Co-working behemoth WeWork made a bold move this month when the $20 billion company announced it would no longer expense meals that include meat for its 6,000 global employees — and that company events would no longer serve up dishes with poultry, pork or beef, citing environmental reasons.
The New York-based startup is one of only a few companies to establish formal employee eating policies, but a number of New Yorkers say there are clear but unspoken rules about what should and shouldn’t be consumed at their offices.
When Melissa Vitale interned at various fashion houses from 2013 to 2016, she was ostracized for the hearty Italian leftovers she had for lunch.
“I would bring in a lasagne to work and I could just feel the eyes on my waistline,” says Vitale, 26, a Bed-Stuy resident who now runs her own publicity firm. “My co-workers would look at what I was eating and say, ‘Oh, I’m on a diet.’ It was very passive-aggressive.”
Rachel Rusi, the owner of Goal Mine Health Club in Staten Island, feels similar pressure to bring healthy (and healthy-smelling) food to her gym. But after a hard workout, she can’t resist getting an Italian sandwich from her favorite joint, Royal Crown Bakery, even if it means being judged by her employees.
“They see carbs as the enemy,” says the 27-year-old. “There’s a lot of head shaking.” Some even say outright, “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
Sometimes, it’s those on a more restrictive diet who feel judged.
For years, Melissa O’Donnell, the executive chef at Lil Gem on the Lower East Side, hid the fact that she was gluten intolerant from customers and her kitchen staff.
I would bring in a lasagne to work and I could just feel the eyes on my waistline.
“I definitely kept it on the down low,” she says. “There’s still this idea people have of, ‘Oh, she’s just being picky,’ or ‘She just wants to be skinny,’ ” says O’Donnell. “Chefs are supposed to be so enamored with food they just want to try everything. But I didn’t want to get sick. It wasn’t worth it.”
Repetitive eating habits can also elicit reactions.
Suzanne, who works at Condé Nast, prefers a lighter lunch. For two months last year, she’d buy the same kale salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and almonds.
“[They were] perplexed as to how I could possibly eat the same things every day,” Suzanne, who declined to reveal her last name and age for professional reasons, says of her co-workers. She’s since stopped buying those pricey $16 bowls of greens and now brings in a similar salad each day from home.
“Everyone has their reasons for eating the way they do,” she says. “Don’t be the cad who chides someone for trying to maintain a certain level of health.”