facebook employees are open to the public .
it came in response to local restaurants that said google , the city ’s biggest employer , was hurting their businesses by providing free meals , according to john mcalister , a mountain view councilman .
on the campuses of facebook , linkedin and google , employees have access to high - end restaurants with pizza ovens , sushi counters , freshly baked pastries and ice cream .
neither facebook when facebook moves into its new offices in mountain view this fall , a signature silicon valley perk will be missing — there wo n’t be a corporate cafeteria with free food for about 2,000 employees .
google hired its first chef about 20 years ago , when the company had just 50 employees .
the restriction was enforced after local restaurants complained that free meals at google , the city ’s largest employer , had damaged their business .
in a highly unusual mandate , city officials have barred facebook from serving free food to its employees when the tech company moves into a new office in mountain view later this year – and the city of san francisco hopes to follow suit .
new companies come under increasing pressure to deliver more value to the communities they inhabit , cities are clamping down on campus cafeterias in an attempt to support local restaurants .
tech firms are part of the village at san antonio center project , in an effort to promote nearby retailers .