# What are your lunch options at work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292 "2012-03-30T15:55:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/21 "2012-03-30T19:09:40Z")
I work downtown, so there are tons of options. There is a small restaurant on the main floor where I’ll get my breakfast sometimes, a Tim Horton’s across the street, and a really good cafeteria about 5 minutes away (that’s very expensive). We do have employee kitchens on every floor with full size fridges and microwaves, but oddly, there are no plates/bowls or cutlery. I find that part very strange. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/22 "2012-03-30T19:14:56Z")
I bring in my lunch practically every day. For a long time, I was using the fridge of the office next door, (which was the company our team used to be a part of,) until it was mentioned to me that a rift of corporate politics was opening up across the hallway, and that I certainly shouldn’t expect anybody to let me know that I should grab my food early if they were all leaving at noon and locking their door. ☹ So I bought an insulated Thermos lunchbag last fall. For places close enough to walk to - well, there’s a Wendy’s just down the road, and Swiss Chalet at the corner, probably some Chinese place in the area too. That’s about it. Oh, and I’ve heard that a food truck comes once a day, or used to, but I’ve never actually gone to see what they have. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/23 "2012-03-30T19:23:11Z")
Currently, there’s a lunch room with a refrigerator, a toaster oven, and a microwave. The college cafeteria is available (for a very good price) if you don’t want to brown bag. Other lunch places on campus are available when students are on campus, and there are fast food places a short drive away. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/24 "2012-03-30T19:27:19Z")
> [@PacifistPorcupine](#): > > … walk across the street (2 lanes, with crosswalk and tragic lights) … too sad ☹ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/25 "2012-03-30T19:33:16Z")
> [@PacifistPorcupine](#): > > I mean a 3 minute walk. The exit from my building is pretty close to the corner, walk across the street (2 lanes, with crosswalk and tragic lights) and you’re at Subway which is on the opposite corner. Keep going up the block and you’ll hit 3 more restaurants before you get to the next street. Plus I walk fast. The street that I have to cross is more like 5 lanes, and there is a long wait for the walk signal. So it takes me more like 5 minutes. And the portions at those places are way too big. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/26 "2012-03-30T19:33:31Z")
I work at a university in the downtown area of a major metropolis: In the building there’s a coffee shop that sells sandwiches and pastries One building over, there’s another coffee shop Two buildings over, there’s a food court with a variety of options. Within a 10 minute walk there’s everything from Korean to pizza to falafel. 15 minutes, there’s a standard food court, sit down restaurants, or an excellent market area with all kinds of local restaurants. Food trucks often come down to the area as well. Most days, I still bring my lunch. It’s a lot cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/27 "2012-03-30T19:36:13Z")
We have a college cafeteria and a food court in the Student Union. But, our building is on the outside edge of campus. Its a pretty good walk (at least 7 to 10 mins) to the Student Union. Our office all drive a few minutes away for fast food or Mexican. There’s two Mexican places close by with good lunch prices. My house is only a ten min drive from campus. I often come home for lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/28 "2012-03-30T19:39:57Z")
Cafeteria or brown bag it. I brown bag it most days, otherwise it would cost me about $8 a day for lunch. Screw that. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/29 "2012-03-30T19:41:18Z")
We’ve got a lunch room with vending machines and industrial refrigerators and microwaves. However, the vending machine stuff is pretty uninspired and the microwaves are incomprehensible – 9 or 10 pre-set buttons with no clue what each one does. Fortunately, there are a couple of smaller break rooms, each with a standard refrigerator. Usually, I just bring something that can be stashed in a drawer or the fridge with no microwaving required. If I’m feeling more motivated, there are quite a few places within a couple of minutes drive, ranging from inexpensive fast food to decent chain restaurants like Ruby Tuesday and Applebee’s. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/30 "2012-04-02T09:58:44Z")
Company canteen, free of charge. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/31 "2012-04-02T10:50:50Z")
Company restaurant, free of charge. We can get hot food options, sandwiches or salads. The nearest alternatives would be a 15 min drive away. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/32 "2012-04-02T10:56:09Z")
I was nervous moving to the new job because my old job was in a hospital, which had a cafeteria and snack shop in case I ever forgot to bring a lunch. The new place has a great lunch room with fridges, microwaves, a toaster oven, a stove, and coffee makers, but no food on-site. As it turns out, there are an obscene number of places to get lunch around there. I could eat out at a different place every day for a month without having to drive past more than two traffic lights. Many places are within easy walking distance. Since I’m not made of money, though, I generally bring a lunch. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/33 "2012-04-02T11:32:18Z")
There are lots and lots of options around my office in Bethesda, MD; bugers, a hot dog stand, Chinese, fast food, etc. Every Friday, there is a food truck on our block that makes amazing reubens and every two weeks there is a food truck that makes great lobster rolls. Here in Afghanistan, it is greasy meat and rice, but just a few more weeks. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/34 "2012-04-02T11:38:27Z")
Only 2, bring from home or eat at the cafeteria. Lunch is 30 minutes and there really isn’t anyplace close enough to drive to, order, and get back in that time frame. The building I work in is huge, but parking is very tight. The area is primarily residential as well. If the whole team is ordering pizza or something, then the manager will arrange for it to be delivered or go pick it up. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/35 "2012-04-02T12:05:46Z")
We have a burger van around the corner. Which is a fat lot of use when I’m on the night shift. So then I split between making my own sandwiches and getting a ready meal from the supermarket. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/36 "2012-04-02T12:41:12Z")
We have fridges and microwaves and sandwich presses at work. Our office is in the middle of a large shopping precinct so within walking distance are more food places than I can be bothered counting. They cover every variety of food and most ethnic origins. According to [this site](http://www.discoverparramatta.com/eating_out): _Parramatta has the most exotic food mix in Sydney. The CBD has over 180 restaurants, cafes, eateries and bars offering a huge array of cuisines from around the world._ ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/37 "2012-04-02T13:17:25Z")
There’s a food court with Quiznos, Sbarro, Manchu Wok and Chick-Fil-A below my office, and a full cafeteria in a building on the other size of the courtyard. On my floor, there’s a breakroom with two microwaves and two refrigerators. It’s often close to impossible to wedge a lunch in there thanks to the people who warehouse their personal supply of Lean Cuisines in the freezer, or the collection of huge insulated lunch bags, each probably holding just a thin sandwich that fill the fridge. Walking anywhere off campus\* is ill-advised. The main road is eight lanes wide with no pedestrian crosswalks or lights, so the only sane off-campus options involve driving. The campus is so large that it can easily take ten minutes to go from desk to the road. This leads most people to stay on campus. I really miss my office in San Francisco, where pretty much every cuisine of the world was within a three-block walk. - It’s not a school, but I don’t know what else to call over 2 million square feet of office floor on 160 acres of land, all for one corporation. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/38 "2012-04-02T13:45:13Z")
We have a cafeteria with good, cheap food and a 7-eleven and CVS nearby. Occasionally a co-worker will make a “Mickey D’s run.” ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/39 "2012-04-02T14:42:00Z")
I’m suddenly feeling very excited about my lunch options, although I regularly complain that I’m tired of everything. I work in an urban area. Regular restaurants on the lunch rotation include: Cosi, Chop’t, a couple of local delis, Baja Fresh, Z Pizza, Subway, Roti, a pan-Asian restaurant, Starbucks, Brown Bag, and a crepe cart that’s right on the corner. Other options are Chipotle, McDonald’s, lots of food trucks/carts, and certainly some other things that I don’t remember. I never, ever drive to lunch, because that would bump my daily parking cost from $12 to $24, and no lunch is worth that. Also, I take public transit to work at least half the time, which would make driving difficult. We don’t have anything in the building at all - not even a vending machine. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292/40 "2012-04-02T15:06:01Z")
Got a cafeteria in the building but it’s really really expensive (to me anyway - I can’t really justify a $7 lunch that is a cheesburger and a small drink) so I usually bring something. We have a toaster and two microwaves in the little kitchen and a full size fridge - but I just use a cooler bag that is at my desk. Actually, I probably have more food in my desk than I do at home! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-lunch-options-at-work/617292.md?page=1)