During the construction or alteration of your restaurant’s space, you’ll go through six phases, each with its own specific steps and requirements to fulfill. Having a good, solid understanding of each of these phases of project management and what will be expected from you and your team throughout the project will help to ensure everyone is working on the same page at all times and enables you to avoid costly mistakes down the line. Tech 24 Construction uses these guidelines to ensure there is proper communication between all parties at all times so you can be confident your restaurant construction concept can really come to life just like you’ve planned.

Phase 1: Setting Up a Strong Foundation

Phase one is where all the important details are hammered out. This is when clients will lay out their intent, their schedule, and their vision, setting the goals to be achieved before the real work begins. Designers will ensure that designs meet health department requirements and gather all the necessary information for zoning permits and code requirements alongside information relating to the site of the project, landlord requirements, and more. Using this data, plans can be personalized to fit a place and set before the more hands-on work begins.

Phase 2: Identifying Needs

During this phase, you’ll review the layout of spaces in your restaurant (kitchen, dining room, prep, bathrooms, storage, etc.) to ensure you have the proper space and good traffic flow to fit your vision. For existing restaurants that are being upgraded, this means reviewing the existing layout and perhaps tweaking the flow of things as necessary, adjusting seating count and perhaps updating mandatory equipment. For new constructions, this will mean establishing how much seating you need, your requirements in regards to equipment, and looking at your demographics so you know who exactly you’re planning for.

Phase 3: Handling the Details

After your basic construction needs and plans are discussed in phase two, it’s time to discuss the details. During phase three, you’ll need to discuss the formation of several plans on an in-depth basis, including:

• Power and lighting
• HVAC needs
• Plumbing
• Fire safety and protection
• Structural stability

Existing buildings will need to be assessed according to these plans, and new constructions will need to plan out each item from the ground up to ensure the best results.

Phase 4: Refining the Design

By the time you get to phase four of this process, the bulk of your basic design work is already done. Now, it’s time to refine what you have to ensure all elements work together and your building is living up to the initial vision you had in phase one. Using more detailed architectural drawings, you’ll be able to review the design you’ve created and further alter or refine floor space, functional areas and much more. For new constructions, this step will also include planning lighting and lighting controls, details such as signs and equipment setup requirements.

Phase 5: Coordinating

At this point, you’ll double check to make sure all professionals you’re working with from each trade are all on the same page and that they have everything they need in terms of information and planning to get to work. You should receive fully-developed plans from each trade, which you can then review to ensure each plan works together without causing obstructions. New constructions will also need to review specifications regarding materials and equipment that will be used to get the work done.

Phase 6: Supervising Construction

Administrators will periodically visit the construction site to observe and ensure that all developments are moving forward strictly according to the plans hammered out in phases one through five. They’ll provide any requested information and product more sketches, letters, and other informative pieces as needed to keep things on track.

To ensure things move smoothly and that all requirements of each of these six phases are met, work with a professional construction contractor like Tech 24 Construction. Contact us to get a better understanding of the design process and what they have to offer to begin Phase one of your restaurant building plan today.