A confused new hire on TikTok, Emily (@simmplyemmily), asks why her co-workers don’t eat lunch in the breakroom. Viewers say eating lunch alone is more peaceful.
By early Wednesday, Emily has reached over 3.8 million views on her video. She responds to viewers in the comments who think she may be the problem.
@simmplyemmily it was literally 1 pm here and theres only place to eat in the whole entire building i was so confused #work #officelife #postgrad #9to5 #newhire #entrylevel #livinginyour20s ♬ Funny – Gold-Tiger
Emily’s 10-second video captioned, “Me, a new hire, being confused at where the entire office eats lunch at lunchtime,” went viral overnight. She says she woke up to 2 million viewers “clowning her” in the comments.
In the clip, it was 1pm and Emily said she was eating lunch at the “only place to eat in the whole building.”
“I was so confused,” she adds.
Emily responds to a comment that says, “The one person people avoid eats there, so everyone avoids the lounge.” (She posted a video in response to the comment of her just laughing if off while finishing up her lunch.)
Next, Emily responds to a viral comment that says, “girl, they met up somewhere without you to talk mad sh*t.” She laughs it off and says in another video response, “You don’t understand, a bunch of my recent videos went viral about me being chronically excluded.”
Multiple viewers left helpful comments saying that they eat lunch in their car. “Personally, I’m eating in my car in the peace and quiet lol,” one says. One viewer said he has eaten lunch in his car for the past 5 years.
Another says, “I always escape to my car because it’s too awkward in the breakroom.”
Others agree that eating lunch in their own office or cubicle is still better than the breakroom.
One viewer admits that she can’t eat in her car because she lives in Florida. “It’s 100 degrees, nope,” she says.
Emily responds in a video saying she agrees. “I live in New Jersey and today it’s like a real feel of 106 degrees and I am not eating in my car,” she adds.
Tri-City Medical Center conducted a study that shows roughly 50% of all Americans eat lunch alone. They also found that nearly 25% of millennials prefer eating alone and more than 6 in 10 professionals chose to eat at their desks.
The Daily Dot reached out to Emily via TikTok direct message. She says, “Honestly I think a good amount of people do eat in the office. I think I’m just getting used to the schedule because I’m new.”
“And I think that day there were a bunch of people hybrid, combined with the fact I ate a little bit later, lol,” she adds.
