[Bay Area] Local restaurants, fear the tech cafeteria. Tech cafeteria, fear the ramen machine

Cities say tech campuses steal restaurant traffic away because of tech cafeterias. Mountain View now requires new corporate campuses like the Facebook campus on San Antonio to not have a corporate cafeteria. And now ramen machines, though not new in the Bay Area, are somewhat reducing the need for a cafeteria.

Ya Koi now has ‘11 ramen machines in the Bay Area, including two at Tesla’s Fremont factory and another pair that soon will be installed at Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters.’

3 Likes

There’s just something about this city ordinance (directive) that rankles me. Restraint of Trade, maybe?

2 Likes

I wonder if there’s one for public access, I’m tempted to try it lol

2 Likes

Umm… I thought one of The Points of working for a company like facebook or google was their insane amazing corporate cafeteria and mind boggling snack options.
Really bizarre that mountain view can even pass that as a law, I’m baffled.
Ramen machine i think would be fun maybe once a week at best

2 Likes

Google food is actually not that good any more. They used to spend much more on food but now they are big, they cut back. For a foodie, however, the food has never been ‘great’. But its good value since its free. But for newly graduated kids, they were steps up from school cafeterias, and used to have fancy stuff like sashimis on certain days.

’ In an unusual move, the city barred companies from fully subsidizing meals inside the offices, which are part of the Village at San Antonio Center project, in an effort to promote nearby retailers. The project-specific requirement passed in 2014, attracting little notice because the offices were years away from opening.

It came in response to local restaurants that said Google, the city’s biggest employer, was hurting their businesses by providing free meals, according to John McAlister, a Mountain View councilman.’

‘Under Mountain View’s rules for the Village complex, meals within the offices can’t be subsidized by more than 50 percent on a regular basis. Facebook can fully subsidize employees if they go to restaurants that are open to the public.’

Perhaps you can charm one of the employees to let you get a bowl to go… LOL. The price, however, is comparable to a restaurant bowl of ramen…

1 Like

Misuse of zoning laws to regulate employee benefits. What’s next? Prohibiting the Costco truck from delivering our office snacks?

2 Likes

I still don’t like this at all. Sets an alarming precedent i think- because any in house corporate cafeteria would therefore “hurt local businesses”; in my experience corporate cafeterias have better prices than local options even if it’s only ho-hum food it is much more convenient and fast for employees to just go downstairs than leave the building/campus. I have always brought my own lunches but would stop in to buy fruit or a snack or some breakfast

So it could be argued any corporate food/coffee/snack options “hurt local businesses”.

2 Likes

Right you are, because in-house operations are unquestionably part of the local economy.

HMMM!!! lol

The article said you can purchase ramen from Yo-Kai’s vending machine in the Metreon. Regardless, they have one there: