No such thing as a free lunch for staff at Caffe Nero as National Living Wage bites

They say there is no such thing as a free lunch. This is certainly true for staff at the coffee chain Caffè Nero who will no longer be eligible for free food as the company attempts to mitigate costs of implementing the national living wage.

In a letter to staff the company said that because of government changes introduced earlier this month, which mean all staff must now be paid £7.20 an hour as opposed to £6.70, they would have to make changes in other areas of the business.

Part of its these savings including staff being now entitled to a 65% discount on food, and a 75% discount on drinks, breaking away from the current system in which staff got certain food and drinks for free.