I can has cafeteria?
The answer to that cat question is “yes”.
This isn’t the first example and it won’t be the last, but the Amazing Products Company that provides me with meaningful employment is putting actual money where its proverbial mouth is when it comes to employee perks and services.
Companies of a given size typically have some sort of employee food services (employees can obtain food, not employees become food) as part of the work environment. Part of it is to look after the employee, part of it is for efficiency.
When I was working for the Swiss, one of the extra perks the mothership implemented on top of food service at all facilities was free beverages to employees and visitors. This is actually really generous: 1600 employees x daily consumption x 220 work days/annum = very large mountain of Swiss francs. Not that this technically mattered since I was based out of a home office (which I never saw) rather than in one of the arcologies. For the times I had to visit the southern New Jersey facility, it was nice to be able to scarf a couple of cans or bottles to take back to the hotel room as we always needed to conserve the precious limited per diem.
[aside: this was necessary - caramel-tinis don't cut it and there were days when we felt we needed SuperGulps of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay to help ease the pain]
In Taiwan, companies go even further by providing staff lunch outright (very tasty and particularly nice especially if one got a seat next to the air conditioning unit) and take-away dinner service available to anyone who wanted it. No restrictions either, if say, you wanted to bring dinner home to the family.
Anyway, this isn’t Taiwan and the Amazing Products Company isn’t quite as large as the Swiss much less the Big New M so when I started I knew it wouldn’t be too fancy. No issues - there are stocked coffee machines everywhere to keep me powered (that’s always good). For food, there’s a dining area, microwaves and refrigeration. Plenty of plugs too should I have the need to bring my induction unit to sear some duck magret and foie gras, and restaurant options (including the Clown) fairly close by if I forget my bentō.
To my surprise, a questionnaire was released earlier this year asking whether the general population would be interested in having food services offered on-site. I answered it (and I don’t remember what I wrote) but I didn’t think too much of it afterwards since I’ve been just a tad busy. To my even greater surprise, commercial kitchen equipment started arriving in the kitchen area and the Company announced that they were acting upon the results of the long-forgotten questionnaire and installing hot food service.
Not next year, or in a couple of years, or in the “near future”, but now. This year. Pronto.
More amazement: a complete hot or cold lunch (voluntary choice of either I might add) will go for exactly one Wilfred Laurier because the Company is electing to subsidize a hefty portion of the meal cost.
Okay, paint me écru and call me impressed: signing a contract with a catering supplier, renovating the cafeteria space to support hot meal service, and providing hefty meal subsidies? that’s some serious commitment, baby.
I feel like Sally Field at the 1985 Oscars.
The formal launch is the day after the good Thanksgiving so no more having to watch Butter Boy occassionally being shaken down for his two-bite brownie snack bag. I may actually miss this as it in itself, was oddly entertaining in a surreal sort of way. The inaugural menu is already posted and while the choices among the first month’s options include duck rillettes, coq au vin and pan bagna, it does beg the immediate question…
Photos
Unfortunately, at least in my case, the answer to Happycat’s question is a resounding no, as I was told in no uncertain terms that I am obese and unsightly. So much for my looking forward to the cafeteria.
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Supergulps of Kendall-Jackson – yes those were the good ole days!!