When we got to work this morning, there was a sign on the cafeteria door announcing “Closed for Inventory.” Seems the contractor-proprietors of the operation had been invited to leave. We weren’t particularly surprised, but it would have been nice if we’d been warned.
Circumstance: There are several hundred people in this office. We work several miles from Lansing, and most of the staff has 30 minutes for lunch. There’s a privately-run restaurant at the edge of the complex, but it’s never mastered the art of serving a quick lunch. Wendys and Arbys have outposts a couple miles from the building, at another rural office complex. The other close-by restaurants serve truck stops; neither is attractive to most of our staff. The nearest towns’ restaurants are three or four miles away; barely accessible for those with half-hour lunch breaks, and risky propositions on most days–though those of us with longer breaks do tend to eat at these places for variety. There’s a presentable Italian place five or six miles away, and a Flap Jack Shack about the same distance in another direction. Nearly ten miles away is a Chinese restaurant with excellent service; a realistic option for a long lunch even if the hour is strictly watched. A couple dingy bars–one with passable food–fill out the menu.
As you might guess, we were kinda frantic for food today. Perhaps tomorrow will be better.
Update 2/25: The cafeteria reopened as a snack bar later on Monday, and had a new manager (and a minimalist menu) on Tuesday. We’re all watching to see how things develop.