sure, Mr Brahimi said lunch would not overtake dinner in the popularity stakes.

Voting for the awards has begun and the top-100 list will be announced in May.