January 2013
Like a poor kid plucked from poverty and exposed to the riches of a first world nation, or a down-on-his-luck kid who discovers a golden ticket to a magical world of chocolates, I have experienced a mind-blowing place. I entered a new world where ideas go to thrive. I felt the energy and the happiness. In a word, I experienced Google!
Under the purview of exploring corporate dining options, I had the opportunity to tour Google’s Pittsburgh Office. As someone who spends a great deal of [day job] time worrying about employee happiness and the effects of strategic office design, Google has long been on my radar as a progressive model. I expected to be awestruck in the face of such a mecca, but the sensation of the tour nearly melted my heart.
Google set my collector’s heart aflutter. Vintage elements from Pittsburgh’s famed theme park, Kennywood [full disclosure: this was as close to Kennywood as I have come] add a quirky sense of adventure to walking from point A to B. Google set my design heart aflutter with the distinction of work areas from traffic areas via the carpet styles. Google set my hippy heart aflutter with its strict standards for sustainable materials and incentivizing, energy-tracking metrics.
Google set my locavore heart aflutter with its plans for rooftop chickens and raised beds. Google set my meditative heart aflutter with the visual transitions to its wellness area, which transport the mind from bright, bold colors to more sedated tones surrounding massage tables. A combination of my floating on a cloud and the actual logistics of touring prevented me from taking pictures throughout the office, but when it came to the cafeteria, I regained my focus and nerve (but my heart was still aflutter).
The lunch theme was Spain. I repeat: the lunch THEME was Spain! I LOVE me a theme party! Between the menu and the matching music, lunch at Google feels just like a theme party. It’s a healthy theme party no less, and everyone is invited. There are symbols behind each menu item representing vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, local and raw (and probably a few more I am forgetting).
Do you see the size of that chocolate bar? That FANCY chocolate bar?
Google’s Pittsburgh office is located in Bakery Square, which was the long time home of the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco). Imagine the scent of fresh bread and snacks wafting from the ovens above to the streets below! Chef Lee Keener hopes to restore that sent of fresh bread to the neighborhood someday. Based on everything he has accomplished thus far, it’s only a matter of time before familiar scents trigger old memories on the transformed block.
Did you see that honey jar on the far right? That unlabeled mason jar of honey is unbranded because it came from Google’s rooftop apiary. GOOGLE HONEYBEES! By summertime, the office will also have rooftop chickens and growing greens. Compost from the dining hall will one day nourish the soil of the rooftop gardens. Mark my words, I bet Google will one day have its own farms (if it doesn’t already?).
The kitchen offers two fresh juice options, which are brought in daily. I drank a lovely red combination of beets, apples, ginger, parsley and carrots, which fit in swimmingly with my New Year’s Resolution to drink a lot more fresh juice.
Chef Lee Keener often boasts to the outside world, “I work for the best restaurant in Pittsburgh, and you can’t eat there.” Sad though it may be for the rest of us, he may be right. Paving the way to the primary-colored bastion of corporate cafeterias was not easy by any means. Ironically, Keener couldn’t google the answer, but the point to which he has brought his kitchen is commendable. He uses as many local ingredients as is possible and has established close relationships with many of his suppliers. Thanks to his kitchen’s demand, one local farmer was able to continue his family’s farming tradition rather than work other jobs. Chef Keener fosters these local producers. Knowing how hard it can be to push certain cuts, Keener prioritizes those cuts in his menu planning.
Traditional CEOs may chalk the Google difference up to riches, but I truly believe this level of employer investment is raising the bar and changing what it means to go to work day in day out. I left Google smiling from ear to ear and floating on a cloud. I can only imagine that return on investment. It seems like it’s oh so good to be a Googler!
