WORK Restaurant

337 James Street North, 

Hamilton, ON

This talk of the town restaurant on James St. N. WORK wows Hamiltonians with its minimal decor but out-of-this-world food.

Logo

This is a tough one because they have different logos in different locations (ie. Facebook, Twitter, awning at the restaurant, website.) We think the one that best represents the “metal-head/punk-rock” brand that we believe they’re going for is featured on their website. It’s a white, scratchy impression of ‘WORK’ on a black background. Punk-rock, hardcore, we love it. We only wish their awning and Facebook had the same design!

Food Review

What can we say about the food. Well what we can say is that you are all lucky this blog is written and not spoken, or else you wouldn’t be able to understand us with all the delicious food we are devouring right now.

WORK’s menu is small but full of mouth-watering dishes that appease any palate. Its’  fresh, full-bodied flavours make you wish owner Joel Elliot was your mom and in charge of making your meals.

The both of us split Green Bean Tempura and Smoked Corn. The Green Bean Tempura had a light, fresh flavour. The breading was not overdone on the tempura, which we both liked. It also had a spice sauce (sriracha?) on top … just the right amount. The Smoked Corn tasted similar to the corn you would get in a good old-fashioned Southern BBQ restaurant. (You know – the kind that’s smoked over a charcoal grill with the husk still on?) Both dishes were total yum.

Lindsay – I ordered the Tagliatelle of Zucchini with Basil Cream Sauce. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m surprised I managed to stop myself half way in order to bring home leftovers. It was a delicious and fresh remix of pasta – and not as heavy. It came with two pieces of French Stick bread that I used to soak up the basil cream sauce. I cannot say enough about this dish.

Heather – Being the (almost) carnivore of the pair, I ordered Spaghetti and Meatballs. This was one of the best bowls of Spaghetti and Meatballs that I have ever ordered in a restaurant. Perfect, thick marinara sauce with large-sized herbed meatballs and a kick of spice. It’s definitely going to be one of my go-to dishes when I visit WORK Restaurant.

Atmosphere

On James St. N and Corso Racalmuto (yes this is a real street name) right beside This Ain’t Hollywood, is WORK. Standing outside of the building you are greeted with the strong colours of black, white and red. (Okay yes, we know black and white are shades and not colours.) But when you open the door, you walk into something completely different.

With few tables and minimal decor WORK does little to visually stimulate you. We hear the owner is pretty Punk Rock/Metal which would explain the local dark art he hangs at the back of the restaurant.

The atmosphere is minimal. But the food is fantastic. It won’t really matter about the wall colour or lack of decor because your eyes will be fixed on your plate.

Brand

Hmmm. Well with clear branding in sight we think the aim of WORK is the food. Delicious food is what they advertise and exactly what they deliver.

We weren’t sure what to expect as “WORK” leaves little to the imagination on branding, but when we went in we were underwhelmed with the decor and overall theme (if there really is one).

Now even though we are suckers for clear, concise branding and often visit restaurants based on this, we think WORK makes up for its lack of brand with its food.

Social Media Campaign

We’re loving their Facebook presence. It is all about the visual – food porn galore. That’s what people want to see when they’re looking for info about their next meal. Their Twitter presence could be amped up a bit. We see a lot of the “Metal-head/Local-Music-Buff” personality on their Twitter, which is great for their brand – but we need more tweets about the food! (The scrumptious, superb food! Especially because their decor lacks the punk rock feel.) Hopefully when their website is up and running (under construction still), they’ll go the same route as their Facebook currently does and fill it with some delicious, local food pics!

Twitter – @Work377

Facebook – Work Food

Instagram – None that we could find

Website – www.workrestaurant.ca (Under Construction)

Suggestions

Because we are branding enthusiasts we would love to see some brand development in their near future. If owner Joel Elliot is a metal head, we would love to see that black, white and red continue throughout with old school band posters on the wall. Pair that with good music and even better food, WORK will be the winning restaurant every time.

Been to WORK Restaurant? Review it with  us!