How to Repurpose Your Cafe, Restaurant or Pub as Coworking Space

Every hospitality business has a risk assessment plan in place detailing specific hazards and the controls needed to manage them. However, this plan is related to your current use of the business. You will need to review this to identify any additional risks associated with change of usage. Things to think about are:

• Fire risks – could plug sockets become overloaded?
• Electrical risks – do you need Portable Appliance Testing training?
• Trip hazards – do you need cable tidies and cover strips for trailing electrical cables?
• Display Screen Equipment (DSE) risks – is there adequate lighting, and are tables and chairs at a suitable height?

We have created several resources you can use in your business to help with this; take a look at our Risk Assessment Template, our Fire Risk Assessment Form and our DSE Risk Assessment Checklist.

Furthermore, you could even provide the DSE checklist to your customers to use, to help them be safe and comfortable when using your space.

Public Liability Insurance is an insurance product taken out by business owners. It’s not a legal requirement but it protects your business if a case is brought to court by a member of the public. If your business is sued, Public Liability Insurance will cover the cost of your legal defence, plus any compensation or settlement money ordered to be paid.

Your Public Liability Insurance policy is based on the details you submitted at the point you took out the insurance. If there is a change to your premises or practices, your insurance provider should be notified so the level of cover is adequate. On completion of your reviewed risk assessment, you should notify your insurance provider of any additional risks you have identified associated with operating your business as a coworking space. One example for you to consider is if a customer had their laptop stolen whilst they were on your premises.

Guidelines on working safely during coronavirus and restrictions for members of the public to keep them safe and healthy are constantly changing at the moment. However, there are three key messages issued by the UK and Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly:

• Hands: Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitiser, regularly throughout the day will reduce the risk of catching or passing on the virus. Ensure there is plenty of signage reminding customers to wash their hands regularly, and make sure every workstation (table and chair) is thoroughly sanitised between users.
• Face: Wearing a face covering is mandatory when moving around in shared public spaces. It’s natural for people to forget this when they are in a coworking space, especially if they visit the toilet or go outside for a cigarette. Staff should give polite, friendly verbal reminders to anyone not wearing a face covering. You can also use signage as reminders whilst they’re moving around or entering the premises. When customers are at their desk or workspace they are classified as drinkers/diners, so they are permitted to remove their face covering.
• Space: Transmission of the virus is most likely to happen within 2 metres, with the risk increasing at shorter distances. While keeping this exact distance isn’t always possible, remaining mindful of surroundings, employing mitigating steps – such as putting hand sanitiser on tables and placing screens between tables – and continuing to make space has a powerful impact when it comes to containing the spread.

Further resources on this topic can be found here and keep up to date with the latest advice on the government website.

How you arrange your booking system is critical to the success of a coworking space plan. You could offer customers a work space for a whole day for a set price, or you could divide the day into ‘sittings’, similar to a restaurant reservations system. There are pros and cons associated with both concepts.

Full day bookings are easier to administrate, because a workstation is allocated to a customer for an unlimited period. These can be managed with minimal staff, and you can accurately forecast demand for food and drinks, resulting in less wastage. However, this does not maximise the revenue potential of the space, and if all the workstations are booked in advance, there is no allowance for walk-ins.

Subdividing the day into sittings generates more revenue, gets more customers through the door and offers greater flexibility for walk-ins. But staffing costs will likely be higher due to increased cleaning protocols in between sittings. Demand for food will be more unpredictable, and exceptional managerial skills will be required to ‘turn’ the tables. How would you like to ask a customer to leave their allocated workspace if they’re halfway through an important video call to a client?

Whichever option you choose, it’s vital that you have a coordinated system to log bookings, either in a reservations diary or a dedicated online booking system. This will enable you to:

• Control the amount of people in your premises at any one time.
• Identify areas where marketing and promotions are required to generate additional custom.
• Forecast staffing levels and place accurate food and drink orders.

You should offer people a range of ways in which they can book a workspace. Some customers prefer to ring and book directly, others favour using an online booking platform such as open table. Your social media channels are an integral part of your booking enquiries so these should be monitored at regular intervals.

Make sure your internet speed and connection match the needs of a remote worker, and not just a customer. Remote workers need enough bandwidth to host video calls, and download and upload data. Your speed required will depend on the number of people consistently working in your outlet. Make sure access to your internet connection is password protected and make sure the password is easily visible upon arrival.

Another important amenity is electrical points. Remote workers need to keep their phones and laptops charged. Check how many plug points your outlet has, and where they are located. If they are only accessible to tables near a wall, consider adding tabletop chargers and USB ports to centrally located tables.

Not only is privacy a key factor for remote workers, social distancing guidelines currently dictate people from different households should maintain a distance of two metres apart, or one metre with other precautions in place. Position chairs so they are all facing the same direction to avoid face-to-face contact. Alternatively, tables arranged around the room, rather than through it, allow people to work against the wall, facing outwards.

Coffee is the fuel that keeps remote workers going – but not any old coffee. Coffee drinkers demand a good quality roast, well trained staff, perfect serve, and a wide range of styles. This is why so many remote workers used coffee shop coworking as their workspace even before the pandemic hit. Review your offer, engage with coffee suppliers, upgrade your equipment, and request some Barista training. Bottomless coffee offers are commonplace in many cafe coworking spaces.

Sustenance throughout the day is vital for remote workers. Offer a well balanced nutritional menu with plant based and vegetarian options.

It’s totally understandable that if your customers are in the middle of a business meeting, they don’t want to be disturbed every five minutes by a server asking if they require anything. This is where order apps come in. Customers can order food and drink directly from their table, and get on with their work. There are multiple service providers offering order apps which can accommodate your food and drink offer, connect to your EPOS system, and facilitate remote payment. However, sometimes extra revenue can be generated by a human touch. Roaming staff can use a soft sell approach to encourage additional purchases, such as sides and snacks.

It would be great to claim we’re in a paperless environment. But even in the digital age, printers are still a part of doing business. Consider installing a pay-by-the-page printer in your premises. Find one that doesn’t take up a lot of space and has bluetooth connectivity.