Start before the lease is signed

The most expensive mistakes in a food service build-out happen before construction. Before signing:

  • Confirm zoning and permitted use for a restaurant at that address. A space that previously held retail may not be approved for food service without a change of use.
  • Find out what's already there. An existing commercial kitchen with grease interceptor, hood, and adequate electrical service is worth far more than a lower rent on a bare shell.
  • Check service capacity. Electrical panel size, gas supply, water and drainage, and whether the exhaust can be routed to the roof.
  • Understand the landlord's work vs. yours. Get the tenant improvement scope in writing, including who is responsible for base building items.
  • Have a contractor look at it and give a cost range before you commit to the lease term.

Ventilation is the item that decides budgets. A commercial kitchen exhaust hood, makeup air, and roof penetration is a large cost. If a space has a usable hood already, that changes the math on the whole deal.

The sequence

  1. Layout and drawings. Kitchen workflow, seating count, accessibility, and washroom requirements all interact. This is also what the permit application is built from.
  2. Permit application and health authority review. Food premises plans generally need approval from the regional health authority in addition to a building permit.
  3. Demolition, including any required asbestos assessment on older buildings.
  4. Rough-in. Plumbing, electrical, gas, and exhaust. Grease interceptor and floor drains go in now.
  5. Inspections before closing walls. This is the checkpoint that cannot be skipped.
  6. Wall and ceiling finishes, with washable surfaces where required in food prep areas.
  7. Flooring, coved where required, and sealed.
  8. Equipment set and connection, hood commissioning and balancing.
  9. Millwork, counters, front of house finishes.
  10. Final building and health inspections, then occupancy and licensing.

Where openings actually slip

  • Equipment lead times. Order early. A hood or refrigeration unit arriving late holds up inspection, not just installation.
  • Drawing revisions. Each round of changes after submission restarts a review clock.
  • Discovering the space needs a change of use after the lease is signed.
  • Grease interceptor requirements found late, which can mean cutting a finished floor.

Planning around a target opening date

Work backwards from the date you want to open, not forwards from today. Health approval and final inspection sit at the end and cannot be compressed, so every week lost early comes out of the finish schedule. Building in schedule slack costs nothing; rent on a space you can't open costs every month.

Common questions

What should I check before signing a restaurant lease?

Confirm zoning permits food service at that address, check whether a change of use is required, and assess existing infrastructure: exhaust hood, grease interceptor, electrical panel capacity, gas supply, and drainage. Have a contractor view the space and give a cost range before you commit to the lease term.

Do restaurant plans need health authority approval in BC?

Food premises plans generally require approval from the regional health authority in addition to a municipal building permit. Because both reviews sit in the schedule, they are worth starting as early as possible.

What most often delays a restaurant opening?

Equipment lead times, drawing revisions after permit submission, discovering a change of use is needed, and late-identified requirements like a grease interceptor. The construction work itself is rarely the bottleneck.

This guide is general information for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, not legal advice or a substitute for your municipality's building department. Requirements vary by city and by project.