5 Things to Consider Before a Restaurant Fit-Out

A restaurant fit-out is one of the biggest investments you'll make as an owner. Get it right and you've got a space that works beautifully for years. Get it wrong and you'll be fixing problems, and paying for them, long after opening night.

After years of building and maintaining restaurants across London, here are five things we always tell our clients to think about before the first hammer swings.

1. Know Your Budget (and Be Honest About It)

This sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many builds go wrong because the budget wasn't realistic from the start. A good contractor will work with whatever you've got, but they need to know the real number.

Don't hold back 20% "just in case." Tell your builder the full picture. That way they can plan properly, prioritise the things that matter most, and avoid nasty surprises halfway through.

The best result comes from honest conversations about money, not from guessing games.

2. Think About Flow Before You Think About Style

It's tempting to start with Pinterest boards and mood lighting. But the restaurants that work best are designed around flow first:

• How do staff move between kitchen and floor?
• Where do deliveries come in?
• Can the bar be restocked without crossing the dining room?
• Is there enough space between tables for comfortable service?

Get the layout right and everything else falls into place. Get it wrong and no amount of beautiful tiling will fix a kitchen bottleneck during Friday night service.

3. Plan Your Kitchen Around the Menu

Your kitchen should be built for the food you're actually serving, not a generic "restaurant kitchen." A wood-fired pizza place needs a completely different setup to a fine-dining tasting menu restaurant.

Think about extraction, gas requirements, refrigeration space, prep areas, and pass design before you sign off on anything. A good builder will ask you about your menu before they ask about your tiles.

4. Don't Underestimate Electrics and Plumbing

The unsexy stuff is often the most expensive, and the most important. Restaurants use a huge amount of power and water. If the existing supply isn't up to the job, upgrading it can eat into your budget fast.

Get a proper survey done early. Know what the building can handle before you commit to a design that needs three-phase power and six extraction fans.

5. Choose a Builder Who Understands Restaurants

A house builder and a restaurant builder are not the same thing. Restaurants have specific needs: commercial kitchen regulations, extraction requirements, accessibility standards, licensing considerations, and the reality that every day you're not open is a day you're losing money.

Find someone who's done it before. Ask for references. Visit their previous builds. A specialist will spot problems that a generalist won't even think about.

The right builder doesn't just construct your space; they protect your investment.