[impendia]

It seems there's an obvious middle ground which doesn't seem to have been mentioned by Joel or anyone else.

Being compelled to have lunch with colleagues every day sucks. Sometimes you are feeling cranky, want some fresh air, need to run errands, or have a hot date.

Not having the opportunity to lunch with colleagues also sucks. It provides a great opportunity for employees to get to know each other, make friends, and informally discuss company business.

Seems the onus is on the company to make lunch pleasant, and perhaps to steer newcomers into the middle of the crowd. After that, create the kind of environment where no one feels compelled to do anything, but employees want to eat with each other at least a lot of the time.

[r00fus]

One compromise is like one of my previous teams did: One day of the week is team lunch day (and a longer lunch at that).

This isn't so quotidien, but still has a bonding effect, diffusing group tensions while satisfying the need for self-time.

I think daily mandatory would be weird, but I'd be up for 1-2 days a week where the team meets over food.

[frossie]

One day of the week is team lunch day (and a longer lunch at that)

There is nothing better than a 2-hour team lunch in a park, on nice sunny day. You don't need to do it every day, or even every week, but it has many of the advantages without robbing people of their personal time (which is what lunch break is meant to be).