But what we quickly realized was that not many of the plethora of restaurants surrounding us were good, nor were they cheap.  Also being a technology company, we quickly realized that most of the restaurants did not have a strong digital footprint…or even weak digital footprint for that matter.

So as a side project, we at OAK decided to launch a mini-project.  The premise was simple; we wanted to identify the best affordable restaurants in the market for lunch.  We wanted to share this knowledge with others.  We wanted to increase the digital footprint of these restaurants.  We wanted to test our assumptions of why these restaurants do not have or are not interested in a strong digital presence.  And we wanted to experiment with video blogging, as that medium is not being used in the Ottawa foodie blogosphere.  To do this we developed Byward Eats, a food blog focusing on eateries in the Byward Market, and through this blog we will reveal our top 10 lunches for under $15.

The process is as follows:  we created a master list of great restaurants composed of our personal favorites, those highly reviewed on Ottawa Foodies, and the highest ranking restaurants on UrbanSpoon.  Then we had the “tough” job of lunching at these places, meeting with the owners to test our assumptions, vlogging & blogging on BywardEats, and ranking our top 10 restaurants.

Our top 10 will be revealed, one rank at a time, starting today.  At the end of the project, we will recap our lessons learned and share them with you.  It should be interesting, and the process will definitely be delicious.

Note:  OAK Computing has partnered with Apt613 to create their new website.  Sonia Riahi and Ashima Kudaisya of OAK Compting will also be guest blogging about the Byward Eats Project on Apt613.

Sonia & Ashima

Note:  Article originally posted on Apt613 on October 21, 2011.

Post by Sonia and Ashima, from OAK Computing. Apt613 has partnered with OAK to create a new website that is set to come out in a few months. Throughout the year, folks from OAK will be guest blogging on Apt613.

A young startup with a new office in the market – of course our first reaction to the move was mmm mmmmm, the food. With lots of restaurants and lots of choice, the entrepreneurs at OAK Computing got ready for a particularly delicious summer (and shopped for pants with elastic waistbands to counter any forth coming damage).

But sadly, reality didn’t live up to expectation. True, there was a lot of choice, but not all the food was good, and not all the food was affordable for daily lunches.

And so we, the good folks at OAK (led by the always hungry Ashima & Sonia) took it upon ourselves to identify the top ten lunch eats under $15 in the Byward Market. The process was simple – create a master list of great restaurants from their list of personal faves, Ottawa Foodies, and the highest ranking restaurants on UrbanSpoon. Then we had the “tough” job of lunching at these places, vlogging & blogging about it on BywardEats, and ranking our top 10 (being techies, we wanted to increase the digital footprint of the places we loved).

And who are we at OAK computing? Food critics? No. Professional chefs? No. We’re just a young, fun busy tech startup that loves our food, loves our coffee, and definitely knows what tastes good.

Our top 10 will be revealed, one rank at a time, starting next Monday. In the mean time we’re still reviewing, still tasting, (still wearing stretch pants) and would love to hear from you of any faves that we might have overlooked.

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

The conversation in the office today is all about the passing of Steve Jobs.  At OAK we have different levels of apple fans:  the early adopter, some from the early majority, and a couple from the late but loyal majority.  But regardless of whether we’re from the apple cult, absolute fans, or skeptics of itunes, we all have great respect for the innovation, the business and vision, of Steve Jobs.

To every entrepreneur out there, Steve Jobs is the gold standard.  For tech startups, he’s almost a myth:  building a garage tech startup into the most valuable company in the US, valued greater than Exxon Mobil (yes tech > oil – understand why he’s a legend?)

And while he has passed away, his genius will continue to be referenced in our OAK offices just as frequently.  The most impressive part is that everyone at OAK references him – the business strategist, the designer, the coder and the marketer in the office – agreeing or disagreeing, but always comparing to his gold standard.

Yesterday on BBC someone mentioned that incredibly “most people found out about Steve Jobs’ passing from a device that he invented”.  In my case this was very true.

Steve Jobs, your name is synonymous with vision, innovation, entrepreneurship, brilliant instinct, quality, second chances, unapologetic business strategy, change, gorgeous hardware and impressive software.  Every entreprenur dreams that their name can be synonymous with even just one from the list above.

Edison, Ford, Jobs.  A fitting continuation of a legacy of innovators.  Steve Jobs will not be forgotten.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

“Don’t let the voice of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” – Steve Jobs

“Stay hungry, stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs 

See our case study for more information on the project: WCI Case Study

We’d also like to make give a shout out to the amazing project management from the WCI end from Meyer Burnstein and Victoria Esses.  Our design, creative and technical processes were only strengthened by working with clients who have a strong management structure & process on their end.   It was an absolute pleasure to work with them!

Welcoming Community Initiative (WCI)
Victoria M. Esses, Co-Chair WCI
Meyer Burnstein, Senior Fellow and Director of Policy and Planning  

Type of Project

Enterprise Software Development, CMS

The Problem

 WCIs former website and management solution no longer fit their needs.

• Complicated back end – difficult to navigate, update resources, manage content, make changes, and train new users using the old platform.
• Limited display – different types of content (reports, events, e-bulletins video) could not be published in a suitable format.
• User Access – there was little control over user governance; members and editors had similar access to the website.
• Branding – the visuals of the old site did little to enforce the WCI brand.

Old site front end

Limited ability to display information

The Solution

OAK built a custom CMS tailored to WCI’s needs.

Platform

We built a custom wordpress platform.  Why wordpress?  Because a wordpress platform allows our clients:

• comprehensive media integration;
• a simple but robust organization of several different types of content, allowing them to be shared in multiple categories;
• complete control over user access to the back-end of the solution (e.g. John can publish e-bulletins, Amy can publish e-bulletins and events);
• collaboration on content by multiple users; and
• the ability to quickly and efficiently make changes to these site.

All without breaking the bank.  And how long did it take to train users on the new solution?  Just one short morning session. Elegant and simple.

Simple to use customized back end

Design

Functionality is only fun if it looks good.  So the OAK team collaborated with our in-resident designer to design a site that is:

• easy to navigate;
• shows off different types of content to their potential (reports, e-bulletins, events, links, database of resources, etc.);
• colourful and eye-catching, with the WCI brand being a focus; and
• easy to work with, with a customized back end design that looks as good as the front end.

Different content displayed in different formats

Libary design for easy retrieval of information

About WCI

The Welcoming Communities Initiative (WCI) is a multidisciplinary alliance of universities, colleges, and community organizations dedicated to promoting the integration of immigrants and minorities across Ontario.