Google will reopen its famous cafeterias and relaunch its shuttle bus service next month as employees begin returning to the office

Google HQs — Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Google's headquarters will reopen to employees on July 12.
The company is planning to reopen its cafeterias, though they will be limited at some locations.
Google is also planning to relaunch its private shuttle bus program.
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Some of Google's famous employee amenities are returning when the search giant reopens its offices next month.

Google told employees earlier this week that California-based workers may return to its Mountain View headquarters starting July 12. Those who show proof of vaccination won't be required to wear a mask in the office, Ruth Porat, Google's chief financial officer, wrote in a memo viewed by Insider's Hugh Langley.

Some employees will be allowed to continue working from home permanently, the company said last month.

But for those itching to get back to the Googleplex, their return after 16 months away will come with a reopened cafeteria and the return of the company's private shuttle bus, according to The Mercury News' Ethan Baron.

A spokesperson for Google did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Google's free food is legendary: Prior to the pandemic, the company dished out hundreds of thousands of gourmet meals per day to its legions of employees, free of charge. But the pandemic made people wary of buffet-style meals, and the New York Times reported earlier this year that Google was moving away from buffets in favor of boxed, grab-and-go meals and individually packaged food.

Now, it seems the cafeterias at the Googleplex will be open, although The Mercury News reports that services and options will be limited at some locations.

The company shuttle buses, which ferry workers from San Francisco 35 miles southeast to Mountain View, will also begin operating again on July 12, though on a "slightly reduced schedule," according to The Mercury News.

The buses have been praised as a green alternative to solo commuting. But they've also drawn criticism and outright protests from locals over the years who feel that tech industry elites have contributed to income inequality in the city and have failed to address the region's sizable homeless population.

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