In a strange sort of way, we outsiders have always be a bit jealous at the perks Google showers on its employees. But are perks starting to be cut back for the Google folks? First there was the report that Google was having to raise the price of child care at the Gooleplex and that employees were up in arms. Some estimated the cost of child care for an employee with two children to hit about $57k a year.

But now the folks at Google have slashed the evening dinners for the menu, leaving outsiders to wonder what’s up with the changes?  In 2004, they wrote:

We provide many unusual benefits for our employees, including meals free of charge … We are careful to consider the long term advantages to the company of these benefits. Expect us to add benefits rather than pare them down over time. We believe it is easy to be penny wise and pound foolish with respect to benefits that can save employees considerable time and improve their health and productivity.

But there is more to this than meets the eye. In the past Google had its own kitchen staff preparing the delicious cusine for its employees. But that changed when Google hired out to an outside company. It seems that there were some disputes with the new vendor and the result is to cut back on their services.

Now imagine this. Cutting back ALL of the food perks and having Google people have to go to outside restaurants.  I bet the people in Mountain View, CA. would appreciate the added business in these hard economic times.

What do you think?

Comments welcome.

Update: The engineers will still get din-din. It is the remainder of the employees who are being taken off the menu.

Source.