Restaurant Fit-Out in London: What Builders Need to Handle (2026)

Restaurant fit-outs are among the most complex commercial construction projects you can do in London. They involve commercial kitchens (specialist equipment, gas, ventilation), licensing, fire safety, food hygiene compliance, customer flow design, and aesthetic concept delivery — all to a hard opening date. Here's what builders deliver on a restaurant fit-out.

Typical scope of a London restaurant fit-out

From bare shell to opening day, a typical restaurant fit-out includes:

• Strip-out of existing fittings (if not bare shell)
• Structural alterations (removing walls, raising ceiling for ventilation)
• Commercial kitchen build (gas, water, drainage, ventilation)
• Customer area construction (bar, banquettes, dining layout)
• WCs (customer + staff, with disabled access)
• Fire compartmentation between kitchen and dining areas
• Fire alarm + emergency lighting system
• Heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) for customer areas
• Full electrical installation (Part P certified)
• Plumbing throughout
• Fit-out of bar and serving areas
• All finishes — flooring, walls, ceilings, decoration
• Custom joinery (banquettes, bar front, panelling, signage)
• Glazing (frontages, internal partitions)
• Final commissioning and handover

Realistic London restaurant fit-out costs (2026)

Commercial kitchen equipment + AV/sound + furniture (FF&E) typically adds £50,000-200,000+ on top of the build cost depending on spec.

The kitchen — almost half the build cost

Ventilation extraction

Commercial kitchen ventilation is the single most complex element of a restaurant fit-out. Requirements:

• Extraction hood with grease filters (typically £6-25k depending on size and spec)
• Ducting to discharge point (usually rooftop) — fire-rated, properly sized
• Make-up air supply to replace what's extracted (otherwise the kitchen creates negative pressure that pulls air from the dining area)
• Odour control (carbon filtration) for ventilation discharge in residential areas
• Acoustic attenuation to manage fan noise impact on neighbours

Kitchen extraction systems typically cost £20-80k for design and install. Add £5-15k for ducting runs and discharge unit. Get it wrong (under-sized, poorly routed) and the restaurant becomes uninhabitable.

Gas connection

Commercial gas connections need to be sized for the equipment load (often 100-300kW for a busy restaurant). Existing residential-scale gas supply is often inadequate — connection upgrades cost £3-15k depending on distance to gas main. National Grid lead time: 8-16 weeks. Plan this early.

Drainage and grease management

Commercial kitchen drainage needs:

• Grease trap — required by water companies and Environmental Health. Sized for peak flow, typically £1,500-6,000 install
• Floor gullies / drainage channels — for wash-down and spillage
• Drainage falls correctly engineered — restaurant floors must drain to gullies
• Backflow prevention valves — to prevent sewage backup affecting food prep areas

Floor and wall finishes

Commercial kitchens need surfaces that comply with food hygiene regulations:

• Floors: non-slip, impervious, easily cleanable. Vinyl welded sheet flooring (Altro) is the most common at £40-80/sqm installed.
• Walls: cleanable, hygienic surface to at least 2m height. Stainless steel splashbacks behind cooking line, vinyl wall covering or hygiene cladding elsewhere.
• Ceilings: cleanable. Standard suspended ceiling tiles often insufficient — specialist hygienic ceiling systems required in food prep areas.

Fire compartmentation — kitchen to dining

Building Regs Part B requires fire compartmentation between commercial kitchens (high fire risk) and customer areas. This means:

• Fire-rated wall (typically 60-minute fire resistance) between kitchen and dining
• Fire-rated doors with self-closers and intumescent seals
• Fire dampers in any HVAC ducts crossing the wall
• Fire-stopped service penetrations
• Fire alarm system covering both areas
• Emergency lighting on escape routes

Fire compartmentation work typically £8-25k depending on extent. Required for sign-off — Building Control will not certify without it.

Customer-facing areas — where the spend shows

Bar build

A bespoke bar build typically costs £15-60k depending on length, complexity, and materials. Includes:

• Front (often bespoke joinery in feature timber or stone)
• Back fitting (shelves, bottle storage, lit display)
• Bar top (timber, stone, copper, zinc)
• Sinks, glass washer, ice machine, beer system, soda gun, refrigeration
• Drainage, plumbing, electrical, lighting

Banquettes and bespoke seating

Banquette seating (built-in upholstered benches against walls) is a London restaurant staple. Bespoke design + manufacture typically £150-400 per linear metre depending on materials and finish. Mid-sized restaurants typically have 10-25m of banquette runs.

Flooring

Customer area flooring is a high-impact design element. Options:

• Engineered timber (warm, premium feel — £80-200/sqm)
• Porcelain tile (durable, easy clean — £60-150/sqm)
• Polished concrete (industrial chic — £80-150/sqm)
• Vinyl LVT (cost-effective, durable — £40-80/sqm)

Lighting

Restaurant lighting design is critical to atmosphere. Includes feature pendants over tables, accent lighting on art/architecture, accent lighting on bar, warm low-level lighting on banquettes. Dedicated lighting design typically £3-8k for a 100-seat restaurant; fittings + install £15-50k.

Front of house operational requirements

Easy to miss in a fit-out brief:

• POS (point of sale) location with adequate power + data
• Receipt printer locations (typically wall-mounted, kitchen pass + bar)
• PDQ card terminal mounting + chargers
• Coat storage adequate for capacity (often missing in opening plans)
• Buggy / pram parking area
• Disabled access throughout — accessible WCs, level access, table heights
• Wheelchair-accessible counters at bar (lowered section)
• Background music system zoning
• WiFi for customers

Working around an opening date

Restaurants typically have a hard launch date — invitations sent, staff hired, suppliers booked. Working backward from opening:

• 2-4 weeks before opening: completion + commissioning of all systems. Equipment delivered + installed. Staff training begins in finished space.
• 4-6 weeks before opening: practical completion of fit-out. Snagging begins.
• 14-22 weeks before opening: site work starts. Coordination with FF&E suppliers.
• 20-30 weeks before opening: design finalisation, contractor selection, lease finalisation.
• 30-40 weeks before opening: concept development, brand work, finding space.

Most restaurants need 6-9 months from confirmed lease to opening day. Compressing this often means compromise on spec or cost overruns.

Licensing and operational consents

Construction is just one strand. In parallel:

• Premises Licence — for alcohol service, regulated entertainment, late-night refreshment. 8-12 weeks. Public consultation period.
• Food business registration — with the Environmental Health team. Must be submitted 28 days before trading.
• Pavement licence — for any outdoor seating. Variable processing time.
• EHO pre-opening visit — often advised to invite Environmental Health for an advisory visit before opening. Gets you a clean Food Hygiene Rating sooner.

Frequently asked questions

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