Restaurant and café renovations in Vancouver,
built around service, atmosphere and flow.

Food service costs more per square foot than any other common commercial use because so much of the budget sits behind the walls and above the ceiling: kitchen exhaust and make-up air, a grease interceptor, floor drains and sinks, gas and electrical connections for equipment, and finishes that meet health requirements. A café that takes over a former café, with usable plumbing and exhaust, sits toward the low end. A full-service restaurant built into a shell with a new commercial kitchen, bar and washrooms sits toward the high end.

QUAY prices every restaurant from a site visit and your drawings or brief, and gives you a detailed fixed-price proposal with the scope, inclusions, exclusions and allowances. For other types of space, see our commercial renovation cost guide.

A café build-out packs a lot into a small unit: an espresso bar and service counter, sinks and a dishwashing area, refrigeration, a small prep kitchen, seating and often a washroom, all arranged so staff can move quickly during the morning rush. Most of the cost sits in the counter millwork, plumbing, electrical for equipment, and finishes that hold up to constant cleaning.

Many cafés open in former retail units or take over an existing café. Before you sign, QUAY can walk the unit with you and check what is already there: drainage and water supply for the bar, electrical capacity for espresso machines and ovens, ventilation if you plan to cook, and room for a grease interceptor if one is needed. Those answers can change both your budget and your lease negotiation.

A café or coffee shop build-out typically falls in the $180 to $260 per square foot range for construction, with eight to twelve weeks on site once permits are in place. You get one point of contact and a detailed fixed-price proposal before construction starts.

Closing a restaurant for a renovation means lost sales and staff hours, so many owners would rather keep serving. QUAY regularly builds while businesses stay open. For restaurants and cafés, we schedule noisy and dusty work after hours and on weekends, phase the work so the kitchen or part of the dining room stays in use, and set up the site with separation, protection and clear routes so staff and guests can keep using the space safely.

Some work, such as replacing a kitchen exhaust system or a grease interceptor, may need a short closure. When it does, we plan it with you in advance and keep it as short as the work allows. Front-of-house refreshes, new lighting, millwork and finishes can often be completed between services. You deal with one project manager throughout, who coordinates with your manager and building management.

Restaurants run on thin margins and fixed opening dates, so surprises during construction are expensive. QUAY confirms the permit, health and grease requirements early, plans the kitchen infrastructure before the walls are closed, and prices the full scope before you commit. During construction, one project manager coordinates the trades, your kitchen consultant, your landlord and building management. Learn more about our process and why clients choose QUAY.