'I could get fired': Call center employee takes advantage the staff cafeteria to score cheap meals; jeopardizes the privilege for the rest of their coworkers then gets called out by strangers online

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Dec 29, 2023 1:00 PM EST

Enjoying life's little pleasures on the company dime is always more enjoyable than paying for them yourself. In fact, getting lost in the sauce over the freebies at work is a rite of passage for most employees. If your company has a weekly haul of snacks brought in every week, you'll likely be scarfing down your weight in honey roasted peanuts, while chugging the cold brew like it's water. However, if a single employee takes advantage of these company benefits, they might jeopardize the fun for the rest of the workers. 

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  • In our next story, one woman pushes the limits on human decency when she overindulges in the company cafeteria. After months of enjoying platters of food for only $1.50, u/Thickktwinkk thought they were living the dream. Not only could they save hundreds on groceries every week by eating at the subsidized company cafe, but they found a way to sneak into the shop on their days off. 

  • Scroll for the entire story of how this forbidden food heist nearly gets OP fired, forcing the folks online to step in and set the record straight. Do you think they were in the right to take freebies on their days off? You be the judge…

  • 01
    "Your employer doesn't want to subsidize all food bills for all of their staff”
    via u/canva
  • 02
    r/r/talesfromcallcenters Posted by u/Thickktwinkk I got into trouble from boss for going to our 24 hour staff cafe outside of my work hours/ on my day off. I feel embarrassed and now I know it's not available to us always. But I was saving soo much going there. And I get paid not a lot so this is very bad for me. S
    via u/Thickktwinkk
  • 03
    I know it's just two days a week I can't go there but he also said on my days on I can only go when I'm working like the hours of my work and food here is sooo expensive. I live right beside work so was going here a lot!!
    via u/Thickktwinkk
  • 04
    This place provides huge plates of food for 1.50usd and it was a safe haven for me. I feel embarrassed that I like this cafe so much that my other colleagues often say they don't enjoy and are very much over it as they serve similar food. I also hate getting told off and he said this was serious like I could be fired if I am there outside hours again...
    via u/Thickktwinkk
  • 05
    I also received a very scary/ traumatic email while on calls the other day and security had to all police and it was a huge big thing and then had loads of incoming calls I had to answer at same time and there was no supervisors here as it was a Sunday. Maybe this is all my sign that I should leave this job as the cafe was one of the main reasons I have stayed... i won't be able to stretch the very small pay as well now without the cafe urghhhhh
    via u/Thickktwinkk
  • 06
    Inallea Yeah OP be careful with this one. You don't want to be the person who abused the staff perk and got it taken away from everyone. If it is that low cost the company is definitely subsidizing the cost.
    via u/Inallea
  • 07
    matisseblue yeah I used to work at a bakery and for the first 6 months i was there they had suspended the staff discount thanks to someone (who didn't even work there anymore) abusing it. it was a terrible job but that was the cherry on top Imao
    via u/matissblue
  • 08
    Slappyxo Yep something similar happened at a place I worked. The boss set up an account with a local cafe to allow employees to get a coffee and lunch whilst on shift, all paid for by the company. Most of us would use it sparingly, but one guy would go multiple times a day in order to stock up for meals outside of work. If he was poor I'd get it, but he was a bratty kid from a wealthy family who lived at home.
    via u/Slappyxo
  • 09
    Anyway he kept doing it even after he quit, and because the cafe refused to co-operate by banning him (apparently it was too difficult) the boss had no choice but to cancel the account.
    via Slappyxo/Thickktwinkk
  • 10
    LS-CRX You don't want to be the person who abused the staff perk and got it taken away from everyone. My work used to give away TONS of imperfect product to employees for free, right up until someone got caught snatching up the bulk of it and reselling it. Thanks guy.
    via u/LS-CRX
  • 11
    GrandMasterGush This reminds me of a big company within my industry that used to offer free lunch at their company dining facility. Food was so/so but free is free. People at the company started abusing it and bringing their whole families to work for free meals. Didn't take long for the free meal perk to disappear and I suspect everyone quickly figured out which folks ruined it for all - I can't imagine work was fun for them after that.
    via u/GrandMasterGush
  • 12
    Nicole_0818. Do not order more food than you need during your shift to eat at home. You have been warned and threatened with termination, do not go around the rules as this will make your situation worse. You will be terminated and left with no income and being fired from your last job won't look good when going job hunting. Hopefully your boss has talked to everyone caught abusing the staff cafe.
    via u/Nicole_0818
  • 13
    If your job doesn't make ends meet without abusing the employee benefit like that, then I would begin looking for another job asap. Maybe more than one if the pay isn't enough to make ends meet and put food on the table. In the meantime also look at food banks that can help you get by so you can have food to eat at home.
    via u/Nicole_0818
  • 14
    WastingTime-2 It's a staff café, intended for staff as a perk for when they are working in the office, I assume especially to provide food for those working night shifts. If they are doing huge plates for $1.50, it's probably subsidised by your employer.
    via u/WastingTime-2
  • 15
    Why are you all surprised that the employer doesn't want to subsidise all food bills for all of their staff? (Because if you allow it for one, you have to allow it for all, and then what if their staff also wants to buy food for the whole family? What normal employer allows that?).
    via u/WastingTime-2
  • 16
    OP, you've just been given a lecture that you could be fired for using the canteen out of hours because they have noticed that they're subsidising your home food. It may be slightly different wording, but ordering a heap of excess food to go is obviously pretty much the same thing. I'd only go that route if you're happy to get fired for it. If you can't afford to stay without the food, it's better to start looking for a better job now rather than ending up with no job AND no food.
    via u/WastingTime-2
  • 17
    HouseofFeathers I had a cafeteria perk at a job like OP does. They definitely wrote people up for using the employee dining room when off the schedule. It was in the employee handbook, and certainly a fireable offense. He's lucky he got away with it for so long.
    via u/HouseofFeathers
  • 18
    Equivalent-Pay-6438 Don't do it if you value your job. Then you will have no job and be homeless. Find a food pantry through a church and bring some food home. Also, look for another job or a second job.
    via u/Equivalent-Pay-6438
  • 19
    Saberune Just based on the tone of your post, you sound like a perpetual victim. Everybody is broke, and most of us don't have employers that subside our meals while we're on the clock, let alone when we're not.
    via u/Saberune
  • 20
    Logically speaking, it doesn't even make sense for you to be allowed to eat on the cheap when you're not clocked in. Instead of whining about having your exploit revoked, consider yourself lucky you got away with it as long as you did. Based on your boss's strong wording, I bet there's a policy. You're lucky you're not being asked to pay back what you stole, or worse.
    via u/Saberune
  • 21
    Alternative-Study-45 On Fridays I would just go and buy double portions to last you through the weekend
    via u/Alternative-Study-45
  • 22
    CataclysmicInFeRnO That would be still have the same result. As in, your employer buying all (except for the $1.50) of your meals. You have already been talked to and warned that your actions can be grounds for termination. Do you think by going around the rules your boss would approve? How many meals can you even order per shift? I really hope you find a way to make a better situation but you're going to get fired and have nothing. Check out food banks or similar places in your area that can he
    via u/CataclysmicInFeRnO
  • 23
    cindybubbles. OP, listen to the commenters who told you to hit up food banks and stop using the cafe for now. Maybe find a Sikh temple and eat there as I heard that they will feed anyone who needs food. In the meantime, polish up your resume and start job hunting. You don't want to work in a "hostile" workplace anyway.
    via u/cindybubbles
  • 24
    AzraelTB You don't want to work in a hostile workplace anyway. Telling an employee to stop abusing company provided privileges is not hostile.
    via u/AzraelTB
  • 25
    cindybubbles That is true, but some compassion needs to be given to this employee who seems to be in need. I did tell them to stop using the café and I edited my comment to put quotation marks around the word "hostile".
    via u/cindybubbles

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advantage free food cafeteria meals call center employee fired manager stealing work coworkers working privilege workplace Reddit company free
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