How to Choose a Restaurant Fit-Out Contractor in London

By Servet Yuksel — BIID Registered Interior Designer, Kapeti Interior Architecture

Choosing the wrong contractor for a restaurant fit-out in London is one of the most expensive mistakes a restaurant owner can make. Not because contractors are dishonest — but because most of them are appointed too late, briefed too narrowly, and given a set of drawings they had no part in creating.

By the time problems appear on site, the budget is already committed and the opening date is already at risk.

This guide explains what to look for, what to avoid, and what the right appointment actually looks like.

The First Question Is Not "Who Is the Cheapest?"

Most restaurant owners approach contractor selection as a pricing exercise. They produce drawings, send them to three or four contractors, compare the quotes and appoint the lowest.

This process has a structural flaw: the quotes are never comparing the same thing.

One contractor prices everything. Another excludes the kitchen. A third prices a different specification. The numbers look comparable on a spreadsheet and mean completely different things in practice.

The right question is not who is cheapest. It is who can take full responsibility for the project — from design through to the moment you receive your keys.

What Most London Contractors Cannot Do

A standard building contractor can build what they are given. They can follow drawings, manage trades on site and deliver a finished shell.

What they typically cannot do:

• Prepare landlord approval drawings and Licence to Alter submissions

• Coordinate a commercial kitchen layout with your chef

• Design and produce bespoke joinery — bars, banquettes, service counters

• Manage building control, planning permission and fire consultant appointments simultaneously

• Take responsibility for MEP systems — gas, extraction, electrical, ventilation — as part of the same contract

• Give you a realistic programme before any money is spent

These are not minor gaps. They are the parts of a restaurant project that determine whether it opens on time and within budget.

The Design and Build Difference

A design and build contractor is not a contractor who also has a designer. It is a practice where design and construction are genuinely integrated — the same team, the same contract, the same accountability.

This matters for one practical reason: when design and construction are separated, no one is fully responsible for the outcome.

The designer blames the contractor for not building to spec. The contractor blames the designer for drawings that could not be built as drawn. The client absorbs the cost of the gap between them.

In a design and build model, there is no gap. The team that designs the space also builds it. If something needs to change on site, it is resolved internally — not through a chain of correspondence between parties who have never worked together before.

Efes Plus Richmond by Kapeti

Five Things to Check Before Appointing Anyone

1. Have they delivered a complete restaurant project — not just a refurbishment?

A full restaurant fit-out involves gas systems, commercial kitchen installation, extraction and ventilation, fire suppression, building control and planning coordination. Ask for specific completed projects. Ask what they delivered and what was handled by others.

2. Do they work before the lease is signed?

The best teams will assess a space before you commit to it — checking gas capacity, extraction routes, drainage, structural limitations and landlord requirements. If a contractor only becomes involved after the lease is signed, you may already have committed to a space with expensive technical problems.

3. Can they produce landlord approval drawings and manage the Licence to Alter process?

This is a non-negotiable step for most London commercial spaces. If the contractor cannot manage this, you will need to appoint a separate designer — and you will be coordinating between them yourself.

4. Do they manufacture or source bespoke joinery?

Bars, service counters, banquettes and custom shelving are central to most restaurant interiors. Ask whether these are designed and produced in-house or subcontracted. If subcontracted, ask how they are specified, priced and managed.

5. What does their quote actually include?

Ask for a line-by-line breakdown. Kitchen installation, MEP systems, certifications, structural works, planning fees — these should all be visible. A quote that does not itemise these is a quote that will generate variations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much does a restaurant fit-out cost in London?

Costs vary significantly depending on the size of the space, its condition and the level of specification. As a general reference, a full turnkey restaurant fit-out in London typically starts from £400,000 for smaller venues and can exceed £1,000,000+ for larger or more complex projects. Shell and core spaces with no existing MEP infrastructure will cost more than spaces with usable services already in place. A credible contractor will provide a detailed budget breakdown — not a ballpark — before any money is committed.

How long does a restaurant fit-out take in London?

From lease signing to opening, most full restaurant fit-outs in London take between four and eight months. This includes the Licence to Alter process, building control approvals, design development, bespoke joinery production and construction. Projects in High-Risk Buildings — those 18 metres or taller with residential above — typically take longer due to the Building Safety Regulator's Gateway process. Contractors who promise significantly shorter timelines without accounting for approvals should be questioned carefully.

Do I need planning permission for a restaurant fit-out in London?

Not always — but often. Internal fit-out works generally don't require planning permission, but changes to the external facade, signage, extraction flues or a change of use from a previous operator's classification can trigger a planning application. In conservation areas and listed buildings, the bar is higher. A contractor who assesses planning requirements at the outset — rather than leaving it to you — is the one worth working with.

What is the difference between a fit-out contractor and a design and build contractor?

A standard fit-out contractor builds what they are given. A design and build contractor designs the space and builds it — under one contract, with one point of accountability. The practical difference is significant: when design and construction are separated, no single party is fully responsible for the outcome. In a design and build model, if something needs to change on site, it is resolved internally. There is no blame gap between a designer who isn't on site and a contractor who wasn't involved in the design.

Should I appoint an interior architect company before or after signing my lease?

Before — ideally well before. The right company will assess the space for you before you commit: checking gas supply capacity, extraction routes, drainage levels, structural limitations and landlord requirements. Committing to a lease without this assessment is one of the most common and costly mistakes in London restaurant projects. Technical problems discovered after signing are your problem to solve, not the landlord's.

What certifications should an interior architecture company provide at the end of a restaurant fit-out?

At handover, you should receive gas safety certificates, electrical installation condition reports, fire alarm and suppression system commissioning certificates, building control completion/closure certificates, mechanical and ventilation sign-off documentation, and a 12-month defects warranty. If your contractor cannot confirm these in advance, ask why — because without them, you cannot open legally or pass a council inspection.

What Kapeti Delivers

Kapeti is a design and build practice based in London. We deliver complete restaurant fit-outs — from the first landlord drawing to the night we hand over the keys.

Our completed restaurant projects include Efes Premium Wimbledon, Efes Richmond Plus, Soho Steak Restaurant and Twickenham Takeaway — each delivered as a full turnkey project, managing design, approvals, construction, bespoke joinery production and final certification under one contract.

We work with restaurant owners before they sign their lease, helping them understand what a space will require, what it will cost and how long it will take. We prepare landlord approval drawings, manage Licence to Alter submissions, coordinate building control and planning permission, design and produce bespoke joinery through our manufacturing partners in Turkey and Portugal, and manage every trade on site.

You deal with one person — Servet Yuksel, BIID Registered Interior Designer — from the first conversation to handover.

The first conversation is free. No cost, no obligation.

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