Austin Commercial Kitchen Remodel Contractor

What an Austin commercial kitchen remodel actually covers

Commercial kitchen remodels in Austin split into two categories with very different scopes. An office break room or retail employee kitchen usually needs a plumbing rough-in for a prep sink and dishwasher, a countertop with an undermount sink, upper and lower cabinets or open shelving, LED under-cabinet lighting, and a durable floor. A restaurant or heavy-cook kitchen adds gas line sizing and pressure verification, a Type I or Type II hood tied to make-up air, a grease trap connected to the sanitary drain, floor drains at code-required spacing, quarry tile or urethane floor for slip and grease resistance, stainless wall panels behind cook lines, a three-compartment sink for warewashing, a mop sink, and a hand-wash sink positioned per Austin Public Health rules. In 2026, the loudest complaints from Austin restaurant tenants are hood systems that pass inspection but do not actually pull the smoke, and gas lines that were sized for the old equipment and starve the new equipment.

Health department, hood, and Austin permit path

A commercial kitchen remodel in Austin runs through three overlapping reviews. The Austin Development Services Department handles the tenant improvement permit for construction and MEP. Austin Public Health reviews the food establishment plan for handwash placement, three-compartment sink, food storage, ware washing, and finish materials. The mechanical review handles the hood, make-up air, and gas line. Bailey & Bear submits the food establishment plan alongside the TI permit so review does not stack sequentially, and we schedule the hood test and health inspection into the closeout window.

Trades that decide Austin commercial kitchen quality

Three trades disproportionately drive commercial kitchen outcomes. Plumbing decides whether the floor drains actually catch water and whether the grease trap ties in without becoming a smell problem. Mechanical decides whether the hood pulls at the design flow with the make-up air balanced — a hood that overpowers the make-up air will pull the front door open every time the burners fire. Flooring decides whether the kitchen is safe for the crew and whether the finish holds up to grease and daily washing. Bailey & Bear coordinates plumbing, mechanical, and flooring together before any of them start so nothing gets cut in later at double cost.

What Austin operators actually want from a kitchen remodeler

Restaurant and food-service operators want three things from a commercial kitchen GC. They want the health department sign-off handled without them having to translate code sections. They want a hood that works from day one, not a hood that passes inspection and then fails at dinner service. They want a floor that a crew can actually clean at the end of a shift without becoming a hazard. Bailey & Bear owns those three outcomes as part of the scope, not as after-the-fact fixes.

How to compare Austin commercial kitchen bids

Compare the plumbing scope, the mechanical scope, the flooring spec, and the permit approach line by line. On plumbing, confirm the number and location of floor drains, the grease trap sizing, and the three-compartment sink and hand-wash sink placement. On mechanical, ask for the hood cfm and the make-up air cfm on paper and verify the balance. On flooring, get a product number and a slip rating; a smooth VCT floor in a commercial kitchen is a slip claim waiting to happen. On permits, confirm the bidder will handle the Austin Public Health plan review and the mechanical hood permit, not just the TI permit. A bid that leaves permit coordination to the tenant is a bid that will slide the schedule.

Trades and verticals that share this scope

Bailey & Bear is a full-service Austin commercial GC — the trades and verticals below sit inside our own scope so nothing gets punted to a chased sub.

Frequently asked questions