Restaurants & The Distributed Workplace
Unbundling the Office
TL;DR
Shy Bird restaurant in South Boston launched a "Work from Shy Bird" program in 2022, betting that restaurants could serve as effective workspaces for people tired of working from cramped apartments or traditional offices
Two influential thinkers shape this trend: Dror Poleg argues that the future office is "a network of locations" rather than a single place, while Rishad Tobaccowala emphasizes that companies don't need employees in one fixed location when flexible "third workplaces" are available
Major real estate players (like CBRE and Yardi) are heavily investing in flexible workspace solutions, signaling a permanent shift toward distributed work environments
Restaurants are naturally suited to be work hubs due to their built-in hospitality infrastructure, social atmosphere, and ability to support both individual and group work
While direct revenue from workspace programs may be modest (3% of sales for Shy Bird), they help fill traditionally slow periods and create consistent daytime energy
Key operational challenges include managing sound levels, balancing space usage between workers and diners, and transitioning smoothly between daytime workspace and evening dining
As Poleg notes, "The office of the future is not about place, but about experience" - making restaurants ideally positioned to become essential community hubs where work and social life intersect
(Audio by Eleven Labs- can be a little wonky)
When we opened our South Boston location we new building a daytime business in a largely industrial, under-developed part of the city would be a challenge. It was 2022 and ‘work from home’ was settling in as the new norm. We had a hypothesis that WFH works great with a house and dedicated workspace but kind of sucks if you’ve got 3 roommates in 1200 square foot space. I personally had always felt like We Work and modern co-working had convinced the world (for a time) that a very thin layer of hospitality and design over traditional office space was novel. Why can’t a restaurant overlay a thin layer of office to the same, or better, effect? This gave rise to our Work from Shy Bird program that has been going strong for 2+ years now.
Over those 2 years, there’s been a lot of discussion about the future of work, the office and commercial real estate more broadly. I’ve come to rely on two Authors/Books/Newsletters to inform my thinking about this future and how restaurants might take advantage of it.
Rishad Tobaccowala notes in *Rethinking Work*, companies don't need employees in one fixed location five days a week when "there's lots of flexible workspaces... [and] a lot of third workplaces" available to foster in-person interaction.
Dror Poleg argues in *Rethinking Real Estate* that "the office of the future is not a place... It's a network of locations that enable people to do whatever it is that they need to do at that moment to be productive and happy."
Restaurants have a unique and important role to play in the future of distributed work - not just as casual "third places" but as intentionally designed parts of a new workplace ecosystem. The shift away from centralized offices, combined with restaurants' inherent strengths in hospitality and community-building, creates an opportunity to serve a new type of guest while building more sustainable business models. Far from being passive beneficiaries of remote work trends, restaurants can actively shape how and where work happens in our communities.
The Great Unbundling of Office Space
The traditional office is being "unbundled" and reimagined. Work is no longer confined to a single central office but spread across homes, coworking hubs, and "third places" like cafés and other communal spaces. Poleg emphasizes that employers should "tap into community amenities rather than duplicating them." In other words, if your employees want to work from a restaurant, let them work from a restaurant.
This shift is clearly reflected in recent strategic moves by real estate giants. CBRE, the world's largest commercial real estate services firm with over $30 billion in annual revenue and management of over 7 billion square feet of commercial property globally, made a defining investment in Industrious (initially 35% in 2021, moving to full ownership) was driven by client demand - their surveys showed 86% of large occupiers planned to incorporate flexible office space in their real estate strategy, and 82% said they will favor buildings with a flex space component. The deal folded CBRE's own flex-space brand (Hana) into Industrious and gave CBRE two board seats, signaling how strategic flex space has become to their future.
Similarly, Yardi's acquisition of Deskpass shows how technology providers are adapting. Yardi Systems, which provides software and services that manage over $2 trillion in real estate assets through their property management platforms, made a strategic acquisition that emphasized how companies formalizing remote and hybrid policies "require flexible access to space that best suits their way of working – whether they are remote-first, hybrid, or fully office-based." The acquisition expanded Yardi's global marketplace of flexible workspaces, effectively turning office space into a utility that can be accessed as needed.
These moves by industry giants suggest not only that the future of work will be more fluid and distributed, but that the infrastructure to support this shift is being built at scale. For restaurants, this means more predictable flows of remote workers moving around the city – e.g., a team might reserve a Deskpass meeting room near a certain neighborhood on Thursdays, bringing lunchtime business to that area's eateries.
Why Restaurants Make Natural Work Hubs
At Shy Bird, we've seen firsthand how restaurants can thrive in this new paradigm. Our Work From Shy Bird program generates modest direct revenue (3% of sales) but creates consistent energy during traditionally slow periods. More importantly, it fulfills what Tobaccowala calls the need to "earn their employees' commute" by offering real value and experience.
Restaurants are uniquely positioned to serve distributed workers for several key reasons:
Social Context
Designed for both individual and group experiences
Various seating configurations for different work modes
Natural opportunities for serendipitous interaction
Built-In Hospitality Infrastructure
Professional service staff trained in anticipating needs
Existing amenities (WiFi, power, comfortable seating)
Natural flow of food and beverage service
Atmosphere and Energy
Ambient activity that combats isolation
Professional but not corporate environment
"Third place" psychology that blends work and leisure
Operational Challenges
Managing the dual identity of restaurant and workspace presents significant operational challenges. At Shy Bird, we've learned that sound management is particularly tricky - a sales call at one table competes with a crying baby at another, while the music that energizes some guests disrupts focus for others. The transition from daytime workspace to evening dining venue requires careful choreography in lighting, music, and service style. Then there's the challenge of table economics: a remote worker could monopolize a four-top that might otherwise turn three times during lunch service. Success requires both well-trained staff who can read different guest needs and clear policies around peak period seating. The thoughtful planning and constant adjustment needed is justified by the payoff in consistent daytime energy and predictable revenue.
Looking Ahead
While direct co-working revenue may be modest, restaurants that successfully integrate workspace offerings can create significant strategic value. By thoughtfully designing programs that blend hospitality with productivity - whether through tiered memberships, dedicated meeting spaces, or community events - restaurants can transform traditionally slow periods into reliable revenue. The key is creating an ecosystem that serves both immediate workspace needs and builds lasting community connections.
The most successful approaches typically focus on:
Space and Service Integration: Flexible layouts that transition through dayparts, supported by staff trained to read and respond to different guest needs
Community Development: Regular programming that transforms occasional workspace users into loyal guests across multiple dayparts, from morning meetings to evening social gatherings
Revenue Diversification: Additional streams beyond traditional dining, from meeting space rentals to distributed team catering, that leverage existing operations and expertise
The future of work, as both Tobaccowala and Poleg envision it, will be more distributed, flexible, and human-centric than ever before. For restaurants willing to embrace their role in this ecosystem, the opportunity extends far beyond selling a few more cups of coffee. It's about becoming essential community hubs where work and life productively intersect. As Poleg notes, "The office of the future is not about place, but about experience." That sounds an awful lot like what restaurants do best.