WARNING, ANTI-RANT MODE ON.

Based on the comments, I was expecting the blog to describe how Ridejoy is morphing itself into a communist slow food cult. After reading the much more benign article, I want to offer a counterpoint.

The team at Ridejoy is in a unique position where the kind of shared meals Camille is describing feels like the right course for them. They're obviously all extremely impassioned and open-minded. All young. Should they do anything else besides what seems to work for them in their current circumstances? Or what seems to feel like the right direction to take things while creating their culture?

I say go for it. Take the risk. Break the mold and make the experiment. If it doesn't scale later on, worry about it then. If somebody falls in love and wants to dine with their sweetheart more often than not, BFD. Ridejoy hardly seems like a fascist bureaucracy in the making that would be unable to cope with such emergent circumstances. "Happiness Manager" would be a frightful title in a larger organization (admittedly it sounds a bit like something out of Orwell or Edward Bellamy), but in a this case it pays to remember that Camille's previous title was "Office Hero". There's a lot more playfulness in this group of folks than some commenters here may realize.

Further, there is no bloody way the straight-jacketed corporate culture described in some of the commentary here could ever make a product like Ridejoy's work. If you want to scale, sure, go ahead and codify your blue carpets and ties. Fill your branch offices with clones and drones.

But if you want to originate, especially something that is not only technologically but socially challenging, put down your copy of "Dress for Success" and let the spirit of non-conformity and play into the workplace. Conformity in environment and clothing only begets conformity in the mind. Playfulness in spirit does not equal slacking off in productivity, but it can often mean leaps in inspiration.

Fundamentally, Ridejoy is in the business of promoting sharing, trust, and community. It makes perfect sense that they make the experience of sharing a pillar of their company culture. Immersing themselves in that ethos, being able to feel-out and experience all of its facets, benefits, and pitfalls can only be an advantage to this kind of 'collaborative consumption' startup.

That said, a caveat:

I'd beware that so many shared meals might not appeal to more introverted folks. (And maybe that's partially why this article struck such a nerve.) The Ridejoy team has some powerfully extroverted personalities, but the culture needs to be founded in such a way that it appeals to all types. This is especially important as the team grows into "18% gratuity added" territory, as introverted folks are going to feel the need for more social space and shelter in proportion to the number of people. People may want to opt out of the convivium, and that needs to be understood, respected, and above all not belittled or derided. Hell, celebrate it by sharing a toast with the folks about to go home. Seriously.

Also, I would suggest that meals are served at a consistent and fairly early dinner time. This will allow people with outside evening commitments to plan. And for folks heading home, how much more enjoyable is a commute on a nourished stomach, and how much more productive one's evening??

DISCLOSURE:
I don't know any of the folks at Ridejoy, I haven't yet used their service, and I'm over 30. But as someone with a frightfully high metabolism and frequent eating schedule, a healthily food-centric company culture sounds unbelievably awesome. Even if it means finally socializing that ole inner rugged individualist.