If You Have An Automatic Unpaid Lunch, Can They Tell You How To Spend It?

If the half hour is deducted from your pay, and you are not being paid for that time, than you should be allowed to find your lunch wherever you want to go, whether it's a lunchroom in the building, or a restaurant down the street, as long as you show responsibility in being back to work at the time you're supposed to be (as the half hour ends).  There is no reason why you have to spend your unpaid lunch hour either eating in the building or sitting at your desk doing nothing -- this is not your employer's right to tell you this, unless it was specified in your original employment contract and signed by yourself.  You might want to talk to your employer and find out WHY this rule was put into place, and what you can do to bypass it.
I wish you luck in this -- it's an odd situation, to be sure.
Moe

That seems unreasonable but each state has labor laws.  You never know what is allowed until you check it out.  Texas law say that you should have  two paid breaks during an eight hour shift and a thirty minute lunch break also paid.  Now if your employer deducts for your break or lunch time you really have no recourse.  Texas is a state  where you can fire a person for no reason.  They don't have to even give an explanation.  So if you ask a question the boss does not like, you will probably be asked to leave.  My advice to you is to speak with your HR representative.  It is the Human Relations person's job to enforce the company rules  and still build morale so you will want to work there.  Give it a try.