Cafeteria Wars: Google vs. Hearst

Top, Google; below, Hearst — don’t let the camera-phone fool you, Hearst’s aint too shabby

What’s so great about Google’s cafeteria? New York magazine gushes in a Zagats-friendly review about its zucchini pasta marinara, soft tacos with fresh tomato salsa, beetroot-marinated tofu with chile scallion glaze. But the Hearst cafeteria isn’t too shabby, either. When we were there recently, we dined on freshly made-to-order sushi ($6 per order!) and complimentary David’s cookies. We could have had fresh dim sum, some nice-looking sandwiches, casseroles made to order, or just heaped varietal lettuces from a salad bar on the plate.

Atoosa, we’re told, used to be at one of the empty tables pictured here every single day, but has been scarce lately.

We haven’t eaten at Google yet but we do think Hearst holds more than a candle to Condé Nast’s caf, where even the windows were made to order. But there’s not as much air and light as at Hearst, which compliments its cafeteria with a lovely gallery of old-time photos, and water cascading over stairs in a waterfall effect as you walk through the security turnstiles.

New Google Cafeteria Crushes Competitors’ Cafeterias [New York]

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