How To Set Up An Office For a Restaurant

Introduction

Opening a restaurant seems a fun idea, but it means a lot of work both in the kitchen and the office. You need to have an office in a restaurant where you can do all your administrative work pertaining to the business from ordering food and drink supplies to preparing the payroll of the staff.

Step 1

Designate a space as an office the first time you plan the layout of a restaurant. Depending on the structure of the place, having an office that is near to the kitchen and the dining area should be an ideal place. If there is no place to make an office in a restaurant, designate a space as you need an area where you can put all your papers, files, and machines.

Step 2

Inspect what is available on the site. Think about the heating and cooling needs for the office in the restaurant. If you are renting the space, this might be part of the fixtures, but if you recently bought the place, you might look at this to make your office in the restaurant a comfortable one. Check if there are sufficient sockets to connect machines. Verify if there are already phone lines so that you just have to ask for a reconnection.

Step 3

Once you have designated an area, make a plan where you will put things. You will probably need basic office equipment such as desk and chair, a visitor’s chair, steel filing cabinets, and machines. A computer or a laptop, printer, scanner, and a photocopier should be in the office plus a telephone line. Cupboards and shelves will help in storing office supplies for the restaurant such as fax paper, bond paper, toner, cartridges, and stationery supplies. Do not forget to include a safe in the plan. Depending on what you need, you can install a wall safe or a portable petty cash box.

Step 4

Make an outline or a drawing plan where furniture and machines should go in the office. Measure the office space in the restaurant to make sure that all your equipment and furniture will fit in the room. Do not forget to check where plugs and outlets are when making the plan for your restaurant office. Cables from equipment are not only unsightly but you risk people tripping and having accidents when there are lines running across the room. If there are not enough sockets, ask an electrician to put extra ones.

Step 5

Bring the measurements before heading out to the furniture and electronics shop. You might want to canvass prices first or think about going to a specialized shop that sells office supplies, furniture, and equipment. This is probably an easier method if you are in a hurry to furnish and equip the office in your restaurant.

Install your machines and furniture when they are delivered. Make sure that you have enough phone lines to hook the machines for your electronic payment processing system. You can test run the machines before opening day to make sure that everything works.

Tips and comments

Having an office that functions already before a restaurant is scheduled to open is ideal as this is where most of the leg work will begin from coordinating with suppliers, scheduling deliveries, installing dining chairs and tables. It is also easy to follow up paper work requisites such as health and business permits, liquor licenses, tax numbers, contractor’s contracts, certificate of occupancy and all other relevant documents when opening a restaurant.

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