The idea
around the work.
Workroom is a hospitality identity practice led by Natasha Ally, formed by years spent inside the rooms it now works to articulate.
(based in Toronto and adelaide)
It gives operators dedicated space to understand and develop the idea holding their venue together from an inside perspective.
It's been over a decade now that I've worked with owners, experiencing closely the strain a scattered identity can pose on the work environment and quality of guest experience; the longevity it menaces. Most venues don't need a permanent department devoted to this work. Yet it's too consequential to remain another responsibility carried between services, by owners and management teams. Workroom is my response to that. Will it resolve every pressure involved in running a hospitality business? If only. It's to give the idea beneath one a clearer structure, and better chance at lasting- something the team can inhabit with pride and ease.
For me it started out in family-owned hospitality business', which from young instilled a responsibility to, and awareness of, the fine details that make up the whole- the integrity and importance of it all. I've carried this experience with me through the hourly roles, and to writing menus, managing departments and teams, opening venues. It's been both satisfying and daunting to see what works and what doesn't. It's all simply led up to: I like what we do, and want to see that enjoyment continue in our industry. Workroom is for us.
philosophy
Thought process.
Relatable and singular belong together.
A hospitality identity has two audiences. Guests need to recognise something of themselves in it; the team needs to feel they are contributing to something distinct. Relatability creates connection, singularity creates pride, and a lasting identity gives both a place of relevance.
Work with what is already true.
The work is not to turn a concept into something it's not, but to bring forward what scattered ideas have obscured. Distinction isn't achieved by outperforming competitors at their own identity, but by becoming more legibly and specifically yourself, and therefore harder to confuse with anyone else.
Identity should stay useful
Identity should guide what happens next, not only explain what has already been decided. Honest language about what the venue stands for, what it asks of people and how they can develop, helps the team organise the work, repeat the standard and carry it forward.