During the past several months we’ve seen restaurants, retail stores, and entertainment venues being hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. With government-mandated closures and the community’s general wariness about being in close proximity to fellow patrons, businesses and restaurants have been left with no other choice but to close their doors – many of them permanently.

In the wake of this pandemic, however, there will also be opportunities for those with the motivation and resources to bring new visions to life without the expense of a brand new build.

In With the New

While we can’t say for certain when this pandemic will be over, we do know that our community is resilient. We’ve seen it before, and we will see it again here in South Florida.

As we restore our community together, investors have a real opportunity to capitalize on restaurant and retail builds by rehabilitating existing properties that have been left vacant during these difficult times.

As society ramps back up following the pandemic, it is likely the future of restaurants will look a little different, at least in the near-term. New renovations or builds should factor these and other considerations into their build plans:

• Location – The current trend of take-out will likely not slow down any time soon. As you evaluate location options, consider who your primary consumers will be and how conducive your location is to a grab-and-go environment?
• Space – Within your restaurant design, what are the ways in which you can continue to encourage social distancing or minimize close interactions? Might you need either a larger or smaller footprint to accommodate your business goals in light of new pandemic concerns?

Restaurants are and always will be a place of community – of coming together to share and connect over food and drink. Creative business owners and investors have a unique opportunity to restore existing restaurants without the full expense of a new restaurant build.

To do so successfully, it’s important to take the time now to plan and prepare. It starts by engaging a local general contractor early so you can get started with critical pre-construction planning and permitting requirements.

At Seacoast Construction, we’re ready to help turn your restaurant vision into reality. Get in touch today to schedule a virtual consultation.