This image was lost some time after publication, but you can still view it here.

Big changes afoot — big, outsourcing, job-costing changes afoot — at the New York Times cafeteria. Word came Friday:

Later this afternoon, January 20, Restaurant Associates, a nationally recognized leader in the restaurant and food services industry, will assume responsibility for our cafeteria and executive dining room food operations. This transition does not affect regular service, and you can go to the cafeteria for meals as you normally would....

Regrettably, this transition necessitates having to bid a very fond farewell to several of our cafeteria and executive dining room staff who have, for many years, done an exemplary job as cooks and servers extraordinaire. We are pleased that a few familiar faces will remain; yet, others will no longer serve in food operations, so please join us in wishing them all the best for a very successful future.

Which is to say: The food will get better, the Times will save money, and people will lose their jobs so that the Times can save money. (And, one presumes, the people who don't lose their jobs will probably lose some benefits or bonuses or union protections or whatever as they move from Times employment to RA employment.) We eagerly await, however, accounts of Johnny Apple's gustatory tours of the new facility — and of Nick Kristof swooping down to rescue a few of those newly laid-off works from the misery of unemployment.

The full memo is after the jump.

Later this afternoon, January 20, Restaurant Associates, a nationally recognized leader in the restaurant and food services industry, will assume responsibility for our cafeteria and executive dining room food operations. This transition does not affect regular service, and you can go to the cafeteria for meals as you normally would.

As you are aware, this change helps our Company to continue to maintain a cafeteria for our staff, while managing increasing costs at a time when we are confronting a particularly challenging business environment.

Regrettably, this transition necessitates having to bid a very fond farewell to several of our cafeteria and executive dining room staff who have, for many years, done an exemplary job as cooks and servers extraordinaire. We are pleased that a few familiar faces will remain; yet, others will no longer serve in food operations, so please join us in wishing them all the best for a very successful future.

Restaurant Associates operates more than 130 restaurants and corporate cafeterias. Restaurants include The Sea Grill, Brasserie and Naples 42 and a few of the cafeterias they operate are with Cond Nast Publications, Grey Global Group and Citigroup.

The operating hours for the cafeteria will not change and although there will be some enhancements to the food menu, prices will remain relatively the same. Details about the opening week's menu, guest chefs and surprise giveaways will be provided.

We are pleased to have this well-established and respected food service provider now serving our employees.

Muriel Watkins
VP, Human Resources