Ahsha Safaí and Aaron Peskin, two San Francisco supervisors, are proposing to ban companies moving into new office space in the city from offering their employees free meals, in hopes of getting tech workers to visit local restaurants.

Source: San Francisco proposes an end to free tech lunches

San Francisco wants to force workers to buy meals from local restaurants by using the force of government to prop up other businesses.

Companies have inside cafeterias (free or not) for many reasons, including

  • Cultivates a social environment for workers who hang out together, and enables workers to interact with staff from other departments.
  • Employees like the convenience of an onsite cafeteria and having one helps with recruiting.
  • Cuts down on long lunch breaks – employs who have to leave taking longer lunches.
  • Productivity goes up.
  • On site food services are, in some cases, tied to “employee wellness” programs.

 

 

Coldstreams