Second-generation restaurant space: what to check before you sign
A second-generation space — one that was already a restaurant — is the biggest cost lever in the business. Reusing a sound hood, grease interceptor, and utility service can cut a buildout nearly in half. But "fully equipped former restaurant" in a listing tells you nothing about whether any of it passes inspection today. Here's what we check when an owner asks us to walk a space before signing.
The eight-point check
- Hood and duct: right type and size for your menu, duct condition (grease-soaked duct may need replacement), suppression system tagged and current.
- Grease interceptor: exists, sized for your fixture count, and serviceable — an undersized or buried trap is a five-figure surprise.
- Gas capacity: meter and line sized for your equipment load; upgrading service involves the utility's timeline, not yours.
- Electrical service: amperage and panel space against your equipment schedule; older spaces routinely need service upgrades for modern lines.
- HVAC and make-up air: equipment age and capacity, and whether make-up air exists at all — many older kitchens never had it.
- Plumbing and drains: floor drain locations versus your layout (moving them means sawing slab), water heater capacity, condition of under-slab lines.
- Restrooms and accessibility: current code compliance — a change of tenant can trigger ADA upgrades that older restrooms fail.
- Certificate of Occupancy and violations: confirm the use matches, and search for open code violations that convey with the space.
'As-is' means exactly that
Landlords lease second-gen spaces as-is, equipment included and warranted by no one. The walk-in that 'just needs a recharge,' the hood cleaned two years ago, the interceptor no one can locate paperwork for — after signing, every one of them is your line item. None of this should kill a deal; all of it should price into your negotiation, as rent abatement, TI allowance, or scope the landlord completes.
Use the walkthrough as leverage
A contractor's pre-lease walkthrough produces two things: a realistic conversion budget, and a punch list of defects you can negotiate with. Owners who walk in with 'the duct fails NFPA 96 and the interceptor is undersized — we need eight weeks' abatement' sign better leases than owners who discover it in demolition.
Found a space you're serious about?
We'll walk it with you before you sign — infrastructure check, conversion budget, and the negotiation list, within days.