Have you ever had a subsidised canteen at work?

[Turquoisetamborine]

Was/is it nice? How cheap was it?
I’ve worked in the public sector most of my working life but when I was a teenager I worked at my stepdad’s company for a few months which was a massive chemical plant with loads of factory and office workers. I remember almost everyone going to the canteen for lunch everyday and it was almost unheard of to bring food from home.

My husband works for a big international company and they have a subsidised canteen. It’s almost not worth him bringing his own lunch as he can buy homemade soup and a bread bun for 75p.

Indulge a public servant who would love a subsidised canteen!

Big STEM company here. Really tasty food at a good price. If you're doing 8 hour shifts in factory or lab, with fixed breaks & tough conditions, then you need something nice.

Just started new job and there's a heavily subsidised restaurant on site.

I'm avoiding it like the plague and bringing in packed lunches because I'm incapable of making sensible choices and desperately trying to lose weight

Large fintech company.....soups, salad bar, various hot and cold choices all very low price. Free tea and coffee &. 2pcs fruit daily.

YY twice. Once in a care home where I worked as a student. The meals were amazing and free! Then, when I worked for an international utility company, they had a subsidised canteen. They had a great selection of hot meals, salads, sandwiches, etc.

Yes, I worked at a massive factory years ago in admin. There was a huge canteen and the food was great. I particularly liked their cheese omelettes I seem to recall. It was pretty cheap but so long ago I can't remember really.

Yes, highly subsidised canteen. Food was very good and very cheap. Basic sandwich was 80p, fresh soup made on site every day, amazing salad bar, 3 main course choices and puddings. Good times.

M&S - it was the best thing ever, almost as good as the staff shop.

15 years ago and I worked in selfridges and they shared the staff canteen with M&S which was subsidised, used to be so cheap but put so much weight on!

Yes. Just added more stress for those of us unable to judge portion sizes and little self control tbh.

I work at a famous arts venue where the canteen is completely free. Soup, salad bar, baked potato and fillings, sandwiches, two choices of hot main, pudding, fruit salad, fresh fruit, yoghurt - every single day! It’s incredibly sociable as everyone eats there. It does make your salary go much further which is a good thing as arts wages aren’t the best. Only thing is, I reckon I’m putting on weight as I’ve no idea what I’m eating (eg is the soup 300 cal or 600 cal) so I’m cutting down on the days I eat there and subbing in with stuff I make at home.

I work for the NHS.

So I get a whole 10% off my £4 sandwich. How jealous are you guys hmm?!

I used to Go to a further Ed college where they did catering training, you could get a three course lunch, silver service, for the equivalent of a couple of quid on a Friday cooked, set up and served by the students. It was a long long time ago though and always booked out.

During the Food and Mouth crisis I worked at DEFRA for 6 weeks. The canteen there was amazing. We were subsidised for £3 a day and for that I could have a soup and salad or a jacket potato for lunch, plus a large baguette that I would take home for my dinner!
(The Army was paying me £20 ish a day for meals, so I banked the remainder - paid for a holiday!)

Just remembered one of my customers in PlusNet. Their staff (and visitors) get a completely free lunch every day. It includes a salad bar, asked potatoes, chips, sandwiches etc. Plus one hot meal. You have to pay for crisps and chocolate but you can eat your fill for free.

The staff did tell me though that you get bored of it after about a week as it’s always the same.

Yes I work for a bank of a large supermarket chain and we have one it's very reasonable priced and handy but the novelty wears off .

Clearly lots of people have!
I never have. Wish I had!

My first job out of uni was temping at BT Centre. The canteen was amazing there.

My DH works in a college with a big catering training department. He gets a free breakfast every day - says it's very good (we can also get massively subsidised salon treatments - I once had a cut and blow dry for £1!)

The exact opposite here! Teachers get charged more for school food. I ask for the kids portion, or swap with the sixth form boys who look horrified at being given 2 tablespoons of pasta and half a scoop of sauce. That’s a snack to most of them!

Only breakfast is subsidised at work. Can get a full English, made up with organic ingrediants for £4. Lunch is super expensive to compensate and it’s usually better value to eat at one of the many restaurants outside.

My old workplace it was FREE if you worked 10 hours or more

On site chef, menus on rotation, really varied dishes. T'was lovely.

When I used to work for Morrisons we had a subsidised canteen. Rarely would a cooked breakfast or lunch cost more than a £1. I now work in a school and you can get a hot dinner for £2.50. Not quite subsidised but at cost, and it's different to what the kids get.

I work for an automotive company. Ours is meant to be subsidised but the prices are rather high. It's £1 just to add cheese to your jacket potato (£1.60 per potato) and a single main meal item will be £4.50 but you pay extra for sides e.g. chicken at £4.50 plus potatoes at £1.something plus veg at 65p or so. Even toasties are £4.50! It really adds up and they just put the prices up 9% due to "inflation". So not always living the dream to have a subsidised canteen!

Yes, for my past 2 jobs- 1 a university, the current one a FTSE 100. You can get a delicious, huge salad with Ottolenghi-esq options for £3. Most mains are around that price point.

I've got friends working in tech with free canteens though.

Not just subsidised but totally FREE. Could have a three course meal every lunch time. Friday there was always the option of fish and chips with peas or beans. God I loved Fridays at work.