Introduction
Company Overview
Côte Brasserie is one of the UK's most recognised premium French restaurant chains, with approximately 2,700 employees working across multiple restaurant locations nationwide.
The business has built a strong reputation for quality and hospitality, and relies on keeping its people connected, informed and engaged to deliver a consistent experience for guests. As a multi-site hospitality business, the majority of Côte's workforce are frontline restaurant staff who depend on mobile tools to stay in touch with the wider organisation.
Situation Overview
Côte Brasserie had been using Workplace by Meta as its internal communications platform, a solution that had become embedded in how teams across the business communicated and stayed connected. When Meta announced the platform would be shutting down in August 2025, Côte faced an urgent need to find a replacement.
The new platform had to serve a predominantly frontline, mobile-first workforce, most of whom access workplace tools via personal devices without corporate email addresses or desktop setups. Beyond the technical migration, Côte needed to preserve the social, community-driven experience their teams valued, while moving into a more secure and scalable environment within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem they were already invested in.
The Challenge
A Deadline, a Workforce, and a Platform That Was Shutting Down
Côte Brasserie is one of the UK's best-loved premium French restaurant chains, with approximately 2,700 employees working across multiple restaurant locations. Like most hospitality businesses, the majority of their workforce is frontline restaurant staff who rely on mobile devices to stay connected, informed and engaged with the business.
Their existing internal communications platform, Workplace by Meta, was shutting down in August 2025. This created an urgent, time-pressured need to find a replacement one that could serve 2,700 employees, most of whom access workplace tools via personal mobile devices, without a corporate email address or desktop setup.
The challenge was not just technical. Côte needed a platform that could replace the social, community-driven experience their teams had grown accustomed to, while moving into the security and scalability of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem they were already invested in.
The Innovation
A Mobile-First Microsoft 365 Digital Workplace, Built for Hospitality
Côte Brasserie partnered with Cocentric to design and deliver a SharePoint Online digital workplace, fully integrated with Viva Engage and Viva Connections across Microsoft 365.
Cocentric's deep expertise in Viva Engage deployment and specifically in deploying Microsoft tools for frontline-heavy hospitality organisations was a key differentiator in the partner selection process. The team understood not just the technology, but the way restaurant staff actually use and interact with digital tools day to day.
The solution included a branded homepage, personalised newsfeed, quick links, templated pages, a People Finder, and micro-campaign pages all designed with a mobile-first approach, given that the majority of Côte's workforce accesses the intranet via Viva Engage deep links on personal devices.
Cocentric's services spanned the full journey: consultancy, intranet design and build, Viva Engage community setup, content migration, adoption planning and ongoing health checks ensuring the platform didn't just launch successfully, but continued to drive engagement after go-live.
Crucially, the entire migration was completed before the Workplace by Meta shutdown deadline, with zero disruption to the business.
"Cocentric's deep expertise in Viva Engage deployment and frontline-heavy organisations was central to making this project a success. Their fast-paced delivery and strong project governance ensured we hit our deadline without disruption."
Lauren Boyle, Côte Brasserie
The Result
2,700 Employees. One Connected Digital Workplace. Zero Disruption.
The results speak for themselves. Côte Brasserie successfully migrated from Workplace by Meta to Microsoft 365 with no disruption to operations, completing the transition ahead of the August 2025 shutdown.
All 2,700 employees now access a unified digital workplace that consolidates communications, documents and collaboration within Microsoft 365. Viva Engage engagement exceeded hospitality industry benchmarks in the initial months, with strong two-way conversation rates demonstrating genuine workforce adoption rather than passive consumption.
Perhaps most tellingly, 69% of Côte's communities are active, a strong baseline participation rate that points to a platform people are genuinely using, not just enrolled in.
The mobile-first design proved critical: with most users accessing the intranet via Viva Engage deep links on personal devices, the emphasis on simplicity and speed of access from a smartphone drove adoption in a way that a traditional intranet approach simply would not have.
Conclusion
Côte Brasserie's migration story is one that many hospitality and retail organisations will recognise. A beloved but shutting-down platform. A predominantly frontline, mobile-first workforce. A tight deadline. And a need to land in a secure, scalable, enterprise-grade environment without losing the community feel that made the original platform work.
By partnering with Cocentric and leveraging Cocentric's specific expertise in Microsoft 365 deployments for frontline-heavy businesses, Côte achieved exactly that. The project stands as a model for how hospitality brands migrating from Workplace by Meta can transition into Microsoft 365 quickly, confidently and with strong employee adoption from day one.
For other organisations in hospitality, retail or multi-site businesses considering a similar move, Côte's experience is clear evidence that the right partner, the right platform and the right approach can make the difference between a platform people tolerate and one they genuinely use.
To learn more about how we can help your business achieve similar success, explore our case studies or get in touch for a consultation.
Platforms: Microsoft SharePoint Online · Viva Engage · Viva Connections Services: Consultancy · Intranet Design & Build · Content Migration · Adoption Planning · Health Checks
