Google's Lunch Bill: $72 Million (At Least)

New York (NY) - Those tasty free lunches at Google are among the reasons why I always thought about working for Google when I still lived in the Bay Area (back then, in the late 90s, the company had less than 100 employees and really just one among thousands of startups). Silicon Alley Insider published an article that actually puts a price tag on the food Google provides per employee : More than $7500 per year.

The website estimates that Google is providing 600 meals per year per employee and about 9,600 employees in Mountain View, New York and at the new DoubleClick offices). A caterer told Silicon Alley Insider that Google could be spending as much as $30 per day per employee on fine dining, which would add up to $7530 per employee per year.

Spread out over the company and those 9600 employees, that bill would come to $72,288,000.

Even if one industry source told the website that $30 per day is a bit high and the actual number is closer to the $20 range, that $72 million sounds a bit conservative. Why ? Simple : Google employs more than 9600 people : At the end of September 2007 (the most recent figure available), the firm employed 15,916 people, adding new staff at a rate of about 750 per month. So there is probably another 10,000 employees that needs to get fed as well and we don’t even account for special events such as luaus and those free snacks and that are available throughout all Google offices. Our guess would be that Google spends well more than $100 million on food for its employees per year.

Since we now have an idea on the food, can anyone put some numbers on the cost of the free dry cleaning, wellness centers and massage therapists ?

That being said of course, it seems to be paying off for the giant, for whom $100 million is really just pocket change. Happy, well motivated employees seem to be paying back good dividends.