The ULTIMATE working lunch: Inside the envy-inducing canteens at companies like Dropbox, Google and Pixar that offer free food, extensive menus, and gourmet desserts
- Dropbox's cafeteria offers several different cuisines and desserts dreamed up by a pastry chef who used to work at NYC's Le Bernadin
- Google employees get a view of New York's skyline as they eat free breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Apple's Caffè Macs has been compared to a restaurant and serves ramen burgers, coq au vin, oysters, sushi, paella, steak, and gelato
- Pixar's dining area is in the atrium, which Steve Jobs wanted to look like the Musée D’Orsay in Paris
- SAS Institute Inc. in North Carolina has a pizza station, a salad bar, a sandwich station, an entrée station, and a cafè
It's probably safe to say that no one is brown-bagging it at these companies.
With menus that would be right at home at major culinary hotspots, ever-changing food offerings, and reasonable (if not totally free) prices, a handful of big name — and not-so-big-name — businesses have established employee cafeterias that rival trendy restaurants and put most companies' microwave break rooms to shame.
And while the beautiful layouts, yummy meals, and hard-to-resist snacks are sure to make anyone on the outside jealous, they also suggest that these very lucrative companies have learned that food is the way to workers' hearts — and their productivity.
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Lunch time! The cafeteria at Dropbox's San Francisco office is call Tuck Shop and is beloved by employees
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Dig in! Tuck Shop serves incredible meals like BBQ pork ribs with potato salad and coleslaw (pictured)
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Tasty options: They also have a pizza oven (left) and offer delicious pastas (right)
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Gourmet: Instead of dry chicken in a Styrofoam container, diners get grilled rack of lamb with Persican-spiced cous cous, baby chard, and creamy chickpeas on real flatware
DROPBOX
It wasn't long ago that Google was hailed as the business with the coolest cafeteria, but these days, file-sharing app company Dropbox is giving it a real run for its money.
That's probably because Brian Mattingly, the head chef at Dropbox, once worked in Google's kitchens, according to Bon Appétit.
The San Francisco-based company also employs pastry chef Laurie Moran, who previously concocted sweets at New York City's Le Bernadin and Dominique Ansel's popular bakery in Japan.
Inside the 4,000 square food space called Dropbox Tuck Shop, which was created by the same company that designed Beauty & Essex, Public, and Saxon + Parole in Manhattan, employees are treated to countless meal choices.
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Drool-worthy: Chef Brian Mattingly, who used to work at Google, gets creative with menus
![3475395](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/03/22/31D44F0D00000578-3473854-3475395-a-22_1457045656746.jpg)
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The real deal: The company's pastry chef, Laurie Moran, used to work at NYC's Le Bernadin and Dominique Ansel's bakery in Japan
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Delish: She and her team makes things like these Jell-O shots, made with fresh raspberries set in gin and tonic jelly and topped with St. Germaine cream and raspberry gin foam.
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Not just a measly cookie: Diners have also been treated to lychee-oolong milk tea Panna cotta (left) and matcha, anko, and black sesame yuzu (right)
There are vegan options, low-calorie options, sandwiches, and foods of different international cuisines like Indian, Asian, and Mediterranean.
For dessert, the chefs serve up mouth-watering treats like Black Forest gateau with chocolate ganache glaze and brandied cherries, Earl Grey panna cotta tartlets, matcha pots de creme, and cardamom cheesecake with caramelized spiced apples. Moran also creates a new custom ice cream flavor every day.
The food is so drool-worthy, in fact, that rumors have spread in the past that the cafeteria earned a coveted Michelin star (which it actually did not).
'I eat at the Tuck Shop every day, and I must say it's one of the best spots in San Francisco,' wrote one employee on the cafeteria's Yelp page.
'I'm constantly surprised by their ambitious menu,' wrote another. 'They even plate your dish and are amenable to requests.'
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/03/22/31D44F0500000578-3473854-image-a-31_1457045716924.jpg)
Food with a view: In New York City, Google employees dine at Hemispheres, which offers this view
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/03/22/31D44F0000000578-3473854-image-a-32_1457045721024.jpg)
Unlimited: There are plenty of different stations for employees to choose their meals from
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Who wants a job? Google gives its employees free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, among other enviable perks
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Watching figures: Though some of the options are rich, the company also puts a focus on healthy eating
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Plenty to choose from: There are a lot of different dining options and the menu is constantly changing
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Trendy: Being in New York, the cooks are always introducing trendy foods into the menu, like ramen
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Looks good: Employees rave about the cafeteria, and friends and family are often asking for invites
Of course, the original tech company with a cafeteria to die for is still a top spot, and Google employees often find themselves fielding requests from friends and family who would love to drop by for lunch as guests.
Google's New York office is home to Hemispheres, a cafè that serves three meals a day — and snacks — for free. (That is, of course, in addition to other perks, like free massages for good work, and free gym memberships.)
Besides a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline, with outdoor seating for when the weather is nice, Hemisphers is a favorite perk for employees thanks to the endless array of yummy food.
'If you ever want to be depressed about your job, just visit a friend at Google's Cafeteria. Unbelievable,' wrote one person on Hemispheres' Yelp page.
The room includes three entrée stations, a salad bar, a burger station, desserts, and a FroYo machine, among other offerings.
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Apple of our eye: Apple's Cupertino cafeteria is large, well-lit, and uncluttered
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There is a such thing as a free lunch: Meals here are also partially or mostly paid for by the company
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Chow down! There are lots of options at the aptly-named Caffè Macs, including sushi
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Well-fed: Both lunch and breakfast are available, with ramen and eggs Benedict on the menu
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Super fancy: The meals are also beautifully plated as if in a high-end restaurant
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Something sweet: Diners can also get yummy-looking desserts and artistic lattes
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Sunny day: In the warmer months, Apple employees can sit outside and enjoy the sunshine, too
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Two scoops, please: There are also several different flavors of gelato, including vanilla pudding with caramel ribbon, Madagascar vanilla, and basil with balsamic ribbon
APPLE
Employees at Apple's Cupertino campus also get the tech company treatment when lunchtime rolls around.
At Caffè Macs, those lunch breaks can mean ramen burgers, nachos, ribs, fish, coq au vin, pizza, and even oysters. The constantly-changing menu has also included pho, sushi, paella, steak, and pasta.
And that's just lunch. Caffè Macs, which also includes a sunny outdoor seating area, serves breakfast items like French toast with strawberries, chocolate chip pancakes, and eggs, too, as well as dessert, fresh squeezed juices, and several flavors of gelato.
Lunch and dinner here are also mostly free, or at least partially paid for. According to the Huffington Post, software engineers are allotted up to $12 for dinner, which usually covers the cost.
'This cafeteria would do excellent if it were a restaurant open to the public,' gushed one fan on Yelp, while another said: 'Consuming a delicious and beautifully plated $8 meal within this clean-cut yet organic space, it may seem that for a brief moment, life is complete. '
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Movie-worthy caf: At Pixar, employees eat in a cafeteria called Cafè Luxo in the company's atrium
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To infinity, and beyond! They're greeted by some of Pixar's most beloved characters, including Buzz Lightyear and Woody
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Artistic inspiration: Steve Jobs wanted the atrium where the cafeteria sits to feel like the Musée D’Orsay in Paris
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/03/23/31D4754700000578-3473854-image-a-48_1457049285182.jpg)
Yum! The beautiful cafeteria includes several areas to get different kinds of food and also has a pizza oven
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So tasty: In addition to entrèes like smoked maple salmon, tofu ramen burgers, toasted ravioli, and steak, there is also a burrito bar
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Sugar high: Pixar also has a free cereal bar and desserts — and everything is served on real plates
PIXAR
As if getting to chow down near Woody and Buzz Lightyear wasn't already fun enough, employees at the Disney company Pixar can also get pretty animated — ahem — talking about the incredible food.
At Cafè Luxo's high-ceiling, open space in the building's natural-light-filled atrium, lunch breaks are a visual spectacle.
“[Steve Jobs] wanted a space that felt like the Musée D’Orsay in Paris,' Craig Payne, the senior design project manager, told BuzzFeed.
There, employees eat things like smoked maple salmon, tofu ramen, hamburgers, toasted ravioli, and steak, and also have access to a burrito bar, a cereal bar, and pizza from a wood-fire pizza oven.
Like at the other companies on this list, meals in Pixar cafeterias aren't served in Styrofoam packaging or on paper plates — they're arranged beautifully on real flatware, making the experience feel like dining at a restaurant.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/03/23/31D475B700000578-3473854-image-a-43_1457049239932.jpg)
Employee retention: SAS Institute Inc. in Cary, North Carolina has a high employee satisfaction rate — and we bet the cafeteria helps
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What to order? Several times of food are served every day at the Entrée Station and Chef's Table
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Lots to pick from: There is also sometimes sushi, as well as a sandwich area and to-go station
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Caffeine fix: SAS also has a cafè that serves Starbucks coffee, ice cream, and pastries
![Snacktime! The canteen also offers an array of light snacks should any employees get hungry throughout the day](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/03/23/31D4755700000578-3473854-image-a-51_1457049380917.jpg)
Snacktime! The canteen also offers an array of light snacks should any employees get hungry throughout the day
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/03/23/31D4755300000578-3473854-image-a-47_1457049276286.jpg)
Fuel to work harder: There is a full, clean salad bar in the center of the room, as a well as a soup bar
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Big workforce: All food is prepared in a behind-the-scene kitchen before being served to about 5,000 on-site employees
SAS INSTITUTE INC.
Most people probably haven't heard of SAS Institute Inc. in Cary, North Carolina, but employee satisfaction at the analytics software company is quite high — due in part to its Marketplace, which offers a wide array of food options.
The large, well-lit space houses several food stations including a salad bar, a soup bar, a beverage area, a Market Grill sandwich station, and an Ovens station with four daily choices of hearth oven-cooked pizza as well as baked pastas.
Serving 5,000 employees, there is also an entrée area, a Chef's Table serving items like pan-seared pork chops with apricot jam, and a grab-and-go area with sandwiches, salads, and pre-packaged meals.
Finally, according to Food Service Magazine, there is a coffee shop serving Starbucks coffee, gelato, and pastries.
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