The entire restaurant design and construction process can be long and arduous, especially in a location like New York City. Having the right team in place will make the experience of watching your dream come to life unforgettable. Although you may be the brains behind the operation, the most important thing is to understand that you cannot do it all when creating a restaurant. Do your research, talk to people in the industry, and find the right Architect and construction team that is right for you. Trust in your team and you will put yourself in the best position to succeed before it even opens.
To complete your vision, you will need the help of a restaurant architect. A restaurant architect’s key role is to create a set of documents that shows the design intent. It outlines how your restaurant concept should be built according to all applicable codes, including building, accessibility, and egress. Restaurant architects work through every phase of the restaurant construction process. From initial conception through completion of construction, a restaurant architect should be one of the first people you bring on board your team.
A restaurant architect interacts closely with every vendor and consultant on the team whether it concerns construction or not, throughout the life of the project. He is the only one who can provide the design perspective across a range of categories, make recommendations, and even suggest specific consultants or vendors that you, the restaurateur, are not even aware of.
When looking to create the ultimate design team, the following are some you may add along with your architect, engineers, and general contractor:
Commercial Kitchen Consultant – a Commercial Kitchen Consultant designs and assists in the implementation of all the equipment in your restaurant’s kitchen.
Interior Designer -an interior designer will help you bring the vision
you have for your restaurant’s design to life; they are especially adept at weighing out what customers want.
Commercial Furniture Vendor – Commercial Furniture Vendors, consult on which furniture is best for your restaurant concept and implements your agreed-upon design.
Lighting Consultant – a commercial lighting consultant helps you decide and design which restaurant lighting is best for your space.
Acoustical Consultant – an acoustical consultant specializes in installing acoustical ceilings, walls, and the like to make sound travel best in your space.
Millworker – Different from a carpenter or contractor, a millworker specializes in designing and installing any wood products that come from a mill – doors, molding, trim, wood paneling, crown molding, etc.
Graphic Designer – a Graphic Designer will create all the design assets you need to market your restaurant, including your logo, promotional materials, content for your social channels, and the like.
Web Developer – a Web Developer will consult on, design, and code your website.
Though some of these consultants may never interact with each other, they will work together using their understanding of your vision to create a unified and cohesive concept and design. “I wish I would have known that before I started…” is all too common a phrase with restaurateurs, particularly those who are designing or building their first restaurant.
There is a lot that goes into restaurant construction and restaurateurs’ minds are expected to be in a million places at once. When it comes to building and designing a memorable restaurant concept, there are lots of different restaurant designers, contractors, consultants, and specialists that will all contribute. There are timelines to consider, lots of stakeholders, and best practices for restaurant construction. A restaurant architect will you walk through the main considerations for building a restaurant, incorporating strategies to build and design a beautiful, inclusive space for your future patrons.
In a nutshell, deciding what to build is the first step in building a successful restaurant. Programming restaurant functions, style, and location start with the site survey. Followed by schematic design, design development, architectural drawings preparation with filing at the building department, construction documents preparation, hiring the contractor, and construction administration.
Here is a checklist to help with construction steps.
Restaurant Construction Checklist
Find a specialized restaurant construction team or restaurant contractor.
Pick the right location with a combination of adequate space, foot traffic, physical location and accessibility, and utilities.
Review available utilities and services like electrical power, water, waste, and more.
Read the lease and review it with your restaurant construction teams and a real estate lawyer.
Follow building and regulatory codes.
Choose the right equipment layout for efficiency and consult with restaurant design and construction experts.
Create a design that suits your restaurant type and factor in your specific customer needs.
From conception to completion at every step, Scarano Architect, PLLC will provide technical expertise in restaurant design and development. We are the architects that solve problems, save you money, and make your life easier. The best restaurant projects are created when the client, architect, and general contractor work as a team. Together we will develop a restaurant design idea into a coherent proposal. We will communicate ideas, concepts, and merits of design that combined will guarantee to make your restaurant a momentous success!