Food for thought, literally

When one says “food innovation” they may think of an up-and-coming chef blending vougish ingredients with a swank new lettuce varietal into a newfangled eatery. Here in Silicon Valley, “food innovation” means something entirely different. Tech companies are now looking at food as an experience, encouraging collaboration among employees and lucky for you, they aren’t going to charge you for it but you do need an employee to host you. Michiel Bakker, Director of Food Services at Google, invests a lot of resources in this alluring experience that will “provide fuel for big innovative thinking, spark conversation, and support productivity among employees.” Think of the old water-cooler conversation taken up a notch or three. At Google HQ, Googlers who rarely get up from their desk can go to cafe with communal style seating and interact with fellow co-workers from all different departments. In fact, the size, placement and even number of seats is all engineered towards collaboration. The snack and coffee stations called “micro-kitchens” are strategically placed between two teams that may never have the chance to interact if it weren’t for the placement of food. The food choices are also acutely considered to keep employees nourished and energized throughout the day. It is all about finding “the right space where to share food and time with people to feed our soul,” notes Bakker. Facebook, Linkedin and most start-ups have adopted this trend as well. So the next time you are sitting next to someone at a restaurant, don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation. You might just think up the next Million, or in Google’s case, Billion dollar idea.