r/FedEmployees • u/The_Ralph_Wiggum • 2d ago
Just a friendly reminder to pack your lunch and bring your coffee.
48
u/Brad_HP 2d ago
Every day. The cafeteria here is overpriced and horrible.
30
u/Ambitious-Foot-4973 2d ago
At ours a turkey sandwich with bacon, a bag of chips and a can of coke is $20. Of course you can’t really go anywhere else to eat around there because they schedule meetings from 1000-1300
24
u/TangerineLily 2d ago
We don't even have a cafeteria anymore. They removed it for a bunch of vending machines.
18
u/Old-TMan6026 2d ago
OMFG!!! YOU HAVE A CAFETERIA!?!?!
You lucky bastids.
Here in the IRS New Carrollton POD which has over 3,000 employees our cafeteria was closed years ago. We now have one food truck that serves grilled fish sandwiches fr.
Standing in the rain waiting for a soggy foul smelling entree with no slaw always makes my day baby.
10
3
u/Lucky_Group_6705 1d ago
We dont have anything. We are on a hill with a gate that you need to scan to get in and there is nothing around. So you need to get delivery but the drivers can never find the address. So you are stuck with shitty vending machines
1
u/N8VAngel 1d ago
The MCC in Kearneysville kept our cafeteria open, but I still bring my lunch every day because the dollars add up if I went down there.
1
1
7
u/ConnectionOk6412 2d ago
Ours is too. I’m missing my coffee though cause it’s too early and my commute is too long to bring it with me. Might need to invest in a thermos or plan to bring a coffee maker in. Leaning toward a French press right now.
3
u/Ineffable_Eff 2d ago
I recommend a Chemex for a clean cup and easier cleanup in the office kitchen. Brewing mine as I type.
3
u/AlinaHadaGoodIdea 1d ago
You have a kitchen?!
1
u/Ineffable_Eff 1d ago
Sink, fridge, and microwave.
1
u/AlinaHadaGoodIdea 1d ago
We have a fridge and microwave in the middle of our workspace. No sink but the water isn’t safe anyway lol
1
u/Ineffable_Eff 1d ago
Then I definitely recommend Chemex or other pour over for easier cleanup than a French press. Just lift out (recycled, unbleached) filter and toss.
1
u/AlinaHadaGoodIdea 1d ago
You microwave the water? We used to have hot and cold water coolers but now we can’t have the hot ones because it’s “a safety issue”
2
u/Ineffable_Eff 1d ago
Kettle. But from the sound of it, you probably aren’t allowed a kettle either. Or just fix coffee at home and bring in a thermos.
1
u/AlinaHadaGoodIdea 1d ago
I’ve been bringing in a thermos of tea. It was a pain walking around a half mile carrying that plus laptop plus lunch plus everything I might need since we technically were hoteling so weren’t supposed to keep things at work. But luckily now my laptop at least stays in the office
2
u/Randomfactoid42 2d ago
I’m very lucky I have a decent office so I have a kettle and a French Press. It makes a great cup of coffee, and I can use the hot water to make oatmeal too. Been doing it for years.
1
1
u/Carnegie1901 1d ago
I use thermos cup. They’re guaranteed hot for 5-6 hours. It works too well so I add 1/2 inch of water otherwise it’s still too hot by the time I get to work
1
u/Greedy_Jellyfish_772 23h ago
I like how the hot water kettle boiling sound at my desk drowns out pen clicks and nail clipping in the cubicle farm.
7
1
55
u/ParfaitAdditional469 2d ago
I bring my lunch to avoid having meals with coworkers who still defend Trump
23
u/EmptyEstablishment78 2d ago
I'd walk around eating lunch and bitch that they're fucking up the government by supporting Trump. They're going to eventually find out I'm not a loyalist. I'd talk about how history treats sympathizers...and just keep reminding them Trump is a dick../
22
u/ParfaitAdditional469 2d ago
I’m forced to share a cubicle with a 66 year old Republican who tried to argue a few months ago that tariffs are great for America….
18
u/EmptyEstablishment78 2d ago
I'd play Ben Stein, Ferris Beulller's day off, over and over again from your cube. Just loud enough for him to hear.
11
u/ParfaitAdditional469 2d ago
He was offended because someone brought up that gas prices have gone up in our area…He refused to accept that Trump couldn’t control prices
19
u/DistrictPrize9233 2d ago
Every single day and only use gas stations near your home.
3
u/JustMeForNowToday 11h ago
And bring your battery chargers to take their electricity for your cell phone or whatever.
1
15
u/RCoaster42 2d ago
Cafeteria is half closed and the other half overpriced and under-quality. With RTO I refuse to spend any money downtown so bring lunch and coffee.
11
u/JasonZep 2d ago
Yep, more for practical reasons since there’s not much within walking distance for me.
10
u/SquidBro777 2d ago
No cafeteria at all, closed 19-Mar-2025.
1
u/Phobos1982 1d ago
That's silly that it closed after RTO. Like mine closed in like 2021, which made sense.
31
u/lambic13 2d ago
Absolutely. I started making bread on the weekends and make lovely little artisanal lunches. Can’t beat it 🥖🥪
19
9
u/mamatoboys2022 2d ago
I had a colleague who was a terrific cook. Like chef quality food. Colleague made extra and sold it to the rest of us for like $5. We just had to sign up and pay ahead of time. Best thing ever for a good but cheap lunch. You could consider selling extras to your colleagues. Of course, these days, they’d probably fire you for having a “second job” while on their clock.
9
7
u/patentsrock1 2d ago
We have no cafeteria or food trucks. Just a single vending machine. So I pack my lunch and drinks every day…and I only use the gas station close to my house. I support those local to me, I refuse to spend any money in the city. The city completely shut down during covid and forced me to stay in my local area (which I love), so the city can suck it as far as support now.
6
5
u/Lumpy-Programmer-910 1d ago
This week I have had total success with 9-minute boiled eggs (salt and pepper), and Brie/tomato/basil/olive oil on french bread sandwiches.
2
u/Bootstraps-nr-dr 1d ago
Ooh get one of the cheap egg makers for your hard boiled eggs. So easy. Cook. Sit 15 min then drop into ice water. Nearly hands free
4
5
u/egads12345678 1d ago
I add beans or lentils to my protein at dinner to make it stretch. I grew up dirt poor, I’m going back to my roots.
4
u/ziplawmom 1d ago
My husband likes to brag about his OG Stanley. It's the green thermos and holds an entire pot of coffee.
3
u/Oldschoolfool22 2d ago
Who can afford coffee???
5
u/JackCustHOFer 1d ago
I found a drip coffeemaker on my Buy Nothing group and bought coffee, filters, and half-an-half at ALDI for less than $15. I’m set for at least a month.
1
u/lovestobitch- 1d ago
We buy green beans and roast them, but we’ve had the roaster awhile. Much cheaper and fresher. The only problem is we found you should roast it outside because of the oils and smell. We usually don’t use the beans for around four days after roasting since they sorta need a few days to be better. We pay about $6.50 a pound including shipping but they did say the price was increasing soon.
2
u/Fun_Theory8756 1d ago
Don't know if you have wawa around you but you can get points on gas and coffee. I rack up my points to get free coffee and money off gas.
1
3
4
u/Dilftator 2d ago
People here complain it takes nearly 15 min just to get food because of lines. Cram your food in and get back to work else you taking that annual leave
2
2
2
u/DonutLove47 1d ago
I don’t even get my gas in the city I’m being forced to drive too. I fill up at my local station.
2
u/Jerseytransplant1 1d ago
Sandwiches in a lunch box…. Just like we did in the 70’s during school lunch periods….. much cheaper than the overpriced restaurants in DC.
2
u/weecgirl 1d ago
Cafeteria is overpriced. I was previously able to leave facility and get carry out within 30 minutes, but with everybody RTO, will probably take too long now (unless everyone else is thinking same). I’m just going to walk on my lunch break and eat packed lunch while working.
2
2
u/QuieroTamales 1d ago
If you're lucky enough to work at a DoD hospital, you can probably buy a nice lunch in the DFAC for less than the cost to bring food from home. Trip to the Salad Bar,$3. Bowl of soup, $2. Turkey meatloaf with a side of garlic-roasted brussels sprouts, $3. 1/4 Rotisserie chicken, $1.80.
2
u/Historical-Ad8339 1d ago
Just microwave canned tuna in every microwave in your office. Guaranteed results..
4
u/ThrowRA_1216 2d ago
I'm continuing to buy lunch..because I work in a very rural area and supporting the local businesses is important to me. This may not be the case for everyone, but if you work in a rural area, please consider supporting local family owned businesses if you can afford to, even if it's only one day a week.
3
u/EmptyEstablishment78 2d ago
Fed employees do not work for Trump. If you're one who believes he is your boss, kindly grab your MAGA hat and see yourself out.
2
u/Phobos1982 1d ago
Technically, most of us do work for him, since most of us are employees in the executive branch.
-1
u/EmptyEstablishment78 1d ago
Nope..
3
u/Phobos1982 1d ago
It's a fact that most federal employees work for the Executive Branch. Prove me wrong...
-2
2
u/archery-noob 1d ago
Jokes on them, I've been doing that since before covid... they don't pay me enough to eat out on a regular basis
1
u/Mysterious-Drop-3703 2d ago
No cafeteria for us either. They partner with Fooda or something but haven’t tried it. They also closed our small snack shop that had been there for decades
1
1
u/Inevitable-Tower-134 2d ago
This thread makes me thankful I can be in and out of my building and drive to fast food and back within my 30 minute lunch. Not that I do that often, maybe 5 times a year. I take my lunch and breakfast daily. Having to do it 5 times a week now sure sucks though. Especially since I eat 2 scrambled eggs every morning, gonna have to vote that down to 1!💰💰
1
1
u/pikapalooza 1d ago
Same. We have a micro mart but I just bring a bunch of stuff and stash it under my desk. I appreciate the "effort" but I won't be spending anymore than I have to.
1
u/Crash-55 1d ago
I go out to lunch everyday and have done so for years. That break is one of the few things that keeps me sane. The only time I have eaten food from the post restaurant was when they catered a meeting for a VIP I was attending
1
1
u/Bright-Swan-6995 1d ago
Now I’ll preface with i am not an economic genius but if you were working from home and then you return to office and don’t spend money at the office isn’t it the same bc you weren’t spending money at the office from home? Am I thinking about it wrong or?
1
1
u/Now1999What 20h ago
Pack everything. If you have to purchase food, coffee, anything; do it in your hometown not in the area of your office.
1
u/JustMeForNowToday 11h ago
Don’t just think of the cost of your lunch and coffee that you are saving, but in addition the accumulation of compounded interest or earnings that you are earning on those funds.
“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn’t ... pays it.” - Albert Einstein
Think about that for a second. Albert Einstein said that. Have you yourself ever said that? Think about it.
Some idiots pay Starbucks four bucks for coffee every day and stand in line with other lemmings to do so, then complain that they need more money.
1
u/BoobieChaser69 40m ago
Thanks for reminding everyone. Our building has a main cafeteria, a breakfast/coffee bar and a 24 hour snack mart. I have purchased nothing!!!!!!!! I get sick to my stomach when I see people walking back to their work stations with styrofoam containers. It ain’t right
0
u/xrobertcmx 1d ago
I work in IT, we never really got the telework thing beyond one day a week, and I killed that when they took it from my contractors. We are a team, so... I still hit the local chicken place.
-6
u/SummiluxAP 2d ago
Leave your coffee home. Nothing smells worse than having to deal with small talk and someone has coffee breath
2
220
u/Gullible-Bowler-8269 2d ago
I have spent zero dollars on lunch or coffee since RTO and now with the tariffs I will be making rice and beans like a peasant because that’s all I’ll be able to afford 😂