I started in restaurants and later moved into construction. I wrote an earlier post on Reddit about trading Saturday night dinner service for construction deadlines and how that switch changed my sleep. You can find it here.
This post is the follow up I wish I had when I was building my restaurants and making all the mistakes myself.
Before I start, note; New York City is its own ecosystem, YMMV in different places, but honestly, not much. Buildings have rules. Inspectors have calendars. DOH needs 28 days after you request for H25 license. Neighbors have opinions. None of that is impossible to navigate. It just rewards preparation the same way a great prep day saves a Saturday night. With that in mind, here is my short list that saves time, money, and blood pressure.
1. Go over your agreements and know your existing conditions!
Read the lease like it is a menu with hidden fees. Get the alteration agreement and building rules up front and go line by line. Confirm work hours, delivery windows, and freight elevator rules (if it applies) in writing. Ask about gas availability and the right to vent to the roof for a cooking hood. Check the size of your electric service so you know if it can carry the line and the walk in. Clarify whether the building forces you to use certain vendors for sprinklers or alarms (most do). Study the insurance language so your vendors can produce the exact certificate of insurance the landlord needs. Make sure the landlord will sign the forms that utilities and the city will request. These are boring details until someone blocks your truck or the freight goes down for inspection at 7:55 in the morning. I have lived that morning. A crew can sit idle or you can have a backup task list ready. Owners who handle this paperwork early protect their schedule before demo even starts.
2. Every Inch Needs to Work for You. Design for Function THEN Form.
Let service drive the layout and let pretty follow function. Map the path from delivery door to dry storage to prep to line to pass to dish to trash. Keep raw and ready paths clean and separate. Size the dish pit and the grease trap for peak and give the dirty path a clear lane that does not cross expo. Place hand sinks where people will actually use them. Decide where servers pick up and where they stage so they are not blocking a runner. Choose POS locations and run power and data to those exact spots, while you’re there run an extra homerun. If you are counter service, carve a clear order lane and a pickup area with room for couriers. Put guest restrooms where guests can find them and keep them accessible. If your area is stroller heavy, plan a legit stroller corral that does not block an exit. Maybe you can do it outside. Now do a walk through with your chef. Pretend it is 7pm and you are in the weeds. Any turn or doorway that feels tight in pretend mode will choke you on a real Saturday. You can paint a wall any time. Moving a wall is unnecessarily expensive, and leads to more delays.
3. Make Sure Ventilation is NOT an Afterthought. As Much as You Think it Matters, it Matters MORE!
Make the hood and the vent path a day one decision. If you cook with grease (spoiler, 90% of you do) you need a hood that vents outside and a suppression system that will pass inspection. There is no workaround that lasts. Figure out the duct path to the roof and every space it passes through. If there is residential above you, you will need to vent to the roof and cannot mount your blower on the wall. Confirm who controls those spaces and whether the landlord allows roof or wall penetrations. Plan for makeup air so the front door is not a wind tunnel. Budget for a fan that is quiet enough to keep upstairs neighbors calm and set it on vibration pads. If your concept may evolve, size the hood with a little headroom now rather than buying a new one later. Put the hood, duct, fan, and suppression on your long lead tracker. This package is often the difference between a project that glides and a project that grinds.
4. Worth Restating. Know Your Existing Conditions and Plan for Your Throughput
Confirm utilities and size them for real world loads. Call utilities at the start. Electric upgrades take time. Gas can be slow or unavailable, especially in NYC nowadays. If you need to go all electric that is fine but design for it now so you do not blow breakers on week one. Check water pressure and whether you need a booster. Confirm the size and condition of the sewer line. Choose your grease plan. Pick a hot water strategy that matches dish and prep load. Put floor sinks and drains where they actually serve equipment. Slopes matter. A drain that sits even a half inch higher than the tile creates a permanent puddle and a slip hazard. Size the walk in cooler bigger than you think. Build dry storage to the ceiling and buy a safe ladder. Storage is rent you pay once that saves headaches daily. I have too many friends with restaurants that have unused vertical space yet still rent a storage locker for extra supplies.
5. Don’t Miss the Admin Work. Put it All on a Calendar.
Give permits and inspections their own calendar with real float. In NYC, at minimum you will touch the Department of Buildings, the Fire Department, the Health Department, and utility companies. You may have sprinkler tests, hood and suppression tests, pressure tests, and more. Each has its own booking rhythm. Treat them as milestones and add float on both sides. Do not stack five trades behind a single inspection with zero slack. If an inspector misses a slot your week can fall over. Build a calendar with your team (engineer/architect/designer, GC, subs, and LL) that shows when drawings must be in, when submittals and shop drawings are due, when hood and sprinkler tests should land, and when the final DOH walkthrough is likely. Hold a standing weekly check in on approvals. What is in hand. What is still in review. Owners who chase paperwork with the same energy they use to tune a menu open closer to target.
6. After You’ve Planned Everything, Know Your “Prime Cost”
As restaurateurs, we know our numbers. You know your prime costs and your margins, and you know that food waste happens. You budget for it. So build your construction budget with grown up contingency and a clear wish list with the same dedication you do your P&Ls. Set a realistic range, then add a contingency for the stuff you cannot see. Old wiring inside a wall. A pipe you did not expect. Sprinkler relocations. Duct routing. Extra sound control because a bedroom is above your bar. A sidewalk patch your landlord requires. It adds up. Keep a short list of nice to haves that you can trim or phase if a surprise shows up. If you must cut, cut where guests will not feel it or where you can add later. Do not cut ventilation, waterproofing, or electrical safety. Price equipment with delivery and install so you are not stuck refereeing between vendors in the last week. Publish finish allowances for yourself or your designer so you can shop without blowing the numbers. If you fall in love with a tile that doubles the cost the spreadsheet will say it clearly. Numbers are friendly if you let them speak.
7. Know Your Schedule and Track It
Run the timeline like a shift and track long leads like specials. A build is a long service. Every move depends on the one before it. Identify the items with the longest lead times and order them early. Hoods, walk ins, custom millwork, specialty lighting, stone, and some cooking equipment can take weeks. Gas meter letters and utility coordination are never fast. Elevator bookings for deliveries are real gates. Put owner supplied items on the same tracker as contractor items. Many openings slip because one owner order is late. Give samples and approvals calendar dates. If approvals sit, installs slide. Use a simple weekly scoreboard. Green means ordered. Yellow means action needed. Red means do not sleep on this one. Add a little buffer at every key handoff. Think of it as overflow seating for time. If nothing goes wrong you open early. If something hiccups you avoid chaos.
8. Save Money Where You Can But Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
DIY with intent and know where to stop. There is pride and savings in being hands on. There is also risk in touching the wrong scopes. Do not DIY gas, electrical, sprinklers, fire alarms, or hood suppression. These must be installed by licensed pros and inspected. Do not open structural walls without engineering and permits. Do not move a floor drain three inches for a cooler without confirming slope and approval. Smart owner moves are real. Price and purchase loose furniture. Select tile, paint, and finishes after quantities are confirmed. Build a physical sample board so the crew sees your taste. Create a digital binder with cut sheets for every piece of equipment including power and drain needs. Handle art and decor. Set up soft goods and opening stock. Run a weekly walk and keep a short yes or no list for decisions. Put decisions in writing so the field team is never guessing. That is free speed and it protects quality.
9. FOH is Just as Important as BOH
Win your neighbors and plan for noise, odor, and trash. Winning the block is as important as winning your first review. Introduce yourself early. Share a real cell number and answer it. Tell neighbors which days will be loud. Ask when school pickup hits the block and avoid deliveries in that window. Invest in sound control in the ceiling if there are apartments above. Think extra layers of gypsum, resilient channels, acoustic sealant, better door sweeps, and a quiet fan on vibration pads. Keep hood filters fresh and consider carbon filtration if neighbors are tight. Plan trash with storage that closes and a clean sidewalk routine. If you are in a co op or a landmark district be extra transparent. The day you need a water shutoff or a late delivery grace you will be glad you banked goodwill. Remember in these industries, banked goodwill is an asset for when things go wrong. Something always goes wrong.
10. Do Your Dry Runs Like They’re Your Pre-Service Meeting
Operations first, finishes second, then stress test everything. Walk the space as if it is a sold out Saturday. Where do servers wait for the pass without blocking a runner. Where does a wheelchair turn without moving two tables. Where do takeout bags stage so they do not sit on bar stools. Where do heat lamps plug in at the pass. Where do bar mats drain. Where does the broom live so it does not become wall art. Measure plate stacks and glass storage and give every tool a home. Everything needs a home. Put outlets where people actually work. Run low voltage for cameras and a network closet that breathes. After install, hold a shakedown day. Fire the line. Fill the dish pit. Run the bar. Invite a few friends and simulate service. Find the squeaks while the crew is still on site. Moving a light or adding a shelf is cheaper before your first real guest walks in.
A few small habits make life easier once the lights are on. Order a spare of the fixtures that matter most such as a faucet or a flush valve. Label every breaker and every shutoff valve. Keep spare roof fan belts and hood filters on a shelf. You should have a google doc or sheet with all of the crucial spare part numbers. Hang a laminated sheet in the office with emergency contacts for landlord, utilities, and key vendors. Put a whiteboard in the kitchen with a daily maintenance list and a weekly deep clean checklist. If you have a basement or hallway that sometimes takes water, buy a small sump pump before you need it. None of this is glamorous. All of it is money in the bank on a rough day.
Don’t start anything until the menu is set. That will dictate design and equipment. Write the menu first and buy the right tools once. Don’t forget delivery logistics. If possible, give drivers a door that is not your front door. Don’t pick a beautiful bar sink that cannot swallow an ice dump. Choose capacity over cute. Don’t put the ice machine in a room with no floor drain. Not only does ice melt, but cleaning those requires dozens of gallons of water and if there’s nowhere for it to go, it will find your host stand. Don’t skip a mop sink near the bar. Bartenders will carry buckets across a dining room exactly once. Don’t underestimate storage for paper goods, smallwares, liquor cages, catering gear. See my earlier point about vertical space. Don’t trust old plumbing and wiring because it looks fine. Test lines, replace what is tired, and sleep better.
Building a restaurant is not easy. Building a restaurant in NYC is even harder. There is no magic – though if you do it well, the neighbors that see the wall coverings one day and their new local another might think you’re Houdini. Owners who make a clear plan, track decisions, respect building rules, and communicate like they run a tight service tend to open close to target. Curveballs will show up. A fan that hums louder than expected. A neighbor who works nights and sleeps days. A back order on a part you never knew existed. Preparation is what turns chaos into a simple course correction. Put your energy into process and you will keep your adrenaline for the full house you actually want.
If this is useful, I am a general contractor in NYC who came up in restaurants. I am happy to answer questions in the comments or in DMs. If you missed it, I shared a post about why I traded restaurants for construction. Another spoiler; I sleep like a baby, and spend a lot more time with my actual baby these days.
