An investor looking to open a new restaurant in United Kingdom needs to know about the fundamentals of renovations and decorations
When considering investing in a venue to open a new restaurant, an investor wants to have some key information about decoration and related matters that are crucial in the feasibility calculations. For this reason, they consult with architects and contractors who provide commercial interior design & decoration services, seeking answers to some urgent questions.
Based on our experience, the primary questions in the mind of an investor looking to open a new restaurant are usually as follows:
What is the seating capacity for a restaurant in this space?
Proportionally, how much space should be allocated for seating, the kitchen, and restrooms in the layout?
Approximately, how much would it cost for turnkey renovation and decoration (including construction work, furniture, chairs, signage, everything)?
What would be the total cost of this restaurant project include industrial kitchen as total?
How long would it take to complete the construction of this restaurant?
Who should I collaborate with to build this restaurant? Where should I start?
What permits, regulations, licenses, and certifications are required for restaurants?
From the perspective of an investor, we understand that you want to obtain the answers to all these questions in the very first meeting and we appreciate your enthusiasm. However, quick answers to these questions could be misleading and may lead to distrust and disappointment between the client and the designer in the future.
We, Kapeti Interior Architecture a professional restaurant design&build company operating in London, strive to provide answers to investors' questions based on our own experiences as a company that handles design, building, kitchen manufacturing, furniture manufacturing, and technical aspects under one roof.
First and foremost, you need a proper design documents
Renting a prestigious location in the United Kingdom can be subject to many procedures. Shops suitable for restaurants are usually located in prime locations, and the landlords of these locations are equally exclusive and meticulous. Landlords are not only interested in your rental offer, the duration of the offer, and its amount, but they also want to see how you will invest in the proposed location beforehand. In cities like London, the number of premium shops suitable for restaurants is fewer than you might think (every restaurateur's dream is to find a terrace restaurant in Soho). Remember that the owners of these shops likely already own other properties and evaluate incoming offers from an investor's perspective.
Sometimes, you can pass your offer by landlords with a presentation file consisting of a few pages of text and visuals describing your investment, while other times you may need a detailed project to persuade them. The impressiveness of your initial approach will set you apart from other offers and successfully concluding the lease agreement is the first step towards a sound investment.
As professionals in this field, we can confidently say that planning and design account for 50% of a project's success. Determining the budget required for completing a project, optimizing the efficiency of the space, anticipating future transformations the space might undergo, and preparing infrastructure accordingly are findings that can only emerge after a smartly designed and detailed project design process.
A restaurant interior architecture project encompasses everything needed to open a restaurant, including conceptual design ideas related to the restaurant, technical detail projects related to electricity, climate control, ventilation, and other mechanical processes, all furniture and decoration elements, lighting design projects, graphic designs, and everything else that needs to be planned for opening a restaurant. The more attention and flexibility you pay to the project timeline, the greater the chances of success for your investment.
How to Work with Whom & How to Build a Restaurant?
Drawing from our own experience, as Kapeti Interior Architecture, we typically meet our clients during the negotiation of the lease agreement and start working from the very beginning. Beginning work at the initial stages is highly beneficial in terms of presenting an architect's perspective during the evaluation of whether the potential venue aligns with the concept in the client's mind. Fulfilling our client's requests, the landlord's desires, or the requirements set by the landlord's appointed surveyor, and converging all these requests into a common ground to create a project can sometimes be a process that takes months.
Understanding the requirements from the landlord, the surveyor appointed by the landlord, or possible demands, restrictions, and conditions from the local council where the venue is located at the outset allows for the development of designs in line with these requirements, thereby eliminating potential problems that may arise later.
Throughout the design and implementation stages of a project, you will encounter various individuals and terms multiple times. Some of these include the concept design development architectural team, Principal Architect, Principal Contractor, Project Manager, Mechanical Contractor, subcontractors, suppliers, traders, etc.
At Kapeti Interior Architecture, we believe in the necessity of managing a project comprehensively from A to Z. Accordingly, we handle the design & planning, construction works, establishment of mechanical and electrical infrastructure, custom woodworking, industrial kitchen, and all visible decorations under one roof, starting from the lease stage. We believe that by managing projects in this manner, they are delivered error-free with the fastest and most accurate coordination possible.
From our own experiences, we've found that having multiple teams involved in a single project can significantly prolong the project timeline and lead to chaos if errors aren't properly addressed, potentially yielding undesirable project outcomes. It's crucial to remember that the development of a commercial project requires stress management and professional management right from the start. Time is your most valuable asset in investments, and by taking the projects we work on seriously, we aim to save time for those who trust us.
Project Cost?
The main cost components of a restaurant project include project design and implementation management, construction works, electrical, gas, plumbing, insulation, acoustic works, etc., encompassing flawless technical infrastructure, industrial kitchen manufacturing, and interior architectural decoration elements. There are many other factors that determine the cost of a project. Details such as the technical adequacy of the building where the restaurant will be located, the facilities available at its location, the segment of the restaurant you intend to create, and the requirements of the gastronomic concept you will serve in the restaurant all need to be known and evaluated. The true cost of a project only emerges after the design phase, when each aspect of the project is priced individually.
Restaurant investors can influence the cost of a project either upward or downward before and during the planning phase by working with the architectural group. Fixtures and fittings, whether present or absent in the leased premises, can significantly impact the project cost, which is why we recommend consulting with professionals before finalizing a lease agreement.
Challenges in Restaurant Decoration, Certifications, Licenses, Legislation, Permissions
Restaurants are public spaces, and the qualities they must possess are meticulously defined by various regulations. During the planning, construction, and decoration of a restaurant, numerous fundamental criteria must be met. These include the ventilation criteria for the kitchen and seating areas, acoustic requirements in the surrounding environment where external units of ventilation and climate control components are located, health and safety requirements during decoration works, timely submission of mechanical project applications to the local council (such as discharge of conditions, etc.), managing planning permission applications, advertisement planning permission, communication management between neighboring shops and the local community during restaurant construction, licensing of newly installed electrical, gas, and fire installations by approved contractors, compliance of essential elements like emergency exits and emergency lighting with fire regulations, and ensuring all construction works comply with building regulations. Any overlooked detail could lead to significant issues later on. Each council and building has its unique circumstances and must be examined individually.
There are notable differences between a residential project and a qualified interior architectural project for a restaurant. A variety of construction workers, such as heating engineers, electricians, painters, joiners, ground workers, roofers, plumbers, floor specialists, kitchen specialists, mechanical engineers, etc., must work together in harmony at a restaurant worksite. It's essential for these workers to be approved contractors, hold CSCS cards, and work in compliance with health and safety rules, with method and risk assessments being flawlessly conducted by project managers and site managers. Weekly safety inspections and meticulous management of all these details are imperative to ensure that our investment doesn't stumble at the outset.
Even passing through councils, building surveyors, potential inspectors appointed by landlords, and approval from the building management where the restaurant is located may not always be sufficient. For a sound investment, it's essential that all technical infrastructure, from the restaurant's industrial kitchen to the common areas where it hosts customers, from restrooms to bars, be prepared for long-term transformations and be designed considering all potential future requirements.
Restaurant decoration is a serious matter and should be managed by professionals, primarily to avoid risks and ensure experienced handling. At Kapeti Design, we handle all aspects of design, planning, project management, construction, furniture, and post-opening risk assessments. We ensure necessary licensing, final test certifications, and building regulations approvals (if required) are obtained and manage the entire process turnkey. Throughout the construction of the restaurant, we have a project manager on-site and an architect responsible for the site, ensuring oversight and management of all our projects.
Our recommendation to investors is to leave design and implementation to professionals and focus on critical success evaluation factors such as advertising, service, restaurant menus, and other food and marketing-related aspects after the restaurant has opened.
Project Duration
The project duration varies from project to project. As an example, for a shell & core restaurant, we can discuss approximately a 2-month design phase and an implementation phase ranging from 4 to 7 months - we would ideally like to be more optimistic. However, when discussing these average durations, it includes bespoke production of all seating and service groups for a minimum 100-seat capacity restaurant, equipping the venue with comprehensive electrical, gas, and water installations from top to bottom, designing and manufacturing an industrial kitchen tailored to your menu and installing it, implementing effective fire prevention systems such as a chimney system and ansul system, installing indoor fresh air systems, custom production and installation of all attractive interior architectural elements, submitting planning permission applications, and certifying all completed works.
On the other hand, the decoration process for an already operational restaurant is subject to different parameters, so the duration varies from place to place. Sometimes, depending on the work involved, desired decorations can even be implemented in short periods of 1-2 months.
If you're a restaurant investor, please feel free to contact us to discuss the priority status of your project. We would be delighted to discuss the services and content we can provide to you.
Servet Yuksel - Principal Architect
07342240695