In order to remain successful, experts say a restaurant needs to refresh its facility about once every seven years. Taking the time to renovate a restaurant can be quite a project though. Knowing how to successfully renovate a restaurant in a manner that minimizes downtime for clients is essential to keep happy customers and keep your facility fresh.
At RCA Contractors, we know that developing a relationship with a reliable contractor and scheduling a remodel as part of normal business operation helps restaurants avoid a worn look as well as avoid issues with municipal and health department inspectors.
Planning ahead gives a general contractor time to coordinate with an architect or designer to formulate a strategy to help reduce the amount of downtime for the business, and they may include ideas on partitioning the space while construction is underway.
For restaurateurs who lease their business location, it is a good idea to review their lease agreement ahead of time and check with the building’s owner prior to renovation. This will help determine the landlord’s construction requirements, like insurance coverage. Getting the landlord on board with your restaurant renovation can only help move the project along, especially where the restaurateur seeks to make structural changes to the premises.
In fact, in our experience, some landlords are willing to share some of the costs of the project when the improvements will enhance the value of their facilities. This happens periodically because refreshing a restaurant increases the value of the business, as well as the accompanying real estate.
Read: 5 Roles Of A Restaurant General Contractor
Renovating the look and function of a restaurant should involve a team of professionals from the design and planning phase to construction all the way to final approvals by building inspectors.
For major restaurant remodels, RCA spends a lot of time with a client’s design team, which can include an architect, kitchen designer, interior designer and engineers who specialize in mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems for restaurants.
Nothing slows down a remodeling project like delayed ordering of construction materials, so to keep a construction schedule moving smoothly, we spend a lot of time coordinating with all of these professionals, as well as subcontractors and suppliers of restaurant equipment, building materials, and finishes. In fact, we routinely meet with these professionals to ensure that everything is running smoothly and to proactively address any issues that can impact the job.
Common trades involved in a restaurant renovation include:
Design is not just about making a restaurant look attractive, it also means improving the efficiency and flow of the space.
Working closely with architects and other design-team professionals, we can implement a broad range of improvements to bring restaurants up to code and make them more efficient. These improvements can include:
Many restaurant renovations include structural upgrades. These can include changes such as moving load-bearing walls and adding outdoor seating spaces. Other common upgrades include improvements to parking, exterior lighting, landscaping, and signage.
Max, the owner of RCA Contractors, not only has years of experience reading structural and engineering plans but he has years of experience reading and following interior design plans. For projects involving interior designers, Max works with these professionals to achieve attractive and budget-minded results.
Some restaurateurs design their own interior finishes and landscape improvements. If this is the case, that is not a problem for Max. He has worked closely with restaurateurs in the past to meet design expectations at a fair and reasonable price. His years of experience working with restaurateurs and building owners provides helpful insight for making sure that the final product meets his client’s business needs and aesthetics while also staying within budget.
One of the most arduous tasks in remodeling a restaurant is navigating municipal and state agencies that govern building, health and zoning codes. This task can be a headache for most stakeholders in restaurant remodeling projects. However, stress can be minimized if an experienced and efficient general contractor manages these tasks. Max has spent countless hours obtaining the permits necessary for a project, which includes meeting with building officials, scheduling inspections, meeting with architects and engineers, and keeping work crews on task to meet deadlines.
In addition to quality construction, RCA’s customers rely on Max to neatly unravel the red tape that can be such a tangle in any construction project. Our goal when it comes to restaurant remodeling is to help our customers reopen their restaurant doors in a timely manner with pride.
If you have questions about a restaurant renovation, then please feel free to contact Max Tripodi, a licensed Florida commercial contractor, at (954) 931-6688. He will be more than happy to answer your questions.
To learn more about Max Tripodi or to learn about some of his past restaurant renovation projects, see Florida General Contractor
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Restaurant Construction Services