Two images, one image of two guys designing the interior space and the other when the interior space is done.

Restaurant Design and Construction Checklist

Know all the rules for restaurant planning, design, and construction including color, seating, lighting, accessibility codes, and more. Avoid mishaps with this great checklist!

Three images, two of an interior space and the other two men in a room looking over blueprints to create the interior space.
An empty café with a bike hanging on the wall as decorations.

What You’ll Learn with Our Restaurant Design Checklist

  • What codes, inspections, and accessibility requirements apply to restaurants
  • What you should consider when planning restaurant interior design
  • What restaurant exterior design elements require your attention

Must-Know Restaurant Design Tips

Before designing a restaurant, know the codes

Like most businesses, a restaurant must comply with numerous codes and regulations. In fact, you’ll face many codes and inspection requirements as a restaurateur you wouldn’t encounter in other industries. From building codes to accessibility requirements, this simple restaurant design checklist is a handy reminder of the legal you’ll need to keep in mind as you move through design and construction.

Prepare for restaurant inspections

You could look at restaurant health inspections as a disruption to operations, or you could view them as an essential step in protecting the public. Either way, inspections are a fact of life for restaurateurs. The restaurant design and construction checklist includes must-do items to prepare for restaurant inspections and understand local health codes.

Design a restaurant interior with character

No restaurant design checklist would be complete without checking off the key steps in the restaurant interior design process. From drawing up a table floorplan to designing a kitchen and from planning a bar layout to shopping for restaurant furniture, the interior design of a restaurant is where your attention to detail creates the perfect ambience for your guests. Our restaurant design and build checklist highlights the key design and décor elements that bring the character of your restaurant to life.

Create an inviting restaurant exterior design

What’s outside your restaurant can be as important as what’s inside it when it comes to attracting new patrons. Our restaurant construction checklist points out the exterior design elements that turn the building envelope of your restaurant into an extension of your brand and your marketing. Factors like outdoor seating, signage, lighting and menu boards help to create the curb appeal that will bring diners streaming into your restaurant for years to come.

Why You Need Our Restaurant Design and Construction Checklist

Your menu and recipes may be the centerpiece of your restaurant – the passion upon which your entire dream of restaurant ownership is built. But long before that dream becomes a reality, you’ll need to design and build your restaurant. We designed our Restaurant Design and Construction Checklist to help you give as much attention to floor plans, permits, and building as you give to appetizers, entrées, and desserts.

A restaurant interior designed with a outdoorsy feel.

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Design and Construction Checklist

Know before you build. Avoid design mishaps with this great checklist!