Columns

Way to worker's heart may be via onsite cafeteria

Unless you count the vending machines and the occasional free doughnuts, most employers are too small to offer their workers much in the way of corporate dining.

By Christina Rexrode, Times Staff Writer
Published December 23, 2007

Unless you count the vending machines and the occasional free doughnuts, most employers are too small to offer their workers much in the way of corporate dining.

And for the companies that are big enough to offer an on-site cafeteria, the place is an investment. The companies usually provide and furnish the kitchen and the eating areas, then pay a contractor to run the place and reap any profits. Some companies, like Tech Data and Raytheon, subsidize their cafeterias.

So, why do businesses bother with good eats for workers? Hint: It's not just the milk of human kindness.

Call it the Google Effect. The Silicon Valley giant, a workplace-revolutionizer in many arenas, offers its employees all the gourmet meals they can eat - for free. They see the company food as a proxy to the company. They know that workers can be more productive when they're fueled by a turkey and avocado sandwich. They know that employees can stay at work later when they're not worried about getting to the grocery store.

In an area like Tampa Bay, it's especially useful to keep employees on site during meal time. Many of our big employers are in isolated, suburban office parks, and not within walking distance of any delis or coffee shops. Think Raymond James, Franklin Templeton, Catalina Marketing, Tech Data, JPMorgan Chase, Nielsen: If they didn't have cafeterias, and an employee didn't want to brownbag it, he'd have to get in his car to find something to eat.

"And personally, I know there are days when I don't have time to do that," said Anne Elliot, Nielsen's vice president of communications. "Almost every day, I don't have time do to that."

Keeping employees on site also encourages them to eat with each other, which can be another boon to productivity. In Bradenton, the Beall's department store headquarters gained a cafeteria when it moved into the Tropicana Products building this year.

"For the company, it is great, because people end up talking about work," said Dan Doyle, the vice president of human resources.

He also figures that he's eating healthier now than he did in his 16 years at the old campus, where there was no cafeteria.

That's another reason why businesses bother with cafeterias. In their battle against rising health care costs (projected to increase 6.7 percent in 2008, according to the Mercer consulting firm), companies are desperate to get employees into good health. Now, offering them a salad bar is a pretty small gesture toward that end. But hey, every bit helps.

[Last modified December 21, 2007, 20:30:13]