Restaurant Construction

Popeyes’ FDD puts the cost to open at $504,545 to $1,968,245 in-line and $1,222,045 to $3,923,245 free-standing, before real estate. Here is how much of that is construction, how Dunkin’, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Five Guys compare, and what New York City adds.

Before you sign a restaurant lease in NYC, check nine things a contractor looks at first: legal use, zoning, occupant count, exhaust route, gas, power, grease interceptor, fire protection and the entrance. Here is where to find each answer and how to turn findings into lease terms.

Most restaurant construction mistakes are made before anyone picks up a tool. The three costliest are signing a lease before a feasibility check, designing past a code threshold you did not know existed, and treating permits and licences as one timeline instead of several. Each one is cheap to catch early. Each one is very

Restaurant HVAC requirements come down to three systems that have to work together: an exhaust hood sized to your cooking equipment, a makeup air system that replaces the air the hood pulls out, and a comfort system that keeps the dining room livable. Most owners budget for the third and get blindsided by the first

Restaurant layout design is the process of planning how your dining room, kitchen, bar, restrooms, and service paths fit and flow inside your space.  A workable NYC layout usually splits the floor around 60% front-of-house (dining, bar, waiting, restrooms) and 40% back-of-house (kitchen, prep, storage), plans roughly 12 to 20 square feet per seat depending

Opening a restaurant in New York City means clearing four agencies, not one. The core restaurant permits NYC requires are a Department of Buildings (DOB) alteration permit for the buildout, a Food Service Establishment Permit from the Health Department (DOHMH), FDNY fire and cooking approvals, and, if you serve alcohol, a State Liquor Authority (SLA)

Opening a restaurant in New York City is far more complicated than a typical retail buildout. Between permits, commercial kitchen systems, ventilation requirements, fire suppression, inspections, and multiple agency approvals, delays can quickly turn into months of lost revenue. Many restaurant owners sign a lease expecting to open within a few months, only to discover

Closing your restaurant for a renovation can destroy cash flow fast. In New York City, where monthly rent alone can exceed $10,000, even a short shutdown can put serious pressure on your business. The reality is simple. Most NYC restaurant renovations can be completed while you stay partially or fully open. The key is having

By Built by Bob | 12 min read You’ve signed the lease. Your franchise agreement is inked. You’re ready to bring your restaurant concept to New York City. But then reality hits: NYC requires approval from over 7 different government agencies before you can serve your first customer. At Built by Bob, we’ve completed 200+