Restaurant Remodeling and Maintenance Checklist

Walk the dining room, bar, line, dish pit, and walk-in with the GM and exec chef. Mark choke points: server stations blocking expo, four-tops jammed against the POS, dish return crossing food runner paths. Photograph each station so the designer has a real baseline.

Lock the concept (refresh vs. full rebrand), seat count target, and the FF&E budget envelope before drawings start. Concept drift after the architect engages is the single largest cost overrun in restaurant remodels.

Use a kitchen designer with FDA Food Code experience, not just a general architect. Plans must show hood CFM, three-bay sink placement, handwash sinks within 25 feet of each prep station, and grease trap sizing — the health department checks these on plan review.

Most jurisdictions require plan review by the local health department before building permits issue. Submit kitchen equipment schedule, finish schedule (NSF-rated surfaces), and plumbing isometrics. Plan review typically takes 2-4 weeks.

A remodel typically triggers current ADA Accessibility Standards for the work area and the path of travel to it — restrooms, parking, entry. Confirm with the architect that aisle widths, bar height (a section at 34 inches max), and restroom clearances meet the version your jurisdiction enforces.

Most state ABC boards require notice of premises modifications and a re-inspection before alcohol service resumes. Confirm whether your liquor license stays active during the closure or must be placed on a non-operating status; the rules vary by state.

Restaurant work is not generic commercial work — hood and grease-trap installs, type-1 ventilation, and floor drain slopes need a GC who has done it. Ask each bidder for three references at restaurants of similar size and visit one if possible.

Hold 10% retainage until punch list completion and certificate of occupancy. Tie progress payments to verifiable milestones (rough-in inspection passed, hood installed, final inspection passed) — not calendar dates.

Confirm general liability ($2M aggregate minimum), workers comp, and a COI listing your entity as additional insured. Require conditional lien releases with each progress payment and unconditional releases at closeout — without them, subs can lien the property months after the GC paid them.

Walk the site with the GC and the chef every week. Catch deviations from the kitchen drawing early — outlet locations, gas line stub-ups, floor drain placement. Field changes cost 3-5x more after drywall closes.

Document each cited item with photos before and after correction. Re-inspection fees are typically the GC's cost under the contract, not yours; confirm against the contract before signing the change order.

Tag each piece: keep, sell, scrap. Photograph the walk-in, reach-ins, six-burner, flat top, salamander, fryers, and ice machine with model and serial numbers. Restaurant Depot and used-equipment dealers will quote against this list.

Hood systems, walk-ins, and custom millwork run 8-14 week lead times. Order against the kitchen drawing the moment plan review approves; delivery date drives the construction schedule, not the other way around. Confirm NSF certification on every food-contact surface.

Commercial-grade tables, chairs, banquettes, and bar stools — residential grade fails within 12 months under restaurant use. Confirm fabrics meet your local fire code flame-spread rating; some jurisdictions require Class A.

Coordinate delivery windows with the GC so equipment doesn't arrive while floors are being poured. Inspect each piece on the truck before signing; freight damage claims must be filed within 48 hours on most carrier terms.

A remodel is the cheapest moment to migrate POS — wiring is open and the menu is being rebuilt anyway. Common targets: Toast for full-service, Square for Restaurants for fast-casual, Lightspeed for multi-unit. Allow 4-6 weeks for menu build and staff training on a fresh system.

Build the menu in the new POS against the chef's final spec, including modifiers, prep stations, and printer routing. Mirror tax rates, tip-pool rules, and integrations with Resy or OpenTable. Plan two live mock-service nights before reopening to catch routing errors.

Confirm printer routing on every menu item — sauté tickets to the sauté printer, raw bar to garde manger, expo gets the master. A misrouted ticket on opening night becomes a 20-minute ticket time and a comp.

Reconnect 7shifts or Homebase to the new POS for labor data, and MarginEdge or Restaurant365 for inventory and food cost. Verify employee sync and tip-pool calculations against a sample shift before going live.

Most health departments require a reopening inspection after substantial remodel. Schedule with at least a 10-day buffer before the target reopening so a failed inspection has time for corrections and re-inspection.

Light every burner, calibrate the flat top, run the fryer through a full filter cycle, test the salamander, fire up the walk-in and confirm 41°F cold-holding for 24 hours before product loads in. Test the three-bay sink sanitizer at 200-400 ppm with a test strip.

Confirm at least one ServSafe-certified manager and one allergen-aware cert (PCFP, AllerTrain) on every shift. New equipment changes hot-holding and cooling workflows — rebrief the line on the cooling log, the 41/70/140°F thresholds, and the dedicated allergen-ticket protocol.

Run a controlled cover count (40-60% of capacity) with comped or discounted checks. Track ticket times, expo flow, server station traffic, and POS errors. Debrief with FOH and BOH leads after each service and adjust before the public open.

Daily: hood filter wipe-down, walk-in temp log twice per shift, three-bay sanitizer test. Weekly: descale the dish machine, change fryer oil, deep-clean floor drains. Monthly: hood deep-clean by a certified vendor, pest control walk, ice machine sanitize.

NFPA 96 requires hood cleaning by a certified vendor on a frequency tied to cooking volume (monthly to annually). Grease trap pumping varies by jurisdiction (typically quarterly). Get both on standing contracts with calendar reminders — lapsed cleaning is a fire-code and health-code violation in one.

Set one channel where any FOH or BOH staff member reports a broken fixture, dripping line, flickering light, or wobbly chair — Slack channel, ticket system, or shift-log entry. Small issues caught in week one stay small; the same issues at 90 days become guest complaints.

Walk the space with the GM and exec chef 90 days after reopening. Compare actual food cost and labor percentages against the pre-remodel baseline. Note warranty items still under GC coverage (typically one year) and submit punch-list corrections before the warranty closes.