Eating at the Googleplex

Of all the high-tech companies that treat their employee’s diet as a matter of importance, Google deserves a special mention: at the firm’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, they serve up free meals (two or three, according to need and shift patterns) for their employees, providing them with around 600 meals each a year.

It’s not just a question of numbers, however: the Google founders place great importance on the quality of the food served – organic fruit and vegetables, locally produced ingredients, everything fresh and with a low calorie count – and for this reason have stayed loyal to the same lucky supplier. The food is so good many employees even bring their families to eat at the company canteen.

The word most often used, in what at times seems like a modern version of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, given the wide variety of food available, seems to be ‘complimentary’. From the kombutcha vending machines on every corridor to the snacks (cereals, fruit, cakes and candy), lunching for free at work is almost a sweet obligation.