Opening a restaurant is an ambitious undertaking, and a restaurant renovation can quickly bust your budget if you don’t know where the best opportunities are for spending vs. saving. Before you overspend on your buildout, consider these common construction expenses and ways you can save by planning ahead to seek alternatives:

• New equipment – Commercial kitchen equipment is one of the most expensive items in a restaurant renovation budget, but there are ways to save. Buying used equipment or renovating existing restaurant properties that have had to close their doors may enable you to save on some of these more expensive equipment and furniture items. Just be sure the equipment is compatible with your kitchen design.
• Remodeling and decor – Your restaurant space should be inviting and it is worth spending money on functionality and aesthetics, but a few high-impact elements can go a long ways in making a statement without breaking the bank. Moreover, if you renovate an existing restaurant property, you already have a footprint that you could potentially work with. Even small changes to an existing restaurant is likely still better for your budget than starting from scratch.
• Installation challenges – Experienced general contractors know that challenges are bound to arise during equipment installation, but they also know to anticipate such challenges. Save yourself time and money by partnering with a GC who can get it right the first time.

When installing commercial kitchen equipment, it needs to mesh both with the life safety requirements (e.g., the fire alarm and sprinkler and other electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems), as well as fit the project’s operational needs. Sometimes (ok, rather often) something goes wrong in this process. Our solution? We wait to close the walls until the right equipment is ultimately installed. This small step goes unnoticed by most but saves us a lot of time, rework effort, and money, which is always a win for our clients.

As you consider your restaurant needs, know that it is possible to open a restaurant on a budget, and savvy restaurateurs who connect early with an experienced GC can stretch their budget even further.

Our team at Seacoast Construction is ready to take you through the important steps needed to successfully complete a restaurant renovation – starting with pre-construction through to completion. For all your commercial construction questions, get in touch.