12 Best Ways to Say “Thank You for Lunch”

Figuring out how to say thank you for lunch doesn’t need to be tricky. People go to lunch for various reasons, and there are ways to thank them no matter the context. This article will explore some of the best alternatives you can use.

The preferred alternatives are “thank you for inviting me to lunch,” “thank you for letting me come,” and “thanks for the invitation.” These are the easiest ways to appreciate someone for inviting you. These phrases work well if you go to lunch for business or personal reasons.

Best Ways to Say “Thank You for Lunch”

1. Thank You For Inviting Me To Lunch

“Thank you for inviting me to lunch” is a great way to say thank you when someone has taken you to (and paid for) lunch. It works both formally (in a business setting) and informally (in a friendly or romantic setting).

  • Thank you for inviting me to lunch. I wasn’t sure if you valued me enough as a friend to bring me with you.
  • Thank you for inviting me to lunch. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I’d like to do it again sometime if you’re free.
  • Thank you for inviting me to lunch. I don’t know if you intended to go over what we did, but I’m glad we sorted it out.

2. Thank You For Letting Me Come

“Thank you for letting me come” is a good choice if someone has already made lunch plans and invited you after. “Letting me come” means that you were invited after, but you might still have enjoyed yourself.

  • Thank you for letting me come. I had a surprisingly good time, and I’d like to see you again soon if you’re available.
  • Thank you for letting me come. It felt nice to be included in a lunch meeting like that. I’ll pay for more of it next time.
  • Thank you for letting me come. Let me know if you’d like me to pay for any of the food that you ordered!

3. Thanks For The Invitation

“Thanks for the invitation” is a simple formal phrase you can use to be appreciative. You do not have to overcomplicate phrases like this. It works well when you are glad someone took you out for lunch.

  • Thanks for the invitation. I had a really good time. I’ll let you know when I’m free again, so we can go over some more details.
  • Thanks for the invitation to lunch. It was really nice. I didn’t even know that a restaurant like that was in this city.
  • Thanks for the invitation. It was nice to catch up with you after all this time. Let me know when you’re free again.

4. I Enjoyed Having Lunch With You

“I enjoyed having lunch with you” is an excellent choice in many cases. It shows that you had a good time eating lunch with someone, and you are more than happy to do it again.

  • I enjoyed having lunch with you. You really made my day with some of the things you said to me. Let’s do it again.
  • I enjoyed having lunch with you. It would be nice for us to arrange that again sometime to go over a few of the other problems.
  • I enjoyed having lunch with you. It’s nice to have a more informal setting for a business meeting sometime.

5. I Had A Good Time At Lunch

“I had a good time at lunch” is a great phrase you can use in many situations. It shows that you enjoyed yourself (possibly more than you thought you would). This is always a nice way to say “thank you” without using those words directly.

  • I had a good time at lunch. Let me know when you’d like to do it again, and I’ll check my calendar to see when I’m free.
  • I had a good time at lunch with you. You helped me figure out a few things in my life, and I owe you a lot.
  • I had a good time at lunch. Next time, I’ll be paying for your food and my own. Let me know when you’re ready to go again.

6. It Was Nice To Have Lunch With You

“It was nice to have lunch with you” is another great choice without needing to say “thank you.” It shows that you enjoyed yourself and are grateful for the time you spent with your friend or colleague at lunch.

  • It was nice to have lunch with you. It’s always pleasant to catch up with friends when you haven’t seen them for a while.
  • It was nice to have lunch with you. I don’t know if you realize this, but I’m fond of you and would like to get to know you more.
  • It was nice to have lunch with you. I think it’s important that we have business meetings like this outside of the office sometimes.

7. Lunch Was Grand

“Lunch was grand” means that you enjoyed lunch. It’s a fairly pretentious phrase to use, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective. It works quite well in a sarcastic sense as well, which might be worth remembering.

  • Lunch was grand. We should absolutely do it again. I think it’s a good experience for both of us.
  • Lunch was grand. I learned much more about you than I thought I would. I’m glad we took the time to do this.
  • Lunch was grand. If you want to do it again, just text me. I’ll let you know when my diary is free again.

8. I Enjoyed Lunch

“I enjoyed lunch” is a simple way to be appreciative that someone invited you to lunch. “Enjoyed” is used here to show that you like to keep things simple, but you still enjoyed yourself.

  • I enjoyed lunch with you. You always know the right things to say to cheer me up. We should do this during our breaks more often.
  • I enjoyed lunch the other day. It was nice of you to invite me, and I think I’d like to repay you in the next few weeks.
  • I enjoyed lunch. It was an eye-opening experience to learn about some of those things from you.

9. We Should Do This Again Sometime

“We should do this again sometime” is a great way to show that you enjoyed lunch. It doesn’t directly thank someone for their time, but it shows that you had such a good time you’d love to repeat it again soon.

  • We should do this again sometime. I’m not sure when I’m next free, but I know that I had a good time out with you.
  • We should do this again sometime. Lunch is always a great idea, and it’s the time when I have the most freedom to do what I want.
  • We should do this again sometime. Lunch meetings work really well for me. I’ll see when I’m next free for another.

10. I Would Like To Have Lunch With You Again

“I would like to have lunch with you again” is another great way to repeat the action without directly expressing thanks. You don’t always need to say “thank you” or “I appreciate” when you want to be grateful. Phrases like this work well to show that you enjoyed yourself.

  • I would like to have lunch with you again. I enjoyed spending time with you and getting to know you better.
  • I would like to have lunch with you again. You managed to make me smile even when I was struggling earlier today.
  • I would like to have lunch with you again. I think it’s important that we get a chance to talk things over with lunch.

11. I’m Glad We Could Talk Things Through Over Lunch

“I’m glad we could talk things through over lunch” is a more specific synonym you can use. If you went to lunch to talk through some issues with someone close to you, it’s worth using this phrase to show that you appreciated their invitation.

  • I’m glad we could talk things through over lunch. It was nice to get someone else’s input on my situation without judgment.
  • I’m glad we could talk things through over lunch. You always know what to say and how to comfort me when I’m struggling.
  • I’m glad we could talk things through over lunch. Let me know when you want to meet again, so we can discuss more issues.

12. I Appreciate You Taking Me To Lunch

“I appreciate you taking me to lunch” shows that someone invited you along for lunch, and you were happy to attend. It’s a great way to show that you appreciate their offer. It works well if you want to repay them by taking them out for lunch sometime as well.

  • I appreciate you taking me to lunch. I’ll have to owe you, though, as I didn’t bring my wallet today! Next time, it’s on me.
  • I appreciate you taking me to lunch. You didn’t have to do that, but it’s nice that you cared enough to take me along.
  • I appreciate you taking me to lunch. You have no idea how much it meant to me! I really needed that today.