Commercial Construction
Restaurants & Commercial Kitchens
Restaurant build-outs and commercial kitchens – hoods, grease traps, food service equipment and health-department coordination – managed to an opening date.
Overview
A restaurant is one of the most coordination-heavy spaces to build. The kitchen layout drives plumbing, floor drains, grease interceptors, gas, electrical loads, exhaust and make-up air, fire suppression and finishes that must be cleanable and approved. The dining room has its own requirements for seating, accessibility, restrooms and life safety.
We manage restaurant and commercial kitchen projects from the approved drawings – or help you get to them with your architect and food service designer – through permitting, construction, inspections and the approvals you need to open. Our focus is a realistic schedule tied to your opening, with long-lead equipment ordered early and inspections sequenced so nothing waits on a missed step.
Specialist and licensed trade partners perform the work: licensed plumbing, mechanical, electrical and fire protection contractors, hood and duct installers, and finish trades. We are your single point of contact across all of them.
Who it’s for
- Restaurant owners opening in a second-generation space or a vacant shell
- Operators expanding to a new location from an existing prototype
- Cafés, bakeries, bars and quick-service concepts
- Commercial kitchens for catering, ghost kitchens or institutional food service
- Landlords preparing a restaurant-ready shell to attract tenants
What’s included
Typically included
- Review of drawings, landlord work letter and lease exhibits to separate landlord and tenant scope
- Coordination with your architect, engineers and food service designer
- Permit submittal coordination and responses to plan review comments
- Commercial kitchen hood systems, exhaust ductwork and make-up air coordination
- Grease trap or grease interceptor installation, floor drains and floor sinks
- Food service equipment rough-ins: plumbing, gas, electrical and dedicated circuits
- Walk-in cooler and freezer coordination
- Cleanable wall, floor and ceiling finishes suited to food service areas
- Dining room, bar, restroom and storefront construction
- Inspection scheduling, including fire, building and health-department reviews
Common exclusions
- Food service equipment purchase, unless included by agreement
- Furniture, smallwares and point-of-sale systems
- Liquor licensing and business licensing
- Utility company impact fees, deposits or service extensions, which are typically billed by the utility or jurisdiction
- Landlord work defined in the lease, unless you ask us to perform it
- Signage fabrication, unless included in the signage scope
Every proposal lists its own inclusions and exclusions in writing.
Materials, design options & upgrades
How pricing works
Restaurant projects are priced per project from the drawings, the lease and work letter, and a site visit to document existing conditions. The estimate separates landlord-provided items from your scope so the budget reflects what you actually pay for.
Existing infrastructure – hood, grease interceptor, gas service, electrical capacity and sanitary line size – often determines cost more than the finishes do, so we verify it early.
What changes the cost
- Shell condition: vacant shell versus second-generation restaurant space
- Hood size, exhaust route and make-up air requirements
- Grease interceptor size and location, including any work outside the space
- Electrical and gas service capacity relative to the equipment list
- Underslab plumbing for floor drains and sinks
- Finish level in the dining room and bar
- Landlord contributions and work letter allowances
- Equipment purchased by the owner versus included in our scope
If this work is part of a larger project, it’s priced within that project’s budget — please don’t add separate estimates together. Read the pricing guide.
Typical stages
Lease and site review
We review the space, the work letter and existing utilities before you commit, where possible.
Design coordination
Your architect, engineers and food service designer finalize drawings while we price and check constructability.
Permitting and approvals
Building, fire and health-department submittals are coordinated, and long-lead equipment is ordered.
Underground and rough-in
Slab cutting, underslab plumbing, grease interceptor and mechanical, electrical and gas rough-ins are installed and inspected.
Finishes and equipment
Walls, floors, ceilings, hood, walk-ins and equipment are installed and connected.
Inspections and opening
Final building, fire and health inspections are scheduled, and certificate of occupancy coordination is completed.
What affects the schedule
- Plan review timing at the building department and health agency
- Lead times for hoods, walk-ins, rooftop units and specialty equipment
- Utility service upgrades and coordination with the utility company
- Landlord work that must be completed before tenant work begins
- Inspection availability and the order in which final inspections must occur
Questions & answers
Can I reuse the existing kitchen equipment and hood?
Sometimes. It depends on condition, capacity and whether it meets current requirements for your menu and equipment. The licensed trades and your engineer evaluate it before it is counted on in the budget.
Who handles the health-department approval?
Your design team prepares the documents the agency requires, and we coordinate submittals, construction to the approved plans and inspection scheduling. Requirements vary by jurisdiction.
What should I check before signing a lease?
Gas availability, electrical capacity, existing grease interceptor, sanitary line size, hood exhaust route and what the landlord will provide. A pre-lease walkthrough can surface these early.
Can you work with the drawings I already have?
Yes. We price and build from your architect’s and engineers’ drawings and coordinate any changes back through them.
Start here
Planning restaurants & commercial kitchens?
A short form — three steps, a few minutes. Share plans or photos if you have them. We’ll review it and follow up using the contact details you provide.