Cold sandwiches are officially off the menu as new research reveals Brits are craving warmer, more exciting lunch options.
According to a new YouGov survey over a quarter (26%) of UK adults now rank bread sandwiches as their most boring lunch option, while 16% are actively seeking hot alternatives like toasties or quesadillas for their ideal weekday lunch.
The appetite for warmth is especially pronounced among women, with 33% listing bread sandwiches as boring, while men found salads to be equally uninspiring (28%).
The north-south divide is also heating up, with Scotland and the North of England showing the strongest preference for hot sandwich options – 19% of respondents in these regions marking it as their weekday lunch of choice.
Meanwhile, the 45-54 age group is most ready for a lunch revolution, with 31% fed up with their daily sandwich, according to the survey commissioned by Tortilla.
Enter the quesadilla – Mexico’s answer to the humble toastie – as Tortilla takes to the streets to revolutionise lunchtimes and give away hundreds of FREE quesadillas to hungry workers.
Megan Burton-Brown, Marketing Director at Tortilla, said: “Think of our quesadillas as Mexican toasties – they transform the humble sandwich into something actually delicious: less bread, more filling, including; melted cheese, fresh customisable ingredients, and a sauce for dipping – satisfaction you just can’t get from a regular sarnie!”
Taking the toasted revolution to the streets, Tortilla is deploying the Quesadilla 5000 – a custom-built machine that transforms boring sandwiches into hot, melty quesadillas.
The pop-up will make its debut at Tortilla Greenwich (Opposite Cutty Sark Station) on Thursday December 12, between 11am-2pm, hosted by guest Tik Tok star Tommy Solemn, helping rescue Londoners from their lacklustre lunches.
All you have to do is turn up with your store-bought sandwich and Tortilla will exchange it for a FREE quesadilla which usually costs £6.95. All the sandwiches collected will be donated to local charities such as the Greenwich Homeless Project and the 999 Club.
The classic quesadilla – a toasted flour tortilla filled with melted Monterey Jack cheese, choice of protein or vegetables, fresh salsa, and served with additional salsa for dipping – offers everything missing from the standard sandwich: warmth, crunch, and customisable flavours that excite the taste buds for just £6.95 or £9.90 as a bundle including Tortilla chips and a soft drink.
For those feeling festive, Tortilla is also introducing a limited-edition Festive Quesadilla featuring Somerset’s British Camembert and Cranberry & Chipotle Salsa, for £6.95 in-store or order-ahead. Grab a taste on Uber Eats and Just Eat too.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2148 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6th – 7th November 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
YouGov is registered with the Information Commissioner. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.
