Restaurant Small Office Makeover

Can you believe my restaurant has been open a month now? Time sure has a way of slipping through the hourglass when you’re busy as can be! The Union Street has had a really successful first month. It is mainly due to our awesome staff and incredible community support, but behind every successful day is a hidden mountain of paperwork, orders that need to be made, and feet that need to be rested. Which is why our small office makeover was so important to us. Amongst the bustle and craziness of training staff, organizing concerts and serving customers we had to prioritize making a comfortable and efficient work space for the two of us.

Our new workspace

Let me remind you what we started with…

I actually wish I had a better before photo, but you get the idea of what we were working with. This space hadn’t likely been updated since the 70’s. The floor was surprisingly in decent shape (other than the crazy color), since our budget was itty bitty it had to stay… along with the stucco ceiling. But can you believe how just a coat of paint made this space look so fresh?! We used Peppermint Patty from PPG Voice of Color. I figured working with a complimentary color on the walls may make the floor not so out there!

We are so fortunate to partner with Staples to bring this small office back to life. Staples had everything we needed to get our space up and running; the typical office related items like computers and printers, to the more unexpected items like curtains and area rugs!

HP is a major part of what is keeping our business ticking. This HP Pavilion touchscreen all in one computer is the perfect addition to our desk. We can update our website, social media, and most importantly run our Quick Books program. Having an all in one device is perfect for space saving in this small space.

It pairs so well with our HP Color LaserJet Pro, that has been essential for our daily documents, menu printing, training and new hire information packages, and so many other projects (but more on that to come).

When it comes to getting a second to actually sit and rest our feet we’re happy to do it in style in this Zuo Criss Cross Faux Leather chair.

To make this small space work for two people with different tasks, we decided a second desk was in order. We kept an existing one, which got a new paint job, and added the white more modern compact desk from Staples, which also has space for files.

Since we removed a large tube light and replaced it with a flush mount dome light, having these stylish desk lamps gives us a little glow when we’re working into the wee hours. We actually have a beautiful geometric hanging pendant from Staples but I underestimated the size of it, and one of us would have lost an eye if we installed it. It is now living in the dining room vestibule (more on that to come). Can you believe that awesome vase came from Staples too?! They have some really surprising items that you’d never guess you’d find there.

We’re so happy how the old and new work together. We tried to skip a lot of fuss when it came to decor, because we know things have a way of piling up when it comes to a commercial office. However, we still wanted to keep it pretty so we can enjoy working in the space, and feel comfortable enough to invite clients and tradespeople in for meetings. A few homey touches like that chic throw pillow, and some artwork I had printed at Staples Copy and Print Centre made the space come together.

I actually used the Copy and Print Centre for multiple restaurant projects, like our busniess cards, gift certificates, canvases and more!

Even though the windows need bars for safety, the amount of daylight that comes into our office is so lovely and uplifting. The sheers filter just enough light when we need to tone it down a notch.

I can’t tell you how different my routine has been over the last month. I went from slow paced mornings to a little added hustle to get things in order for the day ahead. Lauren and I really appreciate having our little office retreat to escape when the book work needs to be done.

I’m thankful to have a HP Pro Slate 8 at my fingertips when I need to do tasks like checking email when the computer is occupied. It has actually been so useful around the whole restaurant. We’ve used it for everything from streaming music, to improving point of sale, and lately getting customers to vote for us during the Burger Wars campaign!

We are thrilled with our new office space, a comfortable and stylish place to do daily business tasks. This all would not have been possible without the help of Staples. Both Online and in store, Staples was there for continued support while getting our business set up in office and throughout the restaurant. I can’t wait to show you what we did in the dining room!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.