How Does Viacom's New 'Eateria Measure Up?
Sumner Redstone v. Si Newhouse

Though it's not offering much in the way of higher salaries these days, media giant Viacom is offering New York staffers one perk: a revamped dining room/cafeteria space/whatever-the-classy-word-is-for-mess hall at their headquarters on Broadway. Now the space is 12,000 sq. ft and includes such bonuses as a "8-ft. by 8-ft. projection screen broadcasting MTVN Networks channels 24 hours a day" as well as a bocca ball light fixture(?). No word yet on the food stuffs, but that's not what the place is really for.

NEway, Viacom's revamp comes not a moment too soon, as it was desperately losing the unnecessarily elaborate Eating Space Awards, which we just made up.

But how does Viacom's new foodie digs compare to other media companies' digestive offerings? Let's check in on the free Skittles:


Google: Professional chefs leave their high-profile jobs to go work at the cafeteria hub for all Internet activity. The architectual arrangements aren't as pretty as some others, but you can't beat it for food: the dining space features six different "bars" of choices (i.e. raw bar, Chelsea grill, etc), Krispy Cremes burgers, and imported West Coast ice-cream. Non-employees love to sneak in to the caf and report back to plebeians about the myriad of wonders to be found.
Conde Nast: The Frank Gehry room is described as "swirling glass panels that turn space into a liquid." It's also the top Times Square tourist destination nobody gets to visit. The food is usually tops; it also usually goes uneaten
Hearst: More old-school than the other contestants, the Hearst cafeteria is actually located in not a room, but the lobby, up the escalators and above the wall-terfall. Great for model watching apparently, and it should be easy to lose weight, because the food barely gets reviews above "not horrible." Not that many people try to sneak in.
Aug 20, 2008 · posted by drew · Link · Respond
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