Office reopening but... no canteen, no kitchen...!!!!

[Sarah510]

Is this unreasonable....!!!

Cant help thinking it's a conspiracy theory to force us to go back to the Costas and Starbucks...

Lucky I have a couple of flasks!!! After wfh I realise how much money I was totally wasting on my coffees every day ;)

It's not that unusual

I was quite relaxed about returning to work until they told us they’d be taking away the tea and coffee making facilities (and we’d be nuked for bringing in our own kettles). Suddenly I’m feeling very concerned about the risk and want to stay in my nice safe home with its own kitchen.

Our premises officer has pat tested it for me so it is ready to go.

Our lunchtime has been shrunk to 30 minutes which includes prep time for the afternoon so we wouldn't have time now to go anywhere off the school site at lunchtime.

we havent lost our tea making facilities and have been working throughout,
ssssh better not tell anyone

I love it - no tea rounds!

I love the competitive 'having-it-hard' stuff on here. 'We've only got a kettle, what are you moaning about'/'We just have a rusty tap with a trickle of water, count your blessings'...

I think it's a bit shit to have to work somewhere without a fridge or microwave (although I do get why). I wouldn't like to take in a lunch and have it festering under my desk in this weather, even if only for a few hours. Or have to spend a fortune on buying stuff out all the time.

Seriously? It's a bit pathetic.

YANBU. Our baristas and restaurant are back. I don't drink coffee but like a builder's tea.

Lol at needing a fridge. My family are mostly builders of some sort or another. They work on sites where they are lucky to even have access to a kettle let alone a fridge. They’ve all got by, even my BIL who works in NY which gets very warm indeed.

Also lol at miners having access to a fridge down the pit!

Thecobwebs, I think you win the Four Yorkshiremen Award.

YABU if you really believe the CT, or that it's impossible to find alternatives while the kitchen is locked. If you're just being a bit flippant, YANBU. For the time being, why not take sandwiches and a bottle of water? You could also take a kettle and the wherewithal to make tea/coffee for yourself.

Don't people take their coffee and food with them anyway? I never put mine in the fridge anyway

Oh and there hasn't been a canteen at any workplace I've ever worked in

I was seriously worried about falling asleep in the afternoon without any coffee. Then I realised i wouldn't be able to nap as I would probably have a blast if cold air through all the open windows that are require to make the office "COVID secure". My lunch break is 30 minutes nearest place to get a coffee is 10mins away by car and 30 minutes walking.

Fridge? Lunch? This is the problem with imagining different lines of work...

I don't have much spare cash and I am entitled to free lunch in the work canteen every day. I take my own lunch to work.

We have a canteen but it runs now in a very different and complicated way which involves handing in written orders and only paying with certain coins and so on. I'd rather do without it tbh.

The various kitchenettes around the site remain in use though, just with sensible rules about how many people can access them at a time and excellent provision of sanitiser, wipes, etc. We're 24/7 and a huge site and it would be stupid to close all the kitchens.

Do children put their lunchboxes in a fridge at school?

When I went back to work at the school, initially there was no canteen or kitchen - staff were told to stay on premises during their break and had to eat outside in certain designated areas. Since returning three tables have been put in a room with hot water available.

On the flip side, I work in a hospital, we’ve had staff rooms and kitchen facilities throughout (and nhs staff kitchens are notorious for being gross 🤮 put stuff the them fridges at your peril).

The hospital restaurant has been closed to patients and pelvic and only open to staff only only recently opened back to the general public.

Public not pelvic ffs.

Cool bag with ice packs, and/or thermos for hot water/coffee/soup should sort out most problems. Not ideal but certainly not unreasonable in the circumstances.

I don’t see the big deal.

I’ve been working through lockdown as a key worker. No canteen or break room since March. I just bring in a packed lunch and eat at my desk.

drinks is the tricky one. You can get an insulated water bottle to keep it warm/cold/however you like it. But if you need to top it up? Same with tea/coffee. I could bring in a flask which would cover the morning coffee, but tea during the afternoon?

@Marpan no.