Food next to go as Clifford Chance tightens belt
Clifford Chance tightens belt" />Clifford Chance has slashed its staff canteen subsidies and cut the opening hours of its deli and restaurant, in the latest cost-saving measure at the firm.
The firm has doubled the price of evening meals in staff restaurants by scrapping the 50 per cent subsidy that the firm provided for those working late.
An announcement on the Clifford Chance intranet page “London Today” explained: “There will be an annual price rise in the restaurant, Deli, Budgie [bar] and vending machines of 6 per cent. The price of food served in the restaurant in the evenings will now be the same as during the day. These changes are against a background of rising food prices.”
A senior Clifford Chance partner said: “The restaurant is not a profit centre. Whilst I regret that we have to increase these costs, the firm still continues to subsidise food to the tune of several million pounds.”
In addition to the increase in food prices, the opening hours of the “made-to-order sandwich bar” deli have been shortened. Having previously been open and staffed all-day from breakfast until dinner, it will now only “be open 11:30am-3:00pm, which are the busiest hours of use”, stated the announcement.
Instead, a “self-service breakfast bagel bar will open in the restaurant” and “there will be an extensive selection of sandwiches and snacks in the Deli’s ‘grab and go’ section”.
Finally, the restaurant will now be shut at weekends “as part of streamlining the service we offer”. But the announcement offers alternatives on weekends: "In addition to the 5th floor vending facilities, there are also many food outlets open in Jubilee Place at weekends. Fee-earners working at weekends will be able to order food to their desks from a selection of light meals.”
A spokesperson for Clifford Chance said: “Following the firm's annual review of its catering services we have made some small changes. Overall, our aim has been to maintain our provision of 24 hour availability of a good choice of high quality, good value, food and beverages for our employees."
This latest efficiency drive at Clifford Chance follows London managing partner Jeremy Sandelson recently berating staff for abuse of taxi privileges, against a background of rising taxi costs (as reported on TheLawyer.com 26 February).
Clifford Chance announced its associate pay-rises yesterday (8 May), which ranged from between around 4 and 4.88 per cent at most levels.
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Readers' comments (17)
underpaid | 9-May-2008 10:19 am
pork pies
Fair enough - I have on many an occasion lined my stomach cheaply or for free on the client before meeting my mates for a booze-up.
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Anonymous | 9-May-2008 10:54 am
Scran
Annoying for those at CC whose lunches are going to cost more - but food is still available all day and probably still cheaper than leaving the office.
For evening meals, I would think that if people don't need to work late, they would rather go home and eat rather than hang out in the canteen, and if they do have to work, it's (presumably?) recharged to the relevant client, so evening increases won't affect them.
Of course, the increase in price might be due to people "lining their stomach cheaply or on the client before going for a booze-up" rather than using the evening canteen for what it's intended for...
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Anonymous | 9-May-2008 11:19 am
cake
let them eat cake
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hungry | 9-May-2008 12:22 pm
nice perk if you can get it
Dear 'Anonymous' below: have you never eaten in the canteen after working flat out all day and then going to the gym?
And some firms have free food every night, irrespective of whether you're working for a client or not.
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Puh-leez | 9-May-2008 2:57 pm
Tightening belts?
I thought the associate salaries were just increased...? I wonder if they had to cut back on food subsidies for all the staff to pad the associate paychecks...
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Anonymous | 9-May-2008 4:07 pm
well 'duhh'!
90 per cent of evening meals are charged back to clients, as pointed out below ... so I'm sure all the CC associates are shrugging and saying so what?
Eveyone enjoys a laugh at the top dog's expense, but this, and the taxi subsidiary story, are just attempts to make a funny front-page story out of essentially nothing. (I did like that headline though -- CC Rides The Bus -- ha ha!)
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I love CC | 9-May-2008 4:32 pm
Enjoy clients
CC clients should negotiate what associates can eat ;-)
What about introducing a charge for toilet paper ?
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John | 10-May-2008 0:44 am
Regional firm in West Yorkshire
I work in a 230 staff firm. I can take as many clients, contacts and prospective clients as I want for lunch, in some of Yorkshires most exclusive places. The firm pays. None of this magic circle canteen crap...
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Anonymous | 12-May-2008 9:04 am
What about the support staff ...
Are they really going to up salaries by 6% to cover the increase in lunch costs ... I very much doubt it!
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Anonymous | 12-May-2008 9:31 am
It won't matter anyway!
This is part of Clifford Chance's drive to reduce costs, which include outsourcing their complete London and European IT Department and secretarial work to India in the next 12 months all for progress and costs saving - even though CC make more money in profit every year...
Am I surprised? Not really: the senior IT management in the company would not know an IT strategy if it landed on their heads and are being led by a bumbling idiot.
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