when I started working in Zurich, it wasn't easy to just pop down and get a sandwich like in London - there is nothing available except bratwurst and bread from Coop and Migros. Having a canteen in the office helps tremendously. Things have improved somewhat in that you now also find small bakeries providing lunchtime sandwiches.
The point I would raise is that companies and most people do not think that it is useful to know until you are already interviewing or integrating into the company so they won't publish it.
I find it useful to know if this thing is common in swiss companies.
So, can I assume that a big corporation with over five hundred employees, probably has an inside restaurant facility? There should be an informal threshold.
The existence of a restaurant at a work place is of the least importance! Many have it but if there is not one then how hard is it to make your own and bring it, all an inhouse cafeteria encources is over eating and obesity gains!
And if Swiss companies find it in any way useful to tell you, I am sure they would publish the information. However, seeing most of them don't really do it, I would assume that they don't find a demand for this information.
No, you cannot make that assumption. Companies facilities will be based on more factors than the number of employees.
How do you figure that? Would that mean that the sale of any food in supermarkets, farm stalls and restaurants anywhere encourage the same behaviour?
Many companies / schools (UAS, uni) have canteens that are open to the public as well. So you have possibilities to eat at a canteen not too far away from your workplace, if there is no canteen where you work.
The advantage of a canteen is that you can get a warm meal (many have buffets to choose from) quickly and spare some free time to go for a walk, shopping, etc. at lunchtime. Sometimes an excellent place for networking .....
Well, taking a pie in hand from a nearby canteen sure is better than nothing, but a proper lunch would be perfect, such as served even in low-end restaurants.
I think there's an important distinction to make here. You regularly use the word restaurant, which to me implies ample choice of food. It seems most workplaces here that offer a food service have a canteen - which implies limited choice. There's a salad bar and bread, and then one hot vegetarian meal and one hot non-veg meal. Sometimes sandwiches. All overpriced.
OTOH If you want the mother of all choices, go work for Google. Slip down a fire pole or giant slide right into the cafeteria and get your 3-square a day for free.
Not always overpriced. Both my husband and I work at (different) places that have subsidized canteens, which means we get a proper hot meal (or salad plate) for much less than it would cost to eat out. Yes there is limited choice. No I don't care to share the names.
Yes, there are some very good staff restaurants out there. I can get a hot main course (3 choices) with soup and green salad for between 7 and 9 CHF, and there is also a salad bar where you pay by weight - this works out a fair bit more expensive though.
My previous employer had a very similar setup (despite there only being about 400 employees on site), although the prices were higher - closer to 12 CHF.
In both places, the quality is excellent by canteen standards.
At another previous employer (about 200 people on site), there was no canteen but a large dining room with five or six microwaves to heat up your own stuff and a machine dispensing "Betty Bossi" style pre-cooked meals.
But I would agree with previous posters that this should not be a deciding factor... I only knew that my current employer had a canteen when I was told about it at my interview, it would never have occurred to me to ask about it.
Indeed, my boyfriend interned at Google and they not only offer free lunches, but free breakfasts and dinners too. The choice was also huge - I would definitely not call it limited as they had a meat/vegetarian/fish based main dishes with a huge range of salads/side dishes/appetizers every friggin day. With different menus for breakfast/lunch/dinner of course.
In the meantime, I also work in engineering but we only get some free fruits/drinks and that's it