Mealtime lines can get long, so efficiency is key, since the company wants people to use their time productively. To that end, engineers have built various Android apps for employee use, including one that filters the day’s menus according to key words such as gluten-free or vegetarian. Internally, dozens of Google+ Circles have formed around topics of food and drink, including wine- and beer-tasting.
When it comes to atmosphere, the design of the cafés gives new meaning to the term user interface. Warm, relaxed, and democratic, most cafés offer long tables—catalysts for chance interactions. “Food is about collaboration and creativity here at Google. Cafés were designed with that in mind,” says executive chef Olivia Wu. “We don’t have corporate dining rooms—there is no hierarchy. It forces us to sit together and meet others in different departments and perhaps collaborate.” Indeed, Gmail was born of a chance conversation between two diners. Not content just to feed people well at work, Google has launched a new cooking class to teach the basics: Code for Cooks.
With all the mouthwatering free food, is there a Google 20, like the infamous freshman 15? Wu acknowledges that weight gain among new employees is somewhat common but that most seem to learn to self-regulate (and hit the company gyms).
As to why all of this bounty is free, Wu explains, “Providing food for our employees supports our general desire to fulfill the basic needs of Googlers. We also believe that the free, healthy, and delicious food options make for happier Googlers, and happier Googlers are more productive.”
It seems Google has created the ultimate algorithm for employee satisfaction, and it’s called whole-wheat thin-crust pizza with caramelized onion and Fontina.…
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