Most office move checklist templates cover the lease, the IT cutover, the furniture, and the movers. Then they stop. The breakroom gets one line, if any, and on day one people walk into a new office with no coffee and a water dispenser still in a box. Q4 and Q1 are common planning windows for moves, so if yours is on the calendar, now is a good time to add the kitchen to the plan. This piece walks through a phased timeline, the breakroom and pantry details most lists skip, what to leave behind, cost drivers, what to tell employees, and a checklist you can copy.
Table of Contents
- Why the breakroom gets left off the office relocation checklist
- What should I include on my move checklist?
- Office move project plan: a phased timeline
- The breakroom, coffee, and pantry details
- What items are not worth moving?
- When should you set up the breakroom in a new office?
- How much does it cost to relocate an office?
- Office move instructions for employees
- An office move checklist template you can copy
- Scaling your new office setup checklist by team size
- Frequently Asked Questions About Office Move Checklists
Why the breakroom gets left off the office relocation checklist
A move has a lot of owners: facilities, IT, finance, and the movers. The breakroom sits between all of them, so it often belongs to nobody until the week of the move.
Our sales team talks with offices that have just moved or are about to. A pattern comes up: the company spends heavily on the move itself, and the kitchen gets figured out last. By then, the coffee machine doesn’t fit the counter, or there’s no water line where the dispenser was supposed to go.
Both are easy to catch early.
What should I include on my move checklist?
A complete moving office space checklist covers two groups of work.
The general items:
- Lease, space plan, and building rules
- IT, internet, and badge access
- Furniture and the floor plan
- Movers and a confirmed date
- Employee communication
The food and beverage items:
- Breakroom measurements, power, and water lines
- Equipment fit: coffee machines, water dispensers, refrigerators, kegerators, shelving
- What to move and what to replace
- A menu reset and first delivery timing
- What employees need to know about the new kitchen
The second group is where this post spends its time.
Office move project plan: a phased timeline
Timelines vary by the size of the move and your building. Use this as a starting office move project plan and adjust the weeks to fit.
| When | General items | Breakroom, coffee, and pantry |
|---|---|---|
| 8+ weeks out | Confirm lease and space plan; get mover quotes; start IT planning | Measure the new breakroom; confirm outlet and water line locations; list current equipment and who owns it |
| 4 to 6 weeks out | Book movers; order furniture; schedule IT install | Confirm equipment fit; decide what to move vs replace; talk to your pantry and coffee vendor about the new space |
| 2 weeks out | Finalize floor plan; share move-day details with staff | Confirm building access and freight elevator windows for equipment; plan the menu reset; set first delivery timing |
| Move week | Pack, move, and set up desks and IT | Run down old pantry stock; clean and unplug equipment that’s moving; confirm day-one coffee, water, and snacks |
| First week | Fix IT and furniture issues; collect feedback | Check equipment is working; watch what runs out; adjust the menu |
The breakroom, coffee, and pantry details
Measure the breakroom
Measure counter length and depth, cabinet heights, and the path from the elevator to the kitchen. Doorways matter for refrigerators and kegerators. Take photos. Our practical checklist for what belongs in a work break room helps you plan the layout.
Power and water lines
Find every outlet and note which ones are on shared circuits. Some commercial coffee machines and ice machines need a plumbed water line or a dedicated circuit, so check each spec sheet against what the space has. If a water line needs to be run, start that conversation with facilities or the landlord early.
Equipment fit
Equipment should match your coffee volume, your team’s preferences, and the space you actually have. A machine that suited the old office may be too big for the new counter, or too small for a bigger team. At Office Libations, we match equipment to those three factors, and our in-house team installs and services it. Installation gets scheduled around building access requirements such as freight elevator windows. If you’re starting from scratch, our guide to setting up an office coffee station walks through the layout.
Menu reset
A move is a natural moment to reset the pantry. Headcount and fridge space may have changed. Start with a smaller, proven menu and add from there.
First delivery timing
Plan the first delivery for after the kitchen is ready and before people arrive, so stock doesn’t sit in a hallway or miss day one.
What items are not worth moving?
Plenty of breakroom items cost more in packing time than they’re worth:
- Expired or nearly expired pantry stock
- Opened snacks, condiments, and half-used sauces
- Old small appliances: worn toasters, microwaves, and kettles
- Chipped dishes and mismatched mugs
- Personal food left in the fridge
- Consumer coffee makers that were already struggling
Run the old pantry down in the last two weeks instead of packing it. Donate unopened, in-date items where you can.
Rented equipment is a separate conversation. If you rent coffee machines, water dispensers, or refrigerators, ask your vendor whether it moves with you or gets swapped for something that fits the new space.
When should you set up the breakroom in a new office?
Set up the breakroom before the first full day in the new office. Aim for equipment installed, tested, and stocked before people arrive, so day one starts with coffee and water.
Work backward. Installation depends on building access, so confirm freight elevator windows and move-in hours early. If the kitchen isn’t ready on move day, plan a simple backup: canned drinks, bottled water, and packaged snacks.
How much does it cost to relocate an office?
It depends on the size of the move, distance, and how much you replace. The main cost drivers:
- Movers: volume, distance, crew size, and after-hours or weekend work
- Space build-out: construction, wiring, and any plumbing for the kitchen
- IT: network setup, cabling, and new hardware
- Furniture: new pieces and disposal of old ones
- Downtime: the productivity lost while people are between offices
- Breakroom: equipment, installation, stocking, and anything you replace
Get quotes early and build in a buffer.
Office move instructions for employees
Keep office move instructions for employees short and send them more than once.
- Pack-by date and what to label
- Move day details and whether to work from home
- The new address, parking, and badge access
- Where the kitchen is and what’s in it
- Fridge rules: clear out personal food by a set date before the move
- Who to contact with questions
An office move checklist template you can copy
Paste this into a doc or spreadsheet, assign owners, and export it as an office move checklist PDF if your team prefers a printout.
General
- [ ] Lease signed; move-in hours, freight elevator, and loading dock booked
- [ ] Movers booked and scope confirmed
- [ ] IT, internet, and badge access scheduled
- [ ] Furniture ordered and floor plan final
- [ ] Employee move instructions sent
Breakroom, coffee, and pantry
- [ ] Breakroom measured and photographed
- [ ] Outlets, circuits, and water lines confirmed
- [ ] Equipment fit checked against the new space
- [ ] Move vs replace list done
- [ ] Vendor told about the new address and access rules
- [ ] Equipment installation scheduled around building access
- [ ] Menu reset planned and first delivery timed for before day one
- [ ] Old pantry run down and fridge cleared
- [ ] Day-one coffee, water, and snacks confirmed
- [ ] First-week check on equipment and stock
Scaling your new office setup checklist by team size
Under 50 employees
One breakroom, one coffee machine, one fridge. Measure carefully. A self-service program can work well here.
50 to 150 employees
Plan for a higher-volume coffee machine or a second station, and more fridge space. Our post on break room setup for growing teams covers what changes as headcount rises.
150 and up
Plan by floor. Multiple breakrooms each need their own power, water, and equipment plan. A fully managed program keeps one team responsible for all of it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Office Move Checklists
What should be on an office move checklist?
Lease and space, IT, furniture, movers, and employee communication, plus the breakroom: measurements, power and water lines, equipment fit, move vs replace, a menu reset, and first delivery timing.
When should I start planning an office move?
As early as you can once the lease is confirmed. Many teams start about two months out or more, since building access, water lines, and equipment installs take coordination.
Should we move our old coffee machine to the new office?
Only if it fits the new space and still suits your team’s volume. Check counter space, power, and water needs first. Struggling consumer machines are usually better left behind.
Who should own the breakroom during an office move?
Pick one person. The office manager is often the natural owner, working with facilities on power and water and with the pantry and coffee vendor on equipment and stock.
Is there an office move checklist PDF?
You can make one from the template in this post. Paste it into a doc, assign owners and dates, and export it as a PDF.
Office Libations builds and runs pantry, coffee, and breakroom equipment programs, from self-service to fully managed. For an office move, we match equipment to your coffee volume, preferences, and new space, and our in-house team installs it around your building’s access rules. Contact us to talk through the new space.
See our full-service pantry, coffee, and equipment programs across NYC, LA, Atlanta, SF Bay Area, Denver, Austin and beyond, or reach us at sales@officelibations.com or (510) 766-2337.