How to evaluate a restaurant space

Test the space against your actual operation

Start with what you plan to cook, store, wash and serve. A previous restaurant’s layout may not suit a different menu or equipment package.

Ask your design team to review customer routes, kitchen workflow, deliveries and access. Identify questions that need confirmation from the local planning or building department.

• Provide the proposed menu and equipment list.
• Compare existing plans with the visible layout.
• Record proposed seating, service and delivery arrangements.

Investigate the expensive unknowns

Available electrical service, drainage, water heating and ventilation can change the work needed. Ask qualified professionals to assess capacity and the condition of systems you plan to reuse.

A visual visit cannot establish everything behind walls or above ceilings. Identify what needs investigation, who can authorize access and how discoveries will affect pricing.

• Review proposed equipment loads with the design team.
• Check proposed exhaust routes and landlord restrictions.
• Identify the records or testing needed for reused systems.

Keep a clear list of unresolved conditions

Separate confirmed facts from assumptions about the space. Put each uncertainty beside a person who can answer it and the document that will support the answer.

Bring material findings to your lease adviser and design team before making further commitments. This page helps organize the discussion; it does not determine whether a lease is suitable.

• Assign responsibility for utility and shared-area questions.
• Record cost or timing assumptions that depend on findings.
• Update the bidder package when conditions are clarified.

Related reading