Weekly News Roundup: Free-Lunch Edition
Perhaps there is no such thing as a free lunch
It is no secret that stereotypical start-up perks—such as a free lunch—are part of the appeal of working at a tech company in San Francisco. What is meant to look like a generous benefit from the company’s end has long been speculated to be a disguise to keep employees in the office. Regardless of the reason behind the free lunch, some San Francisco policymakers are considering putting an end to it—sort of.
SF Supervisors Propose to Ban Office Cafeterias
San Francisco supervisors Ahsha Safaí and Aaron Peskin introduced new legislation this week that would prohibit in-house cafeterias on tech campuses and in new office buildings, CBS San Francisco reports. The report is far from an attack on tech, though; instead it would be a move to protect restaurant owners. “We see thousands of employees in a block radius that don’t go out to lunch and don’t go out in support of restaurants every day. It’s because they don’t have to,” Ryan Corridor, owner of Corridor—a restaurant near Civic Center—told CBS. While there might be some truth to this, there are likely other factors at play here. If the proposed legislation passes, it will apply only to new businesses—not existing ones.
It’s Cheaper to Rent in San Francisco Than Buy
Speaking of how expensive it is to live in San Francisco, a new report by Trulia analyzing the city’s housing situation concluded that it’s cheaper to rent in the city than buy. This is unprecedented, according to Curbed SF. Trulia economist Cheryl Young said, “For as long as we have run this report, renting has never been a better deal than buying. But this summer, driven by epic home-price appreciation and lifeless rents, renting tips the scales over buying in San Jose and San Francisco.” At least it makes us all feel a little bit better about renting now.
A Vending Machine Is Selling Tech Vests at SFO
And Twitter is having a field day about it, according to Business Insider. As you probably know, the vest is the unofficial uniform for many tech workers, but selling them in vending machines in SFO takes it to a whole new level.
Hey! The Bold Italic recently launched a podcast, This Is Your Life in Silicon Valley. Check out the full season or listen to the episode below featuring Alexia Tsotsis, former co-editor of TechCrunch. More coming soon, so stay tuned!
