Lunch is a funny thing for many developers. With a tendency towards introverts often people get into habits of eating alone either with food from home or just running out to pick something up and bring it back. Lunch as a social outing is a bit unusual and unexpected.
I’ve viewed eating with others as one of my favorite parts of the working day for a long time. Even when I work remote I often schedule lunches with former colleagues or friends to keep up with them. At my present gig I work in the office Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Tuesdays are a company sponsored team lunch which has been a great way to get everyone out eating together. Mondays and Thursdays I typically get a bite with another one of our developer teams. I enjoy the conversations and it’s a free way to keep up with another team and explain what’s going on with our project. I know there’s a small cost involved in eating out, but it’s only two days a week and far outweighed by sharing knowledge across the organization. And I do like to get out of the office.
So if as a developer you tend towards the lunch from home and eating at your desk, try out lunch out with some co-workers at least once a week. It’s a cheap experiment and a great way keep up with your organization.