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Google CEO Sundar Pichai has hailed the power of free meals and food at the company, claiming they drive productivity and creativity.
Speaking on ‘The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations,’ Pichai echoed the sentiments of previous Google leaders in his belief that food for staff is much more than a simple ‘perk.’
Google co-founder Sergey Brin is reported to have told architects designing Google’s offices that “no one should be more than 200 feet away from food.”
What did Google’s CEO say about food and productivity?
From ‘miracle berries’ and edible flowers, to chicharrónes and freshly-baked cookies, Google’s snack bars, cafés, and ‘microkitchens’ have reportedly served up a veritable smorgasbord of food and drinks over the years.
On the podcast episode, David Rubenstein asked Pichai about the costs and benefits of providing free food for over 182,000 staff members: “Every day, you must have calculation that says, are we spending this much on food? We're getting this much, higher productivity, and how do you assess that?”
Pichai responded by hailing the power of free food and meals. “The benefit that comes out of that dwarfs the costs associated with it,” he said.
The CEO went on to explain that in his own experience, many important conversations and ideas began over a bite to eat. “I can recall several times, when I was working at Google early on, being in cafes, meeting someone else, talking and getting excited about something. It sparks creativity [and] creates a community,” he observed.
Google’s free food setting the benchmark for US employers?
Elsewhere in the conversation, Pichai noted Google’s impressive offer acceptance rate. “The metric I look at is when we make an offer what percentage of people accept the offer and, you know, it is almost close to 90%,” he said, adding he is particularly “proud” of the metric.
In part, this is driven by the company’s hallowed status among (particularly tech) workers and the alluring badge of honor of calling oneself a ‘Googler.’ But the proposition is compounded by the company’s rich package of benefits including childcare support, exercise facilities, and of course, free food and beverage.
Pichai believes Google’s lavish suite of perks, including free meals, has pushed other employers in Silicon Valley to improve their offerings. “I think a set of things which Google has done is part of now standard modern workplaces in the Bay Area,” he noted to Rubenstein.
At times of uncertainty and tough economic conditions, including in 2008 and most recently in 2023, Google has scaled back its perks and amenities such as free meals. In 2023, a company memo revealed cost-cutting measures that some cafes and microkitchens would see reduced opening hours or be closed altogether.
Google stated these decisions were based on demand data, with some microkitchens underused given hybrid working models.
But even with some cutbacks, Google’s long history of providing free meals and snacks has undoubtedly inspired other big tech employers across the US to provide deep benefits packages.
At Meta, for example, employees at larger offices can dine in large food courts, while staff at smaller sites are given meal credit vouchers - $20 for breakfast and $25 for lunch and dinner – to help offset food costs.
Be wary of perk misuse
Employers were recently served a minder of ensuring perks such as free food have clear guidance in place to ensure they are not abused.
Earlier in October, HR Grapevine reported that some Meta employees were fired after an HR investigation revealed some workers had been misusing the perk to send food home, or for alternative purchases on days they did not need the stipend.
Over two dozen employees at a Los Angeles office were accused of using a $25 meal credit to purchase items including wine glasses, toothpaste, and acne pads.
Meta’s corporate policy states the credits are only to be used for the purchase of food and beverages. "We take these violations seriously and have taken appropriate action to uphold our standards," a spokesperson for Meta said.
According to the Financial Times, only employees who were consistent offenders were fired, while others who only occasionally broke Meta’s policy escaped with a warning.
