As one of the largest employers in the United States, Amazon offers competitive pay and benefits to its employees. With hundreds of thousands of workers across the country, many people wonder about the details of working for Amazon, including whether the company provides free or subsidized meals during the workday.
Does Amazon Provide Free Lunch?
In general, Amazon does not provide free meals or lunch to its employees. The company does not have cafeterias or dining halls at its fulfillment centers, warehouses, data centers, Whole Foods stores, or corporate offices where employees can eat for free.
There are a few limited exceptions where Amazon may provide free food or snacks to employees:
- During new employee orientation and training events, snacks or meals may be provided.
- Some corporate offices have pantries, snack stations, or catered lunches on special occasions.
- Employees working overnight shifts may receive one free meal from the company.
However, in general, Amazon employees are responsible for bringing their own lunch or paying for meals out of pocket during their breaks. The company does not have a policy of providing free daily lunch or dinner to its workers.
Does Amazon Subsidize Meals?
Amazon also does not offer meal subsidies, discounts, or vouchers to help offset the cost of meals for employees. There are no cafeterias at Amazon worksites where employees can purchase discounted food.
The only subsidy provided is for employees working shifts over 12 hours. In some states, Amazon is required by law to provide a meal subsidy of around $10-15 when an employee works an extra long shift.
Otherwise, Amazon does not subsidize or discount the cost of meals, snacks, or beverages purchased by employees during breaks or lunch periods. Workers are responsible for covering the full cost of any food they buy from restaurants, cafes, vending machines, or other sources during their workday.
What Are Amazon’s Lunch Break Policies?
Amazon provides workers with unpaid lunch breaks during each shift. The duration and timing of lunch breaks can vary based on job role and worksite:
- Fulfillment center workers typically receive 30-60 minutes for an unpaid lunch break per shift.
- Part-time employees may have shorter 20-30 minute meal periods.
- Corporate office employees often have 1 hour for lunch.
During unpaid lunch breaks, Amazon employees are free to leave the premises to purchase food or eat at restaurants of their choosing. Workers can also bring lunch from home and eat onsite at designated break rooms and cafeterias.
Amazon does not pay employees during their meal periods as they are unpaid break times. Some worksites may have restrictions on when and where employees can take their lunch breaks due to safety and production requirements.
What Food Options Are Available?
Since Amazon does not provide free meals, workers are responsible for bringing their own lunches or purchasing food from their own resources. The food options available depend on the worksite:
- Fulfillment centers: No cafeterias. Vending machines available onsite. Employees can bring food or purchase from nearby restaurants.
- Whole Foods: Employees get discount on Whole Foods prepared foods. Some locations have employee break rooms.
- Corporate offices: Onsite cafes and restaurants are available at larger campuses. Employees can also bring food.
- Remote locations: No onsite services. Employees must bring their own food.
Since options can be limited near warehouses and distribution centers, employees at these locations may need to plan ahead and pack lunches to avoid long wait times purchasing food offsite during short breaks.
Does Amazon Offer Any Food Perks?
Amazon aims to provide competitive benefits, but currently does not offer substantial perks around free or discounted meals. The food-related perks available include:
- Whole Foods employee discount: Amazon employees get 10% off select Whole Foods purchases.
- Prime Day parties: Amazon celebrates Prime Day with employee celebrations at some offices with free food and treats.
- Employee cafes: Onsite cafes at Amazon’s corporate offices provide discounted meals and snacks in some locations.
However, there are no company-wide programs for free or subsidized daily meals, meal stipends, or snack allowances for Amazon employees at this time. Suggestions for improving meal offerings are frequently submitted on internal employee engagement surveys.
Does Amazon Offer Lunch Delivery?
Amazon does not provide free lunch delivery or arrange catering services for its employees. However, many Amazon worksites allow delivery services so employees can order food on their own for delivery during lunch and breaks.
Common delivery options include:
- Food delivery apps like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats
- Pizza delivery places
- Restaurant delivery for nearby options
Employees are responsible for covering the cost of any food deliveries, tips, and service fees. Amazon does not subsidize delivery or provide free delivery perks for employees at this time.
Should Amazon Offer Free Lunches?
Whether Amazon should provide free or subsidized meals for employees is a frequent topic of debate. There are good arguments on both sides of the issue:
Potential Benefits of Offering Free Lunch
- Could improve employee satisfaction, morale, and retention
- Allows employees to work through lunch to meet deadlines
- Saves time spent purchasing and prepping meals
- Provides consistent healthy meal options
- Enhances workplace culture and community
Reasons Amazon May Not Offer Free Meals
- Expensive cost with hundreds of thousands of employees
- Logistically challenging for a company of Amazon’s scale
- May be less valued than other benefits like increased pay
- Employees have varying dietary needs and preferences
- Limited space for onsite cafeterias at warehouses
Overall, providing fully subsidized or free meals would likely have tradeoffs and be a substantial expense for Amazon. More reasonably priced options like discounted cafeterias, meal vouchers, or snacks may be alternatives to consider.
How Do Lunch Offerings Compare to Other Tech Companies?
Compared to other major technology companies, Amazon’s lunch offerings are relatively minimal. Here is an overview of how Amazon’s policies compare:
| Company | Free Daily Meals? | Subsidized Cafeterias? |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | No | No, except some campuses |
| Apple | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Microsoft | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes |
The free and subsidized daily meals offered by Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook are attractive perks for employees at those companies. Amazon currently lags behind in providing comparable meal benefits, instead relying on employees to provide or purchase their own food during work hours.
Should Employees Have Access to Free Snacks?
While full meals may be costly and difficult to implement at all locations, many employees suggest Amazon could
offer smaller-scale free snack or drink options at its worksites, such as:
- Free coffee, sodas, juices
- Fresh fruit, granola bars, nuts
- Chips, crackers, cookies
- Yogurt, oatmeal cups, breakfast bars
Access to free snacks and beverages could help maintain energy levels during long shifts in warehouses or periods of intense focus for corporate staff. It could also contribute to positive morale and culture. Starbucks and many technology companies offer these types of complimentary snacks to employees with success.
The cost would be more modest than full meals. However, with its large employee base, providing free snacks and drinks at all locations could still be a substantial expense Amazon may prefer to avoid. The company could start small with targeted pilot programs to test the benefits and costs first.
Should Amazon Allow More Time for Lunch?
Another consideration is whether Amazon should extend the duration of employee lunch breaks. Some critics argue that the 30 minute lunch periods allotted in warehouses are too short, especially when accounting for:
- Walking time to and from break rooms
- Time spent waiting in lines to microwave food
- Logging in and out of systems pre and post-break
After factoring in these activities, some workers may only have 10-15 minutes to actually sit down, eat, and relax. Extension to 45-60 minute lunches could provide more humane break times.
However, Amazon warehouses run on tightly orchestrated schedules optimized for productivity. Allowing longer lunches could reduce operational efficiency and workforce output during shifts. Amazon values speed and performance, so additional break time may not align with those priorities.
Should Amazon Stagger Lunch Shifts?
Another option is maintaining the 30 minute durations for lunch but staggering break times to reduce crowding and lines. Currently, fulfillment centers coordinate breaks for all employees at once since production is halted. This can create capacity issues in break rooms.
By splitting the workforce into groups with staggered lunch shifts, employees could potentially have a less rushed and crowded experience on their breaks while not impacting production cycles. On the other hand, staggering would require more administrative coordination and make it challenging for employees to have lunch together with coworkers or friends on other shifts.
Does Amazon Provide Lunch for Overtime or Holidays?
Amazon generally does not provide lunch for employees working overtime or holidays. Workers who take on extended shifts or holiday hours are still expected to provide their own meals.
The only exception is in certain states where laws require meal provisions for shifts exceeding 12 hours. In these cases, Amazon may provide a small meal stipend or arrange for catering after the 12 hour mark is reached. But for standard length overtime or holiday shifts, employees do not receive free meals from Amazon.
Key Takeaways
In summary, here are some key facts about whether Amazon provides lunch for its employees:
- Amazon does not offer free or subsidized daily lunches to employees at its fulfillment centers, warehouses, stores, or corporate offices.
- Workers are responsible for bringing their own lunch or purchasing food during 30-60 minute unpaid break times.
- The only meal support provided is for shifts exceeding 12+ hours in regions requiring it.
- Compared to other tech companies, Amazon’s lunch offerings are minimal or non-existent.
- Employees must pay out of pocket for any food deliveries ordered to Amazon worksites during lunch periods.
- Providing free food would be an added cost and logistical challenge with hundreds of thousands of workers.
- Discounted cafeterias, meal vouchers, snack programs could be more feasible lunch improvements to consider.
While Amazon does not provide free or subsidized meals at this time, employees continue to request and advocate for meal benefits. The company may eventually expand food offerings to remain competitive with other major employers. But for now, workers must plan and pay for their own lunches while on the job at Amazon.