Facebook Won't Provide Free Meals To Employees At New Mountain View Offices
MOUNTAIN VIEW (KPIX 5) -- This fall, Facebook will no longer be providing free food for some of its employees. The change will come when the social media giant opens the doors to its new office in Mountain View this fall.
For the last 44 years, the Milk Pail Market has become a stop for locals in the Mountain View area. But the small market may soon get big business.
Right next door to the Milk Pail Market, Facebook is putting the finishing touches on its new buildings. However, in Facebook's new office--unlike its headquarters and those of other big tech companies--full free meals won't be offered to its 2,000 employees.
"The idea is to encourage the employees to use the restaurants and encourage the office building to provide food that's open to the public," said Mountain View mayor Lenny Siegel.
They mayor said that in 2014, Mountain View city leaders decided that fully subsidized meals wouldn't be allowed inside the office at The Village At San Antonio Center, where Facebook is building its new offices. At the time, there was talk that LinkedIn would be moving into the space instead of Facebook.
"And the idea is not just to isolate people who work in tech from the rest of the community, but to bring them in. Everybody enjoys their benefits and they enjoy the benefits of their community," explained Seigel.
"It gives everything around, in this area, the chance to survive," said Erika Rasmussen, the manager of the Milk Pail Market.
Some Facebook employees may not hit the "like" button on the company's new policy, but many of them want the community to know that they're ready for their business.
"I'm really excited for the opportunity of having so many people in this area. That's something that's never really happened to us before. You know, it used to be a parking lot," said Rasmussen.