food for thought... (Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond: city hall, lease, income)

[5chevin5]

Seems there are many people with knowledge of the inner sanctum of MS...

A question if I may...

How is the food service program (staff cafeteria for lack of a better word) or cafes in MS Redmond/Issaquah/Eastside etc?
Do you feel it is on par with the level of the customers dining/food knowledge or needs? That sounded vague... I mean, there are some educated and well traveled people at MS, and quite a few socially conscience "green" diners also....Does the program do a decent job of walking the wire between? Its a tall order for any company.

As a chef, I'm curious. As a future Seattle area restaurant developer I'm very curious.

Thanks
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[malarkey]

Short answer: No.

Although they've done some things to patch it up: showing nutrient information for some of the dishes, having vegetarian options, lowfat options, etc., for the most part geeks live on bad pizza and soda pop.

The cafes are catered by some large food purveyor, was Marriott when I was there. I can't remember who else has done it.

The food options aren't that great, I brought my own lunches when I was working there.

However, as a future restaurant developer in Seattle, you should know that the food scene here is vibrant and quite fantastic, but by and large (donning the flame suit now) the best places are in Seattle, not on the eastside. (Notice I said "by and large" -There are a few places on the eastside that I think are top-notch.)

[allforcats]

5chevin5: news, Kev:
posts #s 15, 16 & 17:
Moving up there for Microsoft job

10903 NE 6th St., Bellevue
at the corner of 110th Ave. and NE 6th St., City Center Plaza is directly across from Bellevue City Hall
Microsoft | Microsoft to lease Bellevue's City Center Plaza | Seattle Times Newspaper

[5chevin5]

Thanks for the info...

Im currently working in a large multi-restaurant facility and developing several new restaurants in Tokyo with my own business, one of which I hope will be the test model for a certain concept I hope to pioneer in Seattle/B.C/San Francisco...(the other three are pretty Nihonjin specific).

I wouldnt try and compete with the foodservice at MS, however if people leave there hungry and live within a certain bubble area, perhaps I can capture some happy customers with some disposable dining income....all guess work really, but information is the key.

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[jwb123]

I have to disagree with Malarkey... I think the food service at MS is actually pretty good! It's done by Eurest (but I don't know when Malarkey was there - it's been Eurest since early 2000). I found the selection to be wide and varied, and the quality was very good. They have even hosted famous Food Network chefs there before. I am not saying it's like dining at a 5 star restaurant, but it was comparable to any other lunch type place in the area. The prices were great too.

[5chevin5]

Thanks Jenbar...

Yes, Eurest (Compass Group) is actually considered the top company for contract food service, it has connection and cross chef training with Bon Appetit and Wolfgang Pucks.
But it is what it is, feeding the masses which is not an easy task to achieve with complete satisfaction. I personally know that Bon Appetit works very hard in the community to use local farmers, organic and sustainable foods...which is rare when feeding thousands of people. However taste and choice are in the mouths and the eyes of the beholder.

Most of my research has been directed towards S.L.U area with all the business going in there (including Bill Gates Foundation) However the Eastside presents interesting market dynamics because of the vertical growth in Bellevue and decent small business
environment. Its all about location.....and luck!!

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