LONDON, England — When it comes to eating lunch in the office, most of us are stuck with a shrivelled salad from the staff canteen or a boring sandwich from the nearest supermarket.
Certain companies, however, believe that good food equals happy workers, and plunge plenty of money into making sure their cafetieres would make even a Michelin inspector happy. Yesterday, photographs emerged of the beautiful staff canteen of yogurt makers Yeo Valley, where executive chef Paul Collins, who has spent 20 years working at various upmarket restaurants, creates delicious meals for just £2.
Here are five other offices where the food is so good, it might be worth applying.
Wolff Olins, London
When creative consultancy Wolff Olins opened near King's Cross, the area wasn't quite the gastronomic hub is is today - so its managers decided an excellent kitchen was needed. Chef Sam Yousseff, who used to work at the Wolseley, creates mouth-watering menus, many with seasonal ingredients grown on the company's own roofgarden. Typical dishes include grilled leg of lamb with harissa and skordalia (£3.50) and homemade baklava (£1.50), while a free snack is handed round at 3.30pm for a late-afternoon energy boost.
"The company subsidises the kitchen because eating together is a fundamental cultural activity and it allows them to cross-fertilise ideas in an informal, social setting," says Charlie Stott, strategy director at the company. "Eating together helps break down cultural and hierarchy values, it helps teams bond, encourages everyone to voice their points of view and learn from others." Plus, you get all the gossip.
Google, California
Work for Google, and you get some pretty big perks - including free food from their canteens. The company's Californian headquarters, Mountain View, has a whole host of cafes (some say as many as 30), including a sit-down Indian restaurant.
If you get peckish outside of meal-time, many buildings have "micro-kitchens" stocked with fruits, nuts and dark chocolate. There are also professional baristas for when you get that coffee craving.
Apple, California
Anyone else starting to feel they need to get a job in California? Apple refers to its on-campus cafeterias as Caffé Macs, and recently opened a stunning new one at their Cupertino headquarters. Employees can tuck into everything from seared seabass with green harissa sauce to bison curry and Korean-style tacos. Apples, of course, are often free.
Innocent, London
If you struggle to hit your five-a-day, you might want to get a job with Innocent. At their five-storey office, dubbed "Fruit Towers," the smoothies and juice are unlimited. The heart of the building is a large, open family kitchen, filled with picnic tables and with a floor made from artificial turf (plus ping-pong and table football, in case you want to need to some expend some energy). Breakfast is free, and there are endless little alcoves to squirrel away with a sandwich, including a tiny library. It certainly beats eating at your desk.