O+A
Location Horseshoe Bay
Type New Build
Fun Fact What used to be a few parking stalls is now a two-story staff office.
Tucked behind the bustle of Olive & Anchor, there was a gap that had nothing to do with the food or the front of house. No staff room. No real storage. No place for the team to reset between shifts. For a restaurant that runs as hard as this one, it was something that had been missing for a long time.
The only available space? A tight parking lot.
The project had already been sitting in limbo for over a year and a half. Previous attempts had stalled, the site came with constraints on all sides, and the path forward wasn’t exactly straightforward. Between property line limitations, fire code requirements, and a complex permitting process, it needed a clear plan—and a team willing to work through the details.
The solution was to treat the constraints as part of the design. A masonry wall was built directly along the property line to define the structure, and from there, a two-storey space was carefully slotted into place. With limited room to maneuver, the wood-frame structure was crane-lifted in, piece by piece, navigating tight clearances and an active site.
Inside, the focus was simple: create a space that actually supports the people who keep the restaurant running. Lockers, break areas, and a dedicated office were all built in—practical, comfortable, and designed to feel like a step away from the pace of service.
All of this happened while the restaurant remained open and operating.
Now, what was once an overlooked back-of-house gap is a fully functional extension of the business. A space that works just as hard as the team it was built for—and one that finally gives them room to pause, reset, and come back ready for the next shift.
