> I really don't get why anyone is acting like this is so horrible.
For me... it's not really about the cost. It's about the time and convenience, and having healthy options.
If I have back to back meetings or a deadline, I can grab and eat lunch from an employer cafeteria in 10-15 minutes. If I have to go out to a restaurant, I'm going to be gone for 30-60 minutes.
Instead, I'd just end up bringing lunch from home. But I can't cook as well as the cafeteria staff, so I'd probably end up bringing in something pre-packaged that's not as healthy. But I sure as heck wouldn't be going to outside restaurants on a regular basis.
That said... the employer provided meals are part of the compensation package for these jobs. So while I don't mind paying for food, salaries would have to adjust to compensate for a lost perk to stay competitive.
And on top of that, it just feels like legislative overreach, without clear benefit, that's just going to make SF even less competitive for tech companies.
> Everyone else that works in SF has to pay for their lunch on lower salaries.
Keep in mind not everyone in tech companies is on a senior engineer's salary. There are lots of lower paid positions.