What is a restaurant remodel?
A restaurant remodel is indispensable when sprucing up your restaurant’s image and improving your dining space. A restaurant remodel can be a daunting task. It costs a lot of money, time-consuming, and could even hurt your brand if you are not careful.
But renovating your restaurant is essential for maximizing sales. It can enhance the appeal of your restaurant and help your staff work more efficiently if you plan the remodel the right way. There are special factors to consider when remodelling a restaurant.
You need to make sure the layout, wiring, water, parking, lighting and many other factors are carefully planned. Updating your restaurant can be expensive, so it can be tempting to scrimp on a few things. But you can remodel your restaurant and remain within your budget with the help of a restaurant renovation checklist.
In this article, you will learn:
1. Why restaurant remodel and restauration is important
2. The 7 steps of a restaurant renovation and remodel
3. How a mobile app can make your renovation project easier
The importance of restaurant renovation checklist
Keeping your restaurant design up-to-date is a smart strategy for staying relevant in the foodservice industry. The appearance of a restaurant is as important to customers as the quality of food. For this reason, industry experts recommend restaurant remodeling once every ten years. This will attract new customers and keep your loyal customers happy.
No one wants to dine in a worn-out, outdated, untidy place. Giving your restaurant’s interior and exterior a fresh look can make it more inviting and attract new and old customers alike. A newly renovated restaurant will gain you a new customer base and everyone will be excited to see your updated menu, your new space, and improved features.
A restaurant kitchen remodel could also be beneficial to your staff, especially if your old space is dysfunctional. A poorly planned restaurant design contributes to issues in your restaurant operations. With a new and smart design, you will let your staff move around quickly and provide better customer service and keep everyone safe. A restaurant remodel is therefore also a preventive measure to keep everything up and running smoothly.
Renovations take a lot of time, money, and effort. But it can bring the management great returns on investments. Restaurant kitchen renovations could also be a great opportunity for management to implement new policies and guidelines that will be beneficial to the business.
How to renovate your restaurant in 7 Steps
There are numerous restaurant renovation ideas you can find on the Internet. But first, you must decide when you want to do the remodel because good timing is vital. And the best time to schedule your renovation is, of course, during off-peak season so that you don’t lose any major business.
Creating a restaurant remodel checklist can help you prioritize the most crucial tasks so that you keep all the important things in mind and can delegate properly. The moment you realize your restaurant needs a remodel, you need to define your goal. Do you want to change your restaurant’s colour scheme? Do you need to update the furniture? Or is there a new technology you want to adopt?
Before you embark on any endeavour, it is always useful to be clear about what you want. And by establishing your goals beforehand you can start setting a budget that matches your vision and create a remodelling checklist for construction.
Follow these seven steps to successfully remodel your restaurant:
Step 1: Research
- Create a financial forecast by assessing your financial statements. You need financial forecasting so you can prepare for the future. It is necessary for setting reasonable expectations for the restaurant remodel.
- Collect feedback from guests and employees about restaurant décor or atmosphere.
- Find out how much you can afford for the remodel.
- See if you need to apply for financing and if you are eligible.
- Evaluate the effect of the renovation on your business’ cash flow.
- Evaluate the impact of the remodel on future sales.
Step 2: Planning
- Gather all information from your research and the feedback you’ve collected from employees and guests. Use it all to decide what kind of remodel your restaurant needs.
- Set a schedule for the renovation.
- Determine your budget.
- Set the goals of remodelling
- Hire the right architect, designer, or contractor.
- Find out how long the project will take.
- Review the projected remodel cost.
- Announce the remodelling plans to staff and customers.
Step 3: Permits and Licenses
Restaurant remodelling won’t be possible without the relevant licenses and documents of approval from the government. You need to have the appropriate permits to start the construction. Your contractor will know what local or federal licenses you will need for the renovation.
In most cases, you will need to do these things to get the necessary permits:
- Submit your floor plan
- Initial on-site inspections
- Final on-site inspections
Step 4: Design and Construction Specification
The type of food that you serve in your restaurant will dictate the design of your food premises. The right design and layout will simplify your foodservice operation, reduce the time spend on cleaning and maintenance, and prevent cross-contamination.
For example, to prevent food contamination, your layout must allow the food to flow in one direction from the receiving area to storage and then preparation, cooking, plating, serving, and disposal.
Plan the design and layout so that there will be enough space for dry goods, fruits and vegetables, and wet ingredients. There must also be a space for cutlery, cooking utensils, crockery, chemicals, and your staff’s personal belongings. Cool rooms, freezers, dry storage areas, and other food prep areas must be adequate and not overcrowded. Remember that your staff will be working in these areas too.
Step 5: Plumbing Fixtures
Your plumbing fixtures must allow your staff to easily perform their tasks such as washing and cleaning without violating food safety best practices. You must have enough sinks that can accommodate the type and quantity of food your establishment prepares. You must also have a continuous supply of hot and cold water in all sinks and hand basins.
Step 6: Mechanical Ventilation
Your restaurant’s ventilation is necessary for the safe preparation and storage of food. It can also affect the health, comfort, and morale of your employees and customers. You must make sure your restaurant remodel checklist covers the following ventilation features:
- Hoods installed over appliances that produce high levels of heat
- Exhaust fans to keep air moving
- Makeup air systems to prevent negative pressure in the building that can reduce indoor air quality
- Fire suppression systems compliant with your local code office’s requirements
Step 7: Waste Management and Bin Storage
Have enough bins and waste containers inside your property. Place them in areas that won’t compromise food safety. Indicate your on-site bin storage location on your floor plans.
Remodel your restaurant efficiently with a digital checklist
A strong system of record keeping is necessary for when you want to remodel your restaurant. This way you can keep track of your budget, assign tasks, and get clear ideas of what it is that you want. In addition a checklist will help you ensure that you are complying with regulatory requirements and have all the necessary forms and permits complete when you’re ready to start construction.
- Lumiform’s flexible form builder helps you turn any individual paper-based checklist into a complete and customizable digital checklist within minutes.
- Using the mobile app you have your checklists with you wherever you go: and you can easily send it to responsable architects and contractors so they can stay up to date with any changes.
- All exam results are automatically bundled into one report so that you never miss a thing that goes on on site.
