Swordsmyth
07-26-2018, 12:57 AM
It's no secret that Facebook employees love their office meals. On Instagram, there are countless photos (https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/4132822/facebook-hq/) of free meals — from sushi (https://www.instagram.com/p/BlonGTGHpvb/?taken-at=4132822) to tacos (https://www.instagram.com/p/BlobyfgnB2Z/?taken-at=4132822) to coffee waffles (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bln7FViH_qI/?taken-at=4132822) — served at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, California.
But come this fall, when the tech giant moves to a new Mountain View office complex called the Village, that perk will no longer exist.
That's because the city is prohibiting companies from fully subsidizing meals inside the Village, a rule that could spread to other Bay Area cities in the future. Free food is a popular perk at tech companies throughout San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
On Tuesday, San Francisco legislators proposed a similar ban, the San Francisco Examiner reports. (http://www.sfexaminer.com/supervisors-move-ban-workplace-cafeterias/) If passed, it would adjust zoning laws to bar new construction of on-site workplace cafeterias. (The ban wouldn't be retroactive, however, so on-site food at companies like Google and Twitter would still be available.)
The Village is part of the larger San Antonio Center development, which features a number of restaurants open to the public.
Mountain View passed the project-specific requirement in 2014, but as the San Francisco Chronicle notes (https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Mountain-View-s-unusual-rule-for-Facebook-No-13096100.php), the decision attracted little attention at the time because its construction still had years to go.
Facebook declined to comment on the ban, but spokesperson Jamil Walker added that the company found the new location attractive due to its proximity to public transit, housing, shops, and restaurants.
In both San Francisco and Mountain View, supporters of the regulations argue that the cafeterias take away business from local restaurants and cafés, because they discourage workers from leaving their offices.
More at: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/san-francisco-free-cafeteria-food-facebook-ban-2018-7-1027400345
But come this fall, when the tech giant moves to a new Mountain View office complex called the Village, that perk will no longer exist.
That's because the city is prohibiting companies from fully subsidizing meals inside the Village, a rule that could spread to other Bay Area cities in the future. Free food is a popular perk at tech companies throughout San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
On Tuesday, San Francisco legislators proposed a similar ban, the San Francisco Examiner reports. (http://www.sfexaminer.com/supervisors-move-ban-workplace-cafeterias/) If passed, it would adjust zoning laws to bar new construction of on-site workplace cafeterias. (The ban wouldn't be retroactive, however, so on-site food at companies like Google and Twitter would still be available.)
The Village is part of the larger San Antonio Center development, which features a number of restaurants open to the public.
Mountain View passed the project-specific requirement in 2014, but as the San Francisco Chronicle notes (https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Mountain-View-s-unusual-rule-for-Facebook-No-13096100.php), the decision attracted little attention at the time because its construction still had years to go.
Facebook declined to comment on the ban, but spokesperson Jamil Walker added that the company found the new location attractive due to its proximity to public transit, housing, shops, and restaurants.
In both San Francisco and Mountain View, supporters of the regulations argue that the cafeterias take away business from local restaurants and cafés, because they discourage workers from leaving their offices.
More at: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/san-francisco-free-cafeteria-food-facebook-ban-2018-7-1027400345