In a nod to coffee shop culture, a growing number of workplaces are redesigning once purely functional pantries into office centerpieces, with bar stools along countertops, plush furniture and expensive coffee makers. Interior designers and employers hope that much like the kitchen in a home, the one in the office will draw workers together — creating a place that inspires collaboration. It has become especially popular for companies that some corporations have downsized in actual square footage for the desk area, with more employees working remotely while others are squeezed into smaller desk space.

At BAFCO, we encourage our clients to spend time in creatively designing the once neglected pantry as a hub for collaboration in your offices.

• Employees spend time together, building good working relationships, and can often come up with great ideas over a snack.
• Employees are also more productive because they spend less time outside of the office traveling to and from their lunch destination. 
• The lunch area is also the perfect place for informal gatherings and where the corporate culture is nurtured and shaped.

“The kitchen at home is where a family gets together to prepare a meal. It’s the most ancient form of collaboration that exists.”
- Laurent Lisimachio, a principal at Gensler

“The pantry is the focal point, everyone gravitates to the kitchen.”
- William G. Cohen, a property broker with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank