Eateries can't compete with Google's free food Other Issues, posted by Editor, Mountain View Voice Online, on Mar 15, 2012 at 10:33 am
Since he started his North Bayshore sandwich shop with his brother 21 years ago, Victor Jadallah saw the neighborhood double in size, Sun Microsystems and Silicon Graphics rise and fall and the dot-com boom become the dot-com bust. But nothing really prepared him for Google.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, March 15, 2012, 9:46 AM
Posted by former mv resident, a resident of another community, on Mar 15, 2012 at 2:19 pm
How ARROGANT of Google to "... build a cafe for employees directly behind the Country Deli at 1015 Joaquin Road." CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL..... why can't they WORK WITH the current eateries instead of run them out of business!!! SO TACKY! Hey, Mtn. View City Council - how are you liking Google now??!!!
Posted by andrea, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 2:19 pm
What a bummer. I love Country Deli. And I also love Google. Both are great for Mountain View. It seems like Mountain View has need of a good sandwich shop, the location question should be surmountable. Maybe an alternative to Subway near the train station where all those new homes are going up, or near the new PAMF building on El Camino near 85.
Posted by PeaceLove, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 2:35 pm
This article lays out a very interesting problem. Google is no Walmart; they are not subsidizing giant eateries with the intention of killing off the competition. They are simply providing free, high-quality food to their employees. Should they really be condemned for that?
Should Google be punished or demeaned just because they have been successful, expanded, and now provide so much high-quality free food to so many people that independent eateries can no longer survive?
Put another way, do large companies have a responsibility to DENY benefits to their workers so other neighborhood businesses can benefit? Should companies deny healthcare so insurance companies can have more customers? Should Google cancel their free employee shuttle so local private taxi companies can stay in business?
Posted by Martin Omander, a resident of the Rex Manor neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 2:49 pm
While I empathize with the interviewed restaurant owners, the 2,000 Googlers living in Mountain View probably generate more than enough local business revenue to outweigh the 2-3 restaurants under threat. Things always change and all businesses, including Google, have to adapt. The Sports Page seems to do a good job of it; it has been jam-packed every time I have gone there.
Posted by Ham, a resident of the Castro City neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Martin Omander, The Sports Page is packed only because its a bar and Google doesn't give out free booze on a regular basis. But I do agree with your sentiment. While its unfortunate, I don't see this being some sort of evil being carried out by Google. In fact, the less free meals they have to give out, the better for their bottom line.
Posted by Rodger, a resident of the Sylvan Park neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 3:56 pm
I suggest that Google work with the deli and bring it up to to Google Standards, then Google could give their employees vouchers for this deli and do the same for other nearby places to eat. Google needs to rethink the eat at Google rule now.
Posted by Evans, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 5:27 pm
I can't believe this article was even published. To insinuate that a tech company owes a deli anything is ridiculous. We live in a free market. Other restaurants and caterers are thriving. Perhaps this Deli's food is not up to par, or maybe should get out there and WIN some new accounts, there are many start-ups in this area that provide food to employees on a daily basis. The Google employees who spend their hard earned money in our town are the reason why businesses in Mountain View is doing so well.
Posted by MV Mama, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Oh, this makes me sad. I worked off of Shoreline throughout the 90s and the Country Del was always PACKED. You had to get there for lunch early because the line literally went out the door. The brothers who ran is were so friendly, and the food was amazing. I still remember the spaghetti and the manicotti. I haven't been over there in at least 10 years but I still think fondly of it, no one else makes the sandwiches as good. I'll have to stop by for lunch one day.
Sad to see that Mountain View is becoming so singularly focused on Google. We aren't, and shouldn't be, a company town.
Posted by Bill, a resident of the Waverly Park neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Similarly free newspapers like the Mountain View Voice have contributed to the closing of great local daily newspapers like the Peninsula Times Tribune.
Netflix is responsible for closing that Blockbuster Video on El Monte.
Posted by useful, a resident of another community, on Mar 15, 2012 at 7:47 pm
The GOOGLE local lunch voucher idea has some merit. If it's so close you can walk there, hey - you are not driving away, you are probably talking with a couple of your work mates along the way, you get good-free-cheap exercise.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX (opps - that's another firm's line). One Google property management type needs to "have his job in jeopardy" unless he very quickly proves to THE MOUNTAIN VIEW COMMUNITY that this is not going to be a concern for small business operators 'going forward". OR ELSE - ha North BayShore Plan - you have to be kidding.
Posted by Seer Clearly, a resident of the Castro City neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 9:29 pm
As some have pointed out, this isn't really about Google being "evil" though it begs for that label with its clearly fake "do no evil" puffery. Instead, it's more about the fact that it obviously creates an environment that is hostile to restaurants, which not only interferes with its plans to create a "new downtown" on Shoreline, but also with the interests of Mountain View. The immediate solution would be some kind of compromise, with support for Country Deli leaving and breaking its lease.
On the other hand, large corporations are by their very nature psychopathic: self-centered, arrogant, sociopathic, conscience-free, cruel or even inhumane, and untrustworthy. The reason is simple: absolute power corrupts absolutely AND with individuals shielded from responsibility by the laws governing corporations, the corporation effectively acts out the shadow side of its leaders without any constraints on their behavior. Google is clearly no exception, as much as they like to think of themselves as different: you can't escape the psychology of the human ego, no matter how much lipstick you paint on it.
Then again, other organizations - like government including city governments - also are subject to the same psychopathy. Really, the only solution is more local democracy. What do YOU want Google to do? What do YOU want Shoreline to be like? What do YOU want to have happen to Country Deli? Get together with your fellow citizens and take action. That's the only way you'll get what you want.
Posted by Sabrina, a resident of the The Crossings neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 10:52 pm
"Jadallah said he asked a Google representative, his contact for the lease, if the Country Deli could serve as an official Google cafe. Jadallah said the reply was, 'Not on my watch,' from a Google real estate rep."
This is a horrible way to deal with other local businesses, Google seems to be showing their true colors. No empathy whatsoever. No heart, no soul.
Posted by Duane...B, a resident of another community, on Mar 16, 2012 at 12:15 am
Its in the scheme of things,, offer free breakfast and lunch ,buy up all the land,drive all the private restaurants out of the area then charge 5 bucks for breakfast or lunch and six fifty for dinner........and you can not leave the campus until the end of your shift....
Posted by Ned, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Mar 16, 2012 at 6:48 am
Well, given they don't have a jet as mentioned above, the Deli owners just need to provide the City Council a few free lunches and things will change dramatically.
Posted by Jes' Sayin', a resident of the Blossom Valley neighborhood, on Mar 16, 2012 at 2:04 pm
The main thing that's wrong is our obsolete tax structure. Google doesn't make a tangible product and so don't sell anything and as a consequence don't owe us any sales tax. Of course we all know that's not true -- they sell huge amounts -- but our government hasn't figured out yet how to tax it.
Posted by NowImHungry, a resident of another community, on Mar 17, 2012 at 7:41 am
Maybe the Country Deli just needs to relocate to a neighborhood who would really appreciate it. Go over to Santa Clara where there are a lot of businesses that don't have corporate cafeterias. Employees have to scour the neighborhood every day in search of fresh and interesting new eats. Google - find at least one beating heart cell and release them from that lease!
Posted by Old Ben, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2012 at 10:26 am
It's just like 1964, in Flint, Michigan. San Jose would be Detroit. Silicon Valley is going to go down just like Detroit did. Think of Google as GM, Apple as Ford, and you get the picture.
It's going to be fun to watch. I'm glad I have a front-row seat. The Greeks knew it: after Hubris comes Nemesis. Always.
Posted by Observer, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Mar 19, 2012 at 8:43 am
More like Google provided Mountain View public employees with some of the highest salaries and retirement benefits around. The last thing I read was that the city was in a pinch over retirement liabilities and was seeking to raise fees on everything. I would call that lining pockets with gold. Mountain View was actually really nice before Google came along. Downtown and a lot of the other major improvements were already upgraded. And very little returned to the city at large from the Shoreline redevelopment area. If anything, the schools has declined since Google came to town. Stew on that for a while.
Posted by Hardin, a resident of the Cuesta Park neighborhood, on Mar 19, 2012 at 10:10 am
GM and Ford were immensely beneficial to their respective locals back in the day, contributing to success and welfare of those communities. What happened in Detroit was that those same companies failed to innovate and maintain leadership in their industries. They assumed their dominance in the industry would go on forever, and forgot their customer's ever-changing needs and wants.
Though this may happen with Google and Apple eventually, its not a done deal by any measure. Besides, the valley has shown a healthy ability to adapt to changing times: first came the military, then semiconductor, and now biotechnology, green technology, and search and social networks.
The key isn't having the right companies in town. The key is having the right mix of people and infrastructure that foments the innovation that attracts companies like Google to locate here. Google didn't locate here to be close to steel foundries, or access to waterways, or to be close to customers. They located here primarily for a qualified workforce.
That's why supporting the local infrastructure in terms of education, cultural, and business development is so important, and that requires a long term view and long term investment by the City.
Posted by Jennifer C, a resident of the Monta Loma neighborhood, on Mar 20, 2012 at 10:15 am
COUNTRY DELI: Why not change your hours? My husband (a Googler) complains that there's no decent place to get a sub sandwich on the weekends. I'd also love it if he could bring home sandwiches for dinner on his way home from work. Why not do home deliveries? We're sick of pizza and Chinese!
Posted by Garrett, a resident of another community, on Mar 20, 2012 at 4:37 pm
Right now Google is growing, it needs to add space, the only way it to buy other buildings, they throw sitting businesses out. It is their buildings but we need to find a way to allow Google to grow, but let people add space, let other business to thrive. We are going to be a one employer city.
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