December 19, 2019

The Problem With Business Cafeterias

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Local restaurants can't compete with companies providing free or subsidized food for their employees via in-house cafes.

Big Tech Destroying Local Food Scene

One of the biggest issues facing restaurants in cities that have big tech is free or highly subsidized in-house employee food programs. Google. Facebook. Adobe. Oracle. Fidelity. Apple. And so many more companies keep employees on their campus for breakfast, lunch, and even dinner with their incredible food programs. It's not surprising that companies want to keep their employees as close to their computers for as long as they can, but are they considering the effect on local businesses? No. More and more restaurants are struggling in cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Chicago, and so many more due to the lack of business.

So what can you do?

You can't blame the consumer. Free lunch is free lunch. But what if we could start pushing companies to put the money they are spending on food programs back in your pocket so you can go out and support local business? Spending an extra fifteen minutes to go drive and pick up food a day be detrimental to your business or your job? What if you were keeping the local sandwich shop open? Or taqueria? Let's start thinking local rather than always thinking about convenience.

Weitteb by Travis Pillon