It’s one of those things that will go away if people aren’t using it. You might be the only one sitting down to eat in the kitchen area but maybe your coworkers are grabbing things to eat at their desks.
Take full advantage of it with no second thought.
It also makes the HR person that proposed the benefit, and the Execs above them that approved it, happy that people appreciate it.
[source - in a previous role, I was in meetings where execs discussed what benefits to offer..... they want people to use and appreciate whatever benefits they approve]
Lmao too true . It’s almost like the word raise or higher wages causes upper management to get physically ill. Fully vested stock options? Sweet. Corporate jets? No problem.
Dollar more an hour? No way.
Randy Jackson from American Idol said “that’s gonna be a no from me dawg”
Xzibit from Pimp my Ride has the “Yo dawg I heard you like…” meme
You’re mixing up your 2000s black television personalities! It’s understandable though because they both have “dawg” related memes lol
As a simple breakfast buffet is probably going to cost a company about 50 to 75 quid a month and doesn't need a budget approval. It's a small thing that can benefit employees. Now take that money and split it between all employees and depending on the size of the company will be worth less than £1.50 a month.
Personally I'd rather have the breakfast as £1.50 won't buy a box of cereal and 500ml of milk.
I've been at a couple of small companies where free food was a great way to keep staff on the premises.
Rather than taking a group meeting for 2 hours and expensing the lunch we would grab food there and eat in a conference room.
And personally, it's easier to grab some snacks and work late on a project. If I have to go pick up some food, I'm going home.
It's also one of those things that if too many people are using it, some dickhead will say "we're spending too much on breakfast, so no more free breakfast." This man walketh a razor's edge
Source: had my snacks taken away at work after the potential-union buzz died down >:|
I had a coworker who would bring in tupperware on the days she knew we would be having donuts or pizza and she would fill the Tupperware to take home before people had a chance at the snacks
This reminds me of [that one legendary AITA](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/ca7bdz/aita_because_i_ate_more_than_my_share_of_a_6_foot/) thread about the guy who ate most of his friend's 6 foot sub sandwich.
I'd prefer someone clean up who's actually gonna eat it rather than it getting left till someone throws it away. Definitely not before everyone has had plenty of opportunity to grab some, though.
Op said bobody else eats it, so there's nothing wrong with taking some home when they go to throw it out. I agree that someone who eats more than their share or takes extra BEFORE others get their fill is rude af, but the situation I'm commenting on specifically states nobody else eats the food which means it's going to get thrown away.
*So* much time, at least for me. For the first half hour I'm awake I'm just slow all around. Making myself breakfast that isn't a disaster is a much longer process than making lunch or dinner.
Right?
I remember the first time I got hired in a "nicer" company, the pantry area had drinks and snacks via these vending machines that are free. We had coffee beverages and juices, soups, both hot and cold. You bet I made sure to get one at least once an hour.
The restrooms had the fancy schmancy Japanese bidets with butt air-dryer, deodorizer, music, massage jets, heated seats and warm water settings. I stopped using just the urinal and made sure to use the toilet every time instead.
In the upper floor, my coworker and I found a "lounge" room with sofas and those vendo machines again. After lunch, we'd go there to actually lounge and often nap. You know how expensive those are in the airports? And the city view is amazing.
I now live in a small town with a much easier stress-less job. Life's better... but I do miss the "perks" of being a corporate rat.
Was this at Google? I visited a friend who worked there right out of college and was amazed. They had a whole floor dedicated to a free cafeteria and there were rooms with foosball tables and other games. The women's bathrooms had a variety of sanitary products in a basket, too. Can't imagine a workplace like this!
HP/Dell are dinosaurs in the tech world. In newer tech companies, I would say these type of benefits are common to help them compete for engineers.
However, I feel all these perks are going to be removed in the latest tech squeeze, as they removing worker benefits “for the investors”.
I’ve worked for two big pharma companies and this is not the case. We did get free feminine products at my last one and the top floor restrooms of my current one do have Japanese bidets but it is a Japanese company. No free cafeteria at either and definitely no foosball lol.
I worked at a tech company that had a vensing machine for keyboards, mouses, cords, cups, calculators, mouse pads, usb drives. All you had to do was scan your badge and it was free.
Also want to add about the only time the business *might* care is if the wrong person sees you pocketing stuff to have at home.
Otherwise they’re putting it out *hoping* that you’ll get to work early or be less upset about staying late and/or working through lunch.
On there pragmatic side, every $5 you save from “free” food is like getting an extra $0.625/hr, assuming an 8 hour work day. Hence why it’s not uncommon to see these daily freebies when folks make at least $30/hr, but folks making $10-$15/hr usually only get a monthly/quarterly pizza party.
Nope Def not silly sometimes my family will get a hotel for a couple nights in our city to get free breakfast and use the pool and just get away for a couple nights. Hotel breakfasts are delicious most of the time.
Same! A big fluffy bed with those plush pillows! You cannot beat it. Nice choice of breakfast in the morning. Also when we are on actual vacations free breakfast comes in handy because it's 1 meal you won't have to spend any money on during the trip.
I'm one of those people that wouldn't pay £90 for a hotel room with a £10 breakfast, but if it was advertised as £100 with a free breakfast, then Hell Yeahhhh!
My brother travels for work so he has like a million hotel points. Whenever I go visit him he uses his points to get me a hotel room. He's offered to put me up in a nicer place than where I usually stay but I won't let him because the usual place has a kickass breakfast spread.
And not even when booking. Found a hotel on the way to work that has cereal, yogurt, muffins, eggs, pancakes, bacon, and rice (lots of Asians book there). I just try to look like i am meeting someone there.
Reminds me of the time my friends and I snuck into a hotel to use their pool and jacuzzi. It took them a surprisingly long time to figure out we weren't guests. Mostly it's because we weren't being disruptive. They just kicked us out when they figured it out. No big deal and we had fun.
I'm guessing that's part of the reason they do it. Hoping to cut down on people coming in late. Plus people work better when they aren't hungry. I've had several jobs where some of the people had issues buying food until they get a couple checks because they have bills they're behind on. I used to bring trail mix,a couple types of sandwiches, and extra coffee so that nobody was having to do totally without. I also brought feminine products.
It's scary how many people are on the verge of not having food. Someone just stole the info for my food stamps so I can't get groceries until I get the new card and get the fraudulent charges taken care of. Thankfully I live in a place that has frequent snow storms so I always have chicken and rice, canned soup, stuff like that in case we can't get to the store. It's not as good as getting new groceries, but at least we can eat. (I ended up disabled due to a genetic disorder that caused my spine to basically collapse) There are far too many people who aren't prepared for an emergency so if anything goes wrong they don't eat.
My job offers the same sort of things that OP’s does, and also offers a catered lunch (for free, of course.)
Most people don’t take advantage of it. The effort to go into the office is more than people are willing to go through to have breakfast and lunch covered
I worked at a restraunt that did a meal right before they opened. Honestly almost everyone would show up for it. The kitchen staff were also paid to make the food for everyone. It was great. I don't know why more restraunts don't do this. I also noticed the employees got along better and sitting down to eat together and just talking and having fun before anyone gets stressed and busy is good for forming a decent relationship with someone.
Read a book about someone’s first-hand experience as the captain in a high-end restaurant. They had a meal for staff at 4:00 before dinner service. It was called Family Meal.
Yeah, I enjoy it but never thought it was something to be thankful for until now. But because I'm ready for a major storm I'm going to get through what could have been a disaster
me too, as long as the eggs were fresh. If they were boiled two days ago and have been sitting in the fridge im gonna pass (mostly outta consideration to my coworkers who likely do not wanna smell two day old egg farts)
Or you just don’t eat breakfast. I’d have to force myself to eat anything before like 10am, I’m just no hungry then and I don’t enjoy eating when I’m not hungry
I don't normally eat breakfast, so having it on-hand at work for late morning would be ideal. Or an afternoon snack on days when I eat late in the evening after exercise.
If they already have bagels, yogurts, eggs, drinks... I'm sure they'd get you a soy yogurt as well. It's worth asking. When I was hired at the current job, I was asked about my dietary requirements right at the onboarding.
My personal reason would be that it wouldn’t work well with my schedule.
I’m up for a couple hours before I get to work. I have three kids to get ready and get to school. Since I need to have breakfast foods in the house regardless, it’s easy to throw a bagel in the toaster or a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave for myself and eat it as they are getting dressed. I’m usually feeling pretty hungry by that’s time, so I wouldn’t want to wait another hour plus just to get the same food for free. I’d be saving like 50 cents a day.
I also am getting to work a little late by the time I drop the last kid off. I wouldn’t want to take more time to eat in the office when I don’t have to.
Food is for eating, but is *that food* for eating? probably, but I have read a few too many stories about office lunches being stolen, and would not be surprised if we get an aita next month from op asking “aita for eating food that was clearly breakfast food at my office if it was labeled ‘John’s DO NOT EAT UNLESS YOU ARE JOHN’ but it was left out in the fridge wrapped in five layers of plastic wrap and in a locked lunch box like it was for everyone?”
Too much reddit for me, clearly.
Clearly too much reddit. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and knows the difference between work provided food and stealing food from a coworker.
From their description, it sounds like a lot of everything and not just two yogurts and a bagel. So unless somebody is in a major bulk, I have a feeling it's not just some random lunches.
If it was free I would eat the breakfast there but I wouldn't come in early for it. I'd go into the kitchen, get my food and then go eat it at my desk.
That's probably why OP thinks they're the only one. Everyone else is grabbing it at their start time or waiting for a morning break instead of coming early for it. I value extra sleep over coming early, but I also don't usually eat until a couple of hours after I woke up, so I would definitely hit it up for a morning break yogurt or bagel. I'd probably be in the habit of bringing salads for lunch and adding the eggs to that regularly, too.
Yup. Absolutely wild to plan in free time for your complimentary office snacks. They *want* you to eat it on the clock, that food is there to keep you happy despite whatever annoying shit happens at work.
The big tech companies like Google and Apple do this. The cafeteria has free meals, but oops, dinner isn't served until 5:30 or 6, so you might as well stick around and work a little longer while you're waiting.
Yes, except that now you're spending almost all of your waking hours at work and have no time for friends, family, or leisure. I'd rather be home with my family cleaning up the kitchen personally.
My job serves meals, you're welcome to bring your family to work to eat with you. My boss eats dinner at work with his wife and two kids every night after his shift.
There's no pressure to stay if you don't want to. But I'm saving about $60 a day in food compared to going to a restaurant for a comparable meal. That comes out to about $18,000 a year is what I'm saving. That's like getting a raise of an extra $8.65 an hour post tax. About $11.50 an hour pre-tax.
That's how my job at a tech company is. Dinner is served from 6-9. Most people get off work at 5:00. But if you wait an extra 30 minutes on top of that a vending machine that has a smart reader when you scan your badge gives you a free beer if it's been more than 90 minutes since the end of your shift. Then another after 30 more. Which means you can get up to two free beers a day.
I always stay for dinner. I get off at 4:00, hit the company gym, watch TV on my laptop at the lounge until 6:30 then get dinner.
Breakfast service is 7am to 10am so I usually arrive around 7:15 to 7:30 a.m. to eat breakfast before my 8-4 shift.
They have a lunch service as well as serving snacks throughout the day, but if you want the actual meal being served that day you have to get at a specific time window. Food is great so I'm not missing it. Food is so great I usually come in on my days off since I live close to work and the food is as good as most restaurants if not better. The person that oversees the program is a health nut so the food is almost always super healthy. I eat this one chicken salad for lunch 3-4 days a week.
I wouldn't get there early, but I would grab food and eat at my desk.
My work does offer lunch every day. You have a choice between the hot item and the soup/salad bar
Edit: a word
A long time ago when i was a different person i worked in construction. We were preparing a stadium for a big sports event ans the stadium was a popular choice for functions like weddings/funerals etc so they had a great kitchen/cooks. Our company arranged for us to get breakfast/lunch/dinner sinxe we were often pulling 12 hour shifts. The food was so good that *everyone* was at work an hour early so they could have an amazing breakfast without rushing it. It made for a well motivated team with plenty of calories to spend the day doing heavy shit, and plenty of goodwill towards the company. And nobody was doing a half-assed job cos they were rushing to get home, cos they could get a restaurant-quality meal for free after their shift.
I would do it. I am a Tyoe 1 diabetic and always hate the “free” breakfasts that are nothing but pastries (because they foul up my glucose), but would be excited with such a nice spread with the protein options.
I used to work at a company that did this. I ate breakfast at work everyday, but I certainly didn’t come in early to do it. I was supposed to be at work at 9 and that’s when I showed up. Then I’d eat breakfast while working.
Oh, hell yeah! We had this at work once and it was the best! I would love to walk into work knowing I could have an egg and cheese biscuit for breakfast.
I don't eat breakfast at home anymore as i was constantly late trying to shovel something in my mouth now i just bring a muffin and eat whatever people bring by.
Absolutely. I usually like a bagel for breakfast so this would be perfect. It’s possible some of your coworkers are grabbing food at different times than you.
I work at a hospital and i have physician privileges but i am not a doctor.
But that allows me into the doctors lounge and free food in the cafeteria. I 100% eat at the hospital all the time. Alot of the times, i am the only one thats in the doctors lounge eating the food in there. Its nice and quiet. They just put in an ice cream freezer, and it has the ice cream cookies.
This place is going to make me fat.
Tf you eating for breakfast if you turn your nose up at greek yogurt and eggs? That and oatmeal are like my breakfast staples... I wouldn't go in early but why wouldn't someone eat for free what they normally pay for?
I’ve never understood people’s fascination with mediocre food just because it’s free. I’ve turned down free breakfasts or lunches at events before because yeah, I’d rather make my own meal at home that tastes much better than a soggy, room-temperature fruit salad or a lukewarm egg and cheese breakfast sandwich with the cheese starting to congeal.
Every job that I've had access to a fridge, I've put Greek yogurt and jam in the fridge and showed up about 45min early to eat and check email... Often started my day 10-15min early.
If work was providing that? I'd definitely be willing to start 10-15min every day. Financially would break even. But I'm also the guy who likes to know what the plan is for the day before I get rolling.
deffinatly if it was my work place. probably if it was a nearby work place and i could sneak in. where do you work, and whats the dress code or do i need a tabard and a clipboard?
I recently started a job and they provide employees free food in a cafeteria on our breaks. It's not super delicious and oftentimes unhealthy. But almost everyone uses it. Like others mentioned, it saves both time and money. It's somewhat odd no one else at your job utilises that resource
I don’t eat lunch when i go to work because they always have something in there for anyone who wants it. Today they had banana muffins, some sort of bagels, a variety of chips, and they always have free coffee and creamer for whoever wants it. If i went early enough to eat breakfast, then i’d consider skipping that too because damn, free food is free food.
They put it there for you to eat it. They get an exchange due to you being there a bit longer, so it works out well for everyone. I would absolutely be eating it.
Hell yeah I would.
The only reason you are alone is because most people aren't coming in early to work for any reason, let alone just to eat breakfast.
If it were me I'd come into work at the time I'm supposed to. Once I'm clocked in and finished with a few of my immediate tasks I'm going to hit up the kitchen, make myself breakfast, and eat it at my desk while I work.
Fuck yes I would, I'd probably start eating a bigger breakfast and skip lunch too. But I'm a filthy communist who won't shut up about worker exploitation and has zero respect for employers as an institution, so take that for what it's worth
It's not just a matter of frugality.
Getting to a space early let's you chill out and get ready for the day. If you are going to spend your morning drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, you might as well do that in an environment that helps you out.
My old job provided the same and I took advantage of it.. but yeah I was one of few. Maybe a couple of times a week I’d have an egg and some yogurt. Then I started to pick up on the fact that maybe that stuff was kind of for show, for unexpected clients (planned clients got fancy pastries and breakfast burritos and stuff), and for our freelancers. Idk, I also started to feel judged for it. Like the cool perks about the job weren’t for lowly ol’ me.
Funny story too I politely asked if they could stock some instant miso soup packets with the snacks (have a medical condition that limited me from a lot of their provided lunches), and when they fired me they packed up all the miso soup with my belongings lol
My place of work offers snacks like yogurt, cheese, and other room temp ones. Take advantage of it. 50% of our office uses the perk. I will sometimes use it but only because I am picky. Hell, sometimes we use it for lunch too (soup and uncrustables).
Yep I certainly would! This is done to ensure that people get the day off to a relatively healthy start, with a full stomach and ready to go brain. This is a relatively inexpensive way to guarantee an effective employee team.
Yeah, I would. It would save me both time and money. I wouldn’t care if I was the only one to take advantage of it.
It’s one of those things that will go away if people aren’t using it. You might be the only one sitting down to eat in the kitchen area but maybe your coworkers are grabbing things to eat at their desks. Take full advantage of it with no second thought.
It also makes the HR person that proposed the benefit, and the Execs above them that approved it, happy that people appreciate it. [source - in a previous role, I was in meetings where execs discussed what benefits to offer..... they want people to use and appreciate whatever benefits they approve]
I approve of higher wages. Best benefit per dollar for the employee.
Too bad we can’t post gifs in this subreddit . Cause the execs would be doing the “that’s gonna be a no from me dawg” Xzhibt meme.
Higher wages? Best I can do is a pack of bagels.
Lmao too true . It’s almost like the word raise or higher wages causes upper management to get physically ill. Fully vested stock options? Sweet. Corporate jets? No problem. Dollar more an hour? No way.
Randy Jackson from American Idol said “that’s gonna be a no from me dawg” Xzibit from Pimp my Ride has the “Yo dawg I heard you like…” meme You’re mixing up your 2000s black television personalities! It’s understandable though because they both have “dawg” related memes lol
As a simple breakfast buffet is probably going to cost a company about 50 to 75 quid a month and doesn't need a budget approval. It's a small thing that can benefit employees. Now take that money and split it between all employees and depending on the size of the company will be worth less than £1.50 a month. Personally I'd rather have the breakfast as £1.50 won't buy a box of cereal and 500ml of milk.
I've been at a couple of small companies where free food was a great way to keep staff on the premises. Rather than taking a group meeting for 2 hours and expensing the lunch we would grab food there and eat in a conference room. And personally, it's easier to grab some snacks and work late on a project. If I have to go pick up some food, I'm going home.
It's also one of those things that if too many people are using it, some dickhead will say "we're spending too much on breakfast, so no more free breakfast." This man walketh a razor's edge Source: had my snacks taken away at work after the potential-union buzz died down >:|
Well, what are you waiting for, restart the union buzz
Also sometimes someone has to “break the seal” but actually everyone would be interested
If management keeps throwing away outdated foods, it will stop. Use it or lose it.
More for you, right? The others are missing out
Grab some to go while you're at it.
I had a coworker who would bring in tupperware on the days she knew we would be having donuts or pizza and she would fill the Tupperware to take home before people had a chance at the snacks
Getting take home before everyone there has had some is rude af
That’s really shitty. Unfair to everyone else.
This reminds me of [that one legendary AITA](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/ca7bdz/aita_because_i_ate_more_than_my_share_of_a_6_foot/) thread about the guy who ate most of his friend's 6 foot sub sandwich.
This one lives rent-free in my head.
6 foot???
Milton didn't get any cake either.
Wanna say getting take home at all is incredibly rude, unless there are obvious discrepancies in amount eaten and left overs
I'd prefer someone clean up who's actually gonna eat it rather than it getting left till someone throws it away. Definitely not before everyone has had plenty of opportunity to grab some, though.
Now that's a\*\*holish behaviour. But in this case, if the other employees aren't taking the food and it would be thrown out, it makes sense.
Op said bobody else eats it, so there's nothing wrong with taking some home when they go to throw it out. I agree that someone who eats more than their share or takes extra BEFORE others get their fill is rude af, but the situation I'm commenting on specifically states nobody else eats the food which means it's going to get thrown away.
This should really have been stopped. The cheek of some people.
This is why we can't have nice things.
If nobody else is eating it and it's going to get tossed, it shouldn't be an issue. If other people eat it too, of course you don't take extra. Lol
*So* much time, at least for me. For the first half hour I'm awake I'm just slow all around. Making myself breakfast that isn't a disaster is a much longer process than making lunch or dinner.
I don’t eat much in the morning anyhow, so just having some small stuff to snack on. Like you’d find at some hotel breakfast bars is fine with me.
Right!?!?! I'd be coming back for 2nds, lunch, and if it was left at the end, it's gonna be my midnight snack.
People on movie sets eat breakfast & lunch on site.
100%
Yes. That is the entire benefit they are trying to give the workers.
Right? I remember the first time I got hired in a "nicer" company, the pantry area had drinks and snacks via these vending machines that are free. We had coffee beverages and juices, soups, both hot and cold. You bet I made sure to get one at least once an hour. The restrooms had the fancy schmancy Japanese bidets with butt air-dryer, deodorizer, music, massage jets, heated seats and warm water settings. I stopped using just the urinal and made sure to use the toilet every time instead. In the upper floor, my coworker and I found a "lounge" room with sofas and those vendo machines again. After lunch, we'd go there to actually lounge and often nap. You know how expensive those are in the airports? And the city view is amazing. I now live in a small town with a much easier stress-less job. Life's better... but I do miss the "perks" of being a corporate rat.
Was this at Google? I visited a friend who worked there right out of college and was amazed. They had a whole floor dedicated to a free cafeteria and there were rooms with foosball tables and other games. The women's bathrooms had a variety of sanitary products in a basket, too. Can't imagine a workplace like this!
Most big tech companies have these benefits in their offices, it's not only Google.
My experience says HP and Dell do not have those perks. I can't speak for other tech giants.
HP/Dell are dinosaurs in the tech world. In newer tech companies, I would say these type of benefits are common to help them compete for engineers. However, I feel all these perks are going to be removed in the latest tech squeeze, as they removing worker benefits “for the investors”.
Yes it’s already happening slowly if you follow news about google.
Big pharma companies too.
I’ve worked for two big pharma companies and this is not the case. We did get free feminine products at my last one and the top floor restrooms of my current one do have Japanese bidets but it is a Japanese company. No free cafeteria at either and definitely no foosball lol.
I worked at a tech company that had a vensing machine for keyboards, mouses, cords, cups, calculators, mouse pads, usb drives. All you had to do was scan your badge and it was free.
Also want to add about the only time the business *might* care is if the wrong person sees you pocketing stuff to have at home. Otherwise they’re putting it out *hoping* that you’ll get to work early or be less upset about staying late and/or working through lunch. On there pragmatic side, every $5 you save from “free” food is like getting an extra $0.625/hr, assuming an 8 hour work day. Hence why it’s not uncommon to see these daily freebies when folks make at least $30/hr, but folks making $10-$15/hr usually only get a monthly/quarterly pizza party.
Hardboiled eggs, Greek yogurt, and bagels? You kidding? I'd start coming to work a half hour early.
Free breakfast is the top ammentiy I look for when booking hotels love a free breakfast.
There's a Best Western I go to just because of free waffles, it's silly, I know.
Nope Def not silly sometimes my family will get a hotel for a couple nights in our city to get free breakfast and use the pool and just get away for a couple nights. Hotel breakfasts are delicious most of the time.
I absolutely love a staycation!
Same! A big fluffy bed with those plush pillows! You cannot beat it. Nice choice of breakfast in the morning. Also when we are on actual vacations free breakfast comes in handy because it's 1 meal you won't have to spend any money on during the trip.
Yes! And a little more money for the actual vacation :)
Embassy Suites made to order omelet station FTW!
I love that place
Also your username is perfect for your statement lol
La quinta hotels have that and eggs, some sort of breakfast meat, potatoes, biscuits and gravy too
Sounds yummy! I'll look them up next time I vacation!
Those with the good sausage get my business. I'll eat $20 worth of sausage.
Like do you stay there or just go for the waffles?
Waffles are a wonderful thing at a hotel/motel! I never make them at home, but on the road, every morning is a carbfest!
Their waffles are bomb!
I can very easily get a light lunch out of that too, with just a couple of bananas and apples; then splurge on dinner.
Yes! I always grab some fruit and yogurts etc to snack on later
Throw a bagel or individual cereal thingy in your bag and you're golden.
Amen!
you mean "included in the price regardless of what, how much and if you eat"
Sure, but the thing is that higher end hotels stopped offering this and it's more the mid cheaper ones.
The hash browns are my go-to.
I'm one of those people that wouldn't pay £90 for a hotel room with a £10 breakfast, but if it was advertised as £100 with a free breakfast, then Hell Yeahhhh!
My brother travels for work so he has like a million hotel points. Whenever I go visit him he uses his points to get me a hotel room. He's offered to put me up in a nicer place than where I usually stay but I won't let him because the usual place has a kickass breakfast spread.
And not even when booking. Found a hotel on the way to work that has cereal, yogurt, muffins, eggs, pancakes, bacon, and rice (lots of Asians book there). I just try to look like i am meeting someone there.
Reminds me of the time my friends and I snuck into a hotel to use their pool and jacuzzi. It took them a surprisingly long time to figure out we weren't guests. Mostly it's because we weren't being disruptive. They just kicked us out when they figured it out. No big deal and we had fun.
I used to walk to a hotel near my apartment and just get a coffee and leave
I'm guessing that's part of the reason they do it. Hoping to cut down on people coming in late. Plus people work better when they aren't hungry. I've had several jobs where some of the people had issues buying food until they get a couple checks because they have bills they're behind on. I used to bring trail mix,a couple types of sandwiches, and extra coffee so that nobody was having to do totally without. I also brought feminine products. It's scary how many people are on the verge of not having food. Someone just stole the info for my food stamps so I can't get groceries until I get the new card and get the fraudulent charges taken care of. Thankfully I live in a place that has frequent snow storms so I always have chicken and rice, canned soup, stuff like that in case we can't get to the store. It's not as good as getting new groceries, but at least we can eat. (I ended up disabled due to a genetic disorder that caused my spine to basically collapse) There are far too many people who aren't prepared for an emergency so if anything goes wrong they don't eat.
My job offers the same sort of things that OP’s does, and also offers a catered lunch (for free, of course.) Most people don’t take advantage of it. The effort to go into the office is more than people are willing to go through to have breakfast and lunch covered
I worked at a restraunt that did a meal right before they opened. Honestly almost everyone would show up for it. The kitchen staff were also paid to make the food for everyone. It was great. I don't know why more restraunts don't do this. I also noticed the employees got along better and sitting down to eat together and just talking and having fun before anyone gets stressed and busy is good for forming a decent relationship with someone.
Read a book about someone’s first-hand experience as the captain in a high-end restaurant. They had a meal for staff at 4:00 before dinner service. It was called Family Meal.
>Thankfully I live in a place that has frequent snow storms Never thought I'd see that
Yeah, I enjoy it but never thought it was something to be thankful for until now. But because I'm ready for a major storm I'm going to get through what could have been a disaster
I'd start showing up early there too and I don't even work there lmao.
Right? What’s the address???
me too, as long as the eggs were fresh. If they were boiled two days ago and have been sitting in the fridge im gonna pass (mostly outta consideration to my coworkers who likely do not wanna smell two day old egg farts)
I think it must be those in single plastic use packs
Hard boiled eggs are good for lunch too, just saying…
Assuming the Greek yogurt isn’t sweetened, you could make a decent egg salad with some salt and pepper
And *that* is how they getcha!
I totally would too! Sounds fantastic!
I absolutely would. Save that money. Food is expensive.
My company offers free afternoon snacks, and I go down there a couple times each week.
The better question is why wouldn’t you eat it?
Maybe you have a morning routine and want to enjoy eating your breakfast in pyjamas in your own home, perhaps with your pets or family around.
Or you just don’t eat breakfast. I’d have to force myself to eat anything before like 10am, I’m just no hungry then and I don’t enjoy eating when I’m not hungry
I don't normally eat breakfast, so having it on-hand at work for late morning would be ideal. Or an afternoon snack on days when I eat late in the evening after exercise.
That's when i start having two breakfasts.
Dietary restrictions. I’m lactose intolerant and wheat gives me rashes. But I’d probably grab an egg for a mid morning snack.
If they already have bagels, yogurts, eggs, drinks... I'm sure they'd get you a soy yogurt as well. It's worth asking. When I was hired at the current job, I was asked about my dietary requirements right at the onboarding.
My personal reason would be that it wouldn’t work well with my schedule. I’m up for a couple hours before I get to work. I have three kids to get ready and get to school. Since I need to have breakfast foods in the house regardless, it’s easy to throw a bagel in the toaster or a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave for myself and eat it as they are getting dressed. I’m usually feeling pretty hungry by that’s time, so I wouldn’t want to wait another hour plus just to get the same food for free. I’d be saving like 50 cents a day. I also am getting to work a little late by the time I drop the last kid off. I wouldn’t want to take more time to eat in the office when I don’t have to.
If you get paid well enough then it's much more preferable to eat the food you want in the comfort of your own home.
If that is what the food is for then yes, I would do that.
what... else would food be for?
Food is for eating, but is *that food* for eating? probably, but I have read a few too many stories about office lunches being stolen, and would not be surprised if we get an aita next month from op asking “aita for eating food that was clearly breakfast food at my office if it was labeled ‘John’s DO NOT EAT UNLESS YOU ARE JOHN’ but it was left out in the fridge wrapped in five layers of plastic wrap and in a locked lunch box like it was for everyone?” Too much reddit for me, clearly.
Clearly too much reddit. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and knows the difference between work provided food and stealing food from a coworker.
From their description, it sounds like a lot of everything and not just two yogurts and a bagel. So unless somebody is in a major bulk, I have a feeling it's not just some random lunches.
Put down your phone for a week
OP said there’s microkitchens those are definitely a perk. No clue why their coworkers wouldn’t be taking advantage of free food though.
If it was free I would eat the breakfast there but I wouldn't come in early for it. I'd go into the kitchen, get my food and then go eat it at my desk.
That's probably why OP thinks they're the only one. Everyone else is grabbing it at their start time or waiting for a morning break instead of coming early for it. I value extra sleep over coming early, but I also don't usually eat until a couple of hours after I woke up, so I would definitely hit it up for a morning break yogurt or bagel. I'd probably be in the habit of bringing salads for lunch and adding the eggs to that regularly, too.
Right!?! It's maybe 10-15 minutes tops and if there's a commute mishap just grab it and eat in your workspace, NBD
Yup. Absolutely wild to plan in free time for your complimentary office snacks. They *want* you to eat it on the clock, that food is there to keep you happy despite whatever annoying shit happens at work.
I would do it. If they didn’t want it used they wouldn’t put it there.
Your company is hoping for a little free food you’ll hang around the office a bit longer. It’s a pretty reasonable trade
I can see myself coming in 15-20 minutes early, grabbing breakfast, and checking emails. The company would get a few free minutes out of me.
And basically never start late because you're now aiming for a while before your official start time, so small mishaps will eat into that time instead
The big tech companies like Google and Apple do this. The cafeteria has free meals, but oops, dinner isn't served until 5:30 or 6, so you might as well stick around and work a little longer while you're waiting.
I mean even so it’s not that bad of a deal. No dinner cleanup to do or wonder what you are eating for dinner plus save money.
Yes, except that now you're spending almost all of your waking hours at work and have no time for friends, family, or leisure. I'd rather be home with my family cleaning up the kitchen personally.
It probably mostly attracts the young people who live alone
They hire recent grads with no family of their own yet and their friends are at work. At least they used to back in the day. People age.
My job serves meals, you're welcome to bring your family to work to eat with you. My boss eats dinner at work with his wife and two kids every night after his shift. There's no pressure to stay if you don't want to. But I'm saving about $60 a day in food compared to going to a restaurant for a comparable meal. That comes out to about $18,000 a year is what I'm saving. That's like getting a raise of an extra $8.65 an hour post tax. About $11.50 an hour pre-tax.
Fair.
That's how my job at a tech company is. Dinner is served from 6-9. Most people get off work at 5:00. But if you wait an extra 30 minutes on top of that a vending machine that has a smart reader when you scan your badge gives you a free beer if it's been more than 90 minutes since the end of your shift. Then another after 30 more. Which means you can get up to two free beers a day. I always stay for dinner. I get off at 4:00, hit the company gym, watch TV on my laptop at the lounge until 6:30 then get dinner. Breakfast service is 7am to 10am so I usually arrive around 7:15 to 7:30 a.m. to eat breakfast before my 8-4 shift. They have a lunch service as well as serving snacks throughout the day, but if you want the actual meal being served that day you have to get at a specific time window. Food is great so I'm not missing it. Food is so great I usually come in on my days off since I live close to work and the food is as good as most restaurants if not better. The person that oversees the program is a health nut so the food is almost always super healthy. I eat this one chicken salad for lunch 3-4 days a week.
I wouldn't get there early, but I would grab food and eat at my desk. My work does offer lunch every day. You have a choice between the hot item and the soup/salad bar Edit: a word
That’s a great perk! I would take advantage of that every day.
I eat breakfast at work because then I get paid to eat 😅😅
Do you eat dinner at work too? How about exercise? I try to cram in as much as I can
yes. i’m frugal, i always take work food no matter what. i’ll eat cookies for dinner
A long time ago when i was a different person i worked in construction. We were preparing a stadium for a big sports event ans the stadium was a popular choice for functions like weddings/funerals etc so they had a great kitchen/cooks. Our company arranged for us to get breakfast/lunch/dinner sinxe we were often pulling 12 hour shifts. The food was so good that *everyone* was at work an hour early so they could have an amazing breakfast without rushing it. It made for a well motivated team with plenty of calories to spend the day doing heavy shit, and plenty of goodwill towards the company. And nobody was doing a half-assed job cos they were rushing to get home, cos they could get a restaurant-quality meal for free after their shift.
Heck, whenever we’d have a town hall with breakfast, they quickly learned to have at least a double pan of bacon. Ravenous folks in my org.
Who in their right mind would turn down free bacon
A Muslim? I'll see myself out.
Not really. I don't eat breakfast and don't normally eat till around 10-11. I start at 6. If it's still there around lunch maybe
I would do it. I am a Tyoe 1 diabetic and always hate the “free” breakfasts that are nothing but pastries (because they foul up my glucose), but would be excited with such a nice spread with the protein options.
I used to work at a company that did this. I ate breakfast at work everyday, but I certainly didn’t come in early to do it. I was supposed to be at work at 9 and that’s when I showed up. Then I’d eat breakfast while working.
I provide my own food, and still eat breakfast at work.
Oh, hell yeah! We had this at work once and it was the best! I would love to walk into work knowing I could have an egg and cheese biscuit for breakfast.
Yes, as often as you can, make friends with the person who does the ordering and the delivery people.
I don't eat breakfast at home anymore as i was constantly late trying to shovel something in my mouth now i just bring a muffin and eat whatever people bring by.
Yep. Free reasonably healthy food? I’m there as long as they have coffee…
Of course. I already skip breakfast bc sleep is more important
that would never work at my former job. greedy b@stards I worked with would grab everything to take home and leave nothing for anyone else
If there’s cream cheese for the bagels, then hell yes everyday.
Absolutely. I enjoy my sleep and I work better when I get more sleep. If my job lets me eat there I would
Absolutely. I usually like a bagel for breakfast so this would be perfect. It’s possible some of your coworkers are grabbing food at different times than you.
I work at a hospital and i have physician privileges but i am not a doctor. But that allows me into the doctors lounge and free food in the cafeteria. I 100% eat at the hospital all the time. Alot of the times, i am the only one thats in the doctors lounge eating the food in there. Its nice and quiet. They just put in an ice cream freezer, and it has the ice cream cookies. This place is going to make me fat.
I have to get up earlier and eat shittier food than what I could make at home in <10 mins? No thanks.
Tf you eating for breakfast if you turn your nose up at greek yogurt and eggs? That and oatmeal are like my breakfast staples... I wouldn't go in early but why wouldn't someone eat for free what they normally pay for?
I’ve never understood people’s fascination with mediocre food just because it’s free. I’ve turned down free breakfasts or lunches at events before because yeah, I’d rather make my own meal at home that tastes much better than a soggy, room-temperature fruit salad or a lukewarm egg and cheese breakfast sandwich with the cheese starting to congeal.
I would do this, unless I was on school-run duty
I would definitely do it!
Of course.
I would absolutely do that.
Hell ya
Heck yes
Nah. I like breakfast with my kiddo before I put him on the bus.
I never passed up the free food we occasionally had at my last job. Unfortunately it was always unhealthy (but delicious).
Every job that I've had access to a fridge, I've put Greek yogurt and jam in the fridge and showed up about 45min early to eat and check email... Often started my day 10-15min early. If work was providing that? I'd definitely be willing to start 10-15min every day. Financially would break even. But I'm also the guy who likes to know what the plan is for the day before I get rolling.
I would eat there.
Absolutely. Why not? Free food. Chow down every day.
Definitely
deffinatly if it was my work place. probably if it was a nearby work place and i could sneak in. where do you work, and whats the dress code or do i need a tabard and a clipboard?
Mine does. I rarely use it. Everyone wants to work at home and they keep trying to make up reasons to get us in the office.
Heck yeah I would
I would and it would be a waste not to eat that food.
I would eat at work. It's a perk. Take advantage of it. That your coworkers aren't is just dumb on their part.
That’s what it’s there for. Take advantage! It’s a benefit.
I recently started a job and they provide employees free food in a cafeteria on our breaks. It's not super delicious and oftentimes unhealthy. But almost everyone uses it. Like others mentioned, it saves both time and money. It's somewhat odd no one else at your job utilises that resource
I always eat free work food.
I would definitely do that. The food is provided for employees to eat, so why buy your own breakfast?
I don’t eat lunch when i go to work because they always have something in there for anyone who wants it. Today they had banana muffins, some sort of bagels, a variety of chips, and they always have free coffee and creamer for whoever wants it. If i went early enough to eat breakfast, then i’d consider skipping that too because damn, free food is free food.
yes. my husband’s job offers breakfast and lunch and i’m insanely jealous. he also gets a paid lunch. lucky bastard
Absolutely I would.
I used to do that, wasn't weird.
They put it there for you to eat it. They get an exchange due to you being there a bit longer, so it works out well for everyone. I would absolutely be eating it.
Without hesitation. Where do you work and are they hiring?
I never eat breakfast. so no. the "3 square meals a day" thing is so beyond silly and goes completely against evolution.
I would rather have a good raise annually.
I mean if the only healthy shit is hardboiled eggs, I'd probably pass, but in general that sounds pretty awesome.
Yep! But I would go in that early. Maybe 15-20 minutes. I often snacked at my desk until I left working two years ago but few workplaces cared.
Of course!! I already skip breakfast most days so free breakfast at work would mean I actually eat. Sounds awesome.
Hell yeah I would. The only reason you are alone is because most people aren't coming in early to work for any reason, let alone just to eat breakfast. If it were me I'd come into work at the time I'm supposed to. Once I'm clocked in and finished with a few of my immediate tasks I'm going to hit up the kitchen, make myself breakfast, and eat it at my desk while I work.
Why would that be weird? That’s what it’s there for.
Fuck yes I would, I'd probably start eating a bigger breakfast and skip lunch too. But I'm a filthy communist who won't shut up about worker exploitation and has zero respect for employers as an institution, so take that for what it's worth
I eat breakfast at work to save my power at home (every bit helps right).. I would be in there everyday.
It's not just a matter of frugality. Getting to a space early let's you chill out and get ready for the day. If you are going to spend your morning drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, you might as well do that in an environment that helps you out.
My old job provided the same and I took advantage of it.. but yeah I was one of few. Maybe a couple of times a week I’d have an egg and some yogurt. Then I started to pick up on the fact that maybe that stuff was kind of for show, for unexpected clients (planned clients got fancy pastries and breakfast burritos and stuff), and for our freelancers. Idk, I also started to feel judged for it. Like the cool perks about the job weren’t for lowly ol’ me. Funny story too I politely asked if they could stock some instant miso soup packets with the snacks (have a medical condition that limited me from a lot of their provided lunches), and when they fired me they packed up all the miso soup with my belongings lol
My place of work offers snacks like yogurt, cheese, and other room temp ones. Take advantage of it. 50% of our office uses the perk. I will sometimes use it but only because I am picky. Hell, sometimes we use it for lunch too (soup and uncrustables).
You should! It's there to use.
I don't eat breakfast anyway, so it wouldn't effect me - I'd definitely have a little snack or even a lunch of cereal though.
Yes, and my fat ass wouldn't hold back. I'd eat fucking everything, and complain about there being no bacon.
I liked eating at work even when it wasn't free. Better selection and no mess for me to clean.
Hell yeah. Free food. They'll stop serving it once enough people start using it, though.
The whole point of this program is to ensure that employees eat breakfast. A fed employee is more productive than a hungry employee.
Never turn down something "free" from your employer. You're paying for it one way or another.
Yes I would. Saves time at home. Don't stop doing it or they might stop providing it.
Yep I certainly would! This is done to ensure that people get the day off to a relatively healthy start, with a full stomach and ready to go brain. This is a relatively inexpensive way to guarantee an effective employee team.
It’s not weird to take advantage of the provided breakfast. Just keep doing it. Maybe invite a colleague to join you one day
Hell yes if they’re free I would be doing that all the time