Can they tell me where to take lunch when I'm not being paid?

[CdwJava]

And if the meal break is short - say, 30 minutes, then there really isn't much time to go anywhere else, anyway.

 

[cbg]

If it's, "you cannot leave the premises and you must eat in the break room - there is nowhere on earth that you can eat your lunch except the break room if you want to remain employed" then in at least some states, they would have to pay him for the break. Haven't looked to see if this poster's state is one of them.

If it's, "you can leave the premises, but if you remain on the premises you must eat in the break room" then it's too bad so sad if the poster doesn't want to eat in the break room - he can eat in the break room or he can be fired.

 

[TheGeekess]

I work for a large retailer in California. They are now telling me that I'm not allowed to take my lunch break in the "Cafe" section of the store, even though I am off the clock, not being paid at the time, and am a paying customer (having bought food from the Cafe). They say I MUST eat in the breakroom - my argument is that during that time I am a paying customer, entitled to eat wherever I want, like any other customer. They are now threatening to "write me up," with the possibility of termination. I'm not taking a seat from any other customer, I've paid for the food I'm eating at that establishment...and just want to read my book in quiet. Do they have the right to tell me where to eat?

Are you willing to assist customers when they approach you at lunch? You know if you don't, the customer will complain about you to management, their friends, their aunt's next door neighbor....

And you'll lose your job because business will drop and you'll have one too many complaints that you refused to help customers.