Comments on: Do Citigroup Employees Get Free Lunch at Cafe Metro? http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/ Food Adventures for Your Urban Lunch Hour Fri, 25 May 2012 21:25:11 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: chowsue http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-2/#comment-176480 chowsue Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:44:32 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-176480 Let's start with discounts. Most big companies get them. If you don't...either you are oblivious to your company's benefits (as 85% of the people I have worked with are), or you just work for too small a damn company and you get nothing. Every single company I have ever worked for has gotten discounts or freebies somewhere (free museum admission with your id badge, discounts to broadway plays, magazine discounts, apple store discounts, the list goes on and on and on). And I have worked for dozens of companies. But then, I always make it my business to find out what I have coming to me. And then use it. Did you know if you worked in the Rockefeller area, there is Rockefeller card you can get from your HR that gives you a nice discount on MOST restaurants and stores in the area? Duh, go to your HR and ask for it. If they don't have it, ask them to ask for it. It is part of retention of good talent. But then, you aren't very talented if you didn't know that your ID badge or the Rock card got you a discount at that place you eat every Monday for the past 10 years. Without knowing for sure, I am pretty sure Citigroup is not handing out free lunches to everyone in that nearby office at Cafe Metro. I am sure this "journalist" observations and researching abilities may be missing something. If some dude said Citigroup in front of me on line...anyone who knows me knows I would have no qualms with going to the cashier and asking what that was all about, being curious and all. Now on to free lunches. My boss buys my department lunch when we kick ass or go through hell and back. We would go to the company commissary and give the super secret password and bingo! Free lunch. This code was determined beforehand with the manager and staff of the commissary. And the manager paid for the lunches out of the departmental budget. Obviously our manager is little better at budgeting than the dude in the suit's manager's manager, though...because you don't see my manager asking for millions in bailout money from taxpayers. LOL. Free lunch is good for morale. My theory in business has always been "a well fed crew is a productive crew". So what this astute person writing the article missed was vital facts. Did the suit's manager just call down and tell them he would pay for whatever the suit ordered? Did the suit pay on his credit card already and just needed to specify the order he already made on the phone? When I get lunch, I almost always call ahead and pay and then just pick it up, stating my name or my company. DUH. Saves time. Let’s start with discounts. Most big companies get them. If you don’t…either you are oblivious to your company’s benefits (as 85% of the people I have worked with are), or you just work for too small a damn company and you get nothing. Every single company I have ever worked for has gotten discounts or freebies somewhere (free museum admission with your id badge, discounts to broadway plays, magazine discounts, apple store discounts, the list goes on and on and on). And I have worked for dozens of companies. But then, I always make it my business to find out what I have coming to me. And then use it. Did you know if you worked in the Rockefeller area, there is Rockefeller card you can get from your HR that gives you a nice discount on MOST restaurants and stores in the area? Duh, go to your HR and ask for it. If they don’t have it, ask them to ask for it. It is part of retention of good talent. But then, you aren’t very talented if you didn’t know that your ID badge or the Rock card got you a discount at that place you eat every Monday for the past 10 years.

Without knowing for sure, I am pretty sure Citigroup is not handing out free lunches to everyone in that nearby office at Cafe Metro. I am sure this “journalist” observations and researching abilities may be missing something. If some dude said Citigroup in front of me on line…anyone who knows me knows I would have no qualms with going to the cashier and asking what that was all about, being curious and all.

Now on to free lunches. My boss buys my department lunch when we kick ass or go through hell and back. We would go to the company commissary and give the super secret password and bingo! Free lunch. This code was determined beforehand with the manager and staff of the commissary. And the manager paid for the lunches out of the departmental budget. Obviously our manager is little better at budgeting than the dude in the suit’s manager’s manager, though…because you don’t see my manager asking for millions in bailout money from taxpayers. LOL.

Free lunch is good for morale. My theory in business has always been “a well fed crew is a productive crew”.

So what this astute person writing the article missed was vital facts. Did the suit’s manager just call down and tell them he would pay for whatever the suit ordered? Did the suit pay on his credit card already and just needed to specify the order he already made on the phone? When I get lunch, I almost always call ahead and pay and then just pick it up, stating my name or my company. DUH. Saves time.

]]> By: Cafe Metro http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-2/#comment-176192 Cafe Metro Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:54:29 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-176192 We do not have any financial affiliation with Citi Group, We do offer certain customers a discount due to the high employee patronage. There is no free lunch for Citi Group Employees. We do not have any financial affiliation with Citi Group, We do offer certain customers a discount due to the high employee patronage. There is no free lunch for Citi Group Employees.

]]> By: Sarah the Carnivore http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-2/#comment-175595 Sarah the Carnivore Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:11:09 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175595 This is BS. Call-in orders, vouchers, the mighty Seamless Web (lawyers get $25 now for lunch, not $10, sheesh, but only on weekends/holiday)...but not random free offerings. This is BS. Call-in orders, vouchers, the mighty Seamless Web (lawyers get $25 now for lunch, not $10, sheesh, but only on weekends/holiday)…but not random free offerings.

]]> By: Sarah2 http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-2/#comment-175518 Sarah2 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:43:58 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175518 The discount thing works at my in-building generic deli - you just have to say 'it's for upstairs' and they take off 10% or some such. (Must be 10% b/c my $1.40 bagel becomes $1.26.) I'm sure that's true in a lot of them but the arrangements and viable code words differ. In any case it's not really enough of an incentive to try to finagle a discount where you don't legitimately get one, but it's worth asking around to find out if it's a thing in your building - I didn't learn about until I was in line with a co-worker who knew. The discount thing works at my in-building generic deli – you just have to say ‘it’s for upstairs’ and they take off 10% or some such. (Must be 10% b/c my $1.40 bagel becomes $1.26.) I’m sure that’s true in a lot of them but the arrangements and viable code words differ. In any case it’s not really enough of an incentive to try to finagle a discount where you don’t legitimately get one, but it’s worth asking around to find out if it’s a thing in your building – I didn’t learn about until I was in line with a co-worker who knew.

]]> By: Cosilicious http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-2/#comment-175502 Cosilicious Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:15:30 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175502 No, I don't believe it. I am a former citi employee. Probably the guy had called ahead and was just picking up his order. I have gotten corporate or university discounts at certain places such as Zeytuna. Sometimes they make me show ID, sometimes now. No, I don’t believe it. I am a former citi employee. Probably the guy had called ahead and was just picking up his order. I have gotten corporate or university discounts at certain places such as Zeytuna. Sometimes they make me show ID, sometimes now.

]]> By: JoeR http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-1/#comment-175461 JoeR Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:53:31 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175461 In my last post, I meant Cafe Europa, not Europe. In my last post, I meant Cafe Europa, not Europe.

]]> By: JoeR http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-1/#comment-175460 JoeR Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:51:52 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175460 There used to be the not so super secret subsidized cafeteria in the basement of the Citigroup building. It was run by Aramark and anyone could go down there. I think it closed in 2002 or 2003. FWIW: A couple of months back, I was in Cafe Europe at breakfast time and the person in front of me said "Sloan Kettering" and got a discount on their food. It might have been because they were a regular, but they didn't have to show ID or hand in a voucher. There used to be the not so super secret subsidized cafeteria in the basement of the Citigroup building. It was run by Aramark and anyone could go down there. I think it closed in 2002 or 2003.

FWIW: A couple of months back, I was in Cafe Europe at breakfast time and the person in front of me said “Sloan Kettering” and got a discount on their food. It might have been because they were a regular, but they didn’t have to show ID or hand in a voucher.

]]> By: Wow http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-1/#comment-175456 Wow Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:39:29 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175456 Oh yeah people! There's DEFINITELY a secret password that gets you free lunch (using taxpayer's hard-earned dollars of course) at every deli in midtown. I'm willing to share it with you, for $5 each. Just think of the bounty that you'll score with the secret-magic-rich-people-only password, when all it costs you is $5! I'll even throw in some shares of the Brooklyn bridge! They come with special lunch rights to the super-secret Brooklyn bridge dining room (you didn't know there was one right?) where you can eat your free Cafe Metro lunch while bemoaning how the rich financial industry executives are ruining NY and America. FIVE BUCKS people - leave a message here if you're interested and I'll send you paypal instructions. Oh yeah people! There’s DEFINITELY a secret password that gets you free lunch (using taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars of course) at every deli in midtown. I’m willing to share it with you, for $5 each. Just think of the bounty that you’ll score with the secret-magic-rich-people-only password, when all it costs you is $5! I’ll even throw in some shares of the Brooklyn bridge! They come with special lunch rights to the super-secret Brooklyn bridge dining room (you didn’t know there was one right?) where you can eat your free Cafe Metro lunch while bemoaning how the rich financial industry executives are ruining NY and America. FIVE BUCKS people – leave a message here if you’re interested and I’ll send you paypal instructions.

]]> By: TheDoubleA http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-1/#comment-175442 TheDoubleA Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:14:15 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175442 Sorry. I meant the Europa on 5th btwn 43rd + 44th. Sorry. I meant the Europa on 5th btwn 43rd + 44th.

]]> By: TheDoubleA http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/14/do-citigroup-employees-get-free-lunch-at-cafe-metro/comment-page-1/#comment-175440 TheDoubleA Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:13:14 +0000 http://midtownlunch.com/blog/?p=3452#comment-175440 There's probably no free lunches but if you say "I'm with Merrill Lynch" at the Cafe Europa on 5th Ave. btwn 51st & 52nd you will get a discount. Not sure how much. No ID required. Just saw it happen this morning. There’s probably no free lunches but if you say “I’m with Merrill Lynch” at the Cafe Europa on 5th Ave. btwn 51st & 52nd you will get a discount. Not sure how much. No ID required. Just saw it happen this morning.

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