Lunch money

Yesterday, in the spirit of being collegial I went to lunch with my coworkers and ended up spending $4.73 on a grilled cheese sandwich, a pickle and a fountain drink. Not a lot of bang for the buck in my opinion. I am trying to go out with them once a week and brown bag it the other days. I already have to pay $5 per day to park. I do participate in my company’s pre-tax transportation program so that I do get a tax benefit which takes away some of the ouch factor. I have written about this before and I do wish my coworkers would eat in. Either they have a lot more money than I do or they are not trying to save like I am. How much does the average lunch cost I wonder.