From an idea
to opening night.
You know food and service. This is the map for everything between a concept and a grand opening, and where we fit in at each stage.
Most of Edmonton's best restaurants didn't start with a general contractor; they started with a chef or a GM who finally decided it was time to open their own place. This page is the six stages every build actually goes through, in order, with the questions you'll answer at each one.
Built by the team behind PIP, Pals, MEAT, Julio's Barrio, Made By Marcus Mill Creek, Marlo, Bernadette's, Happy and Olive, Range Road - Speakeasy, Dalla Tavola Zenari, El Corazon, Sherbrooke Liquor, The Mill, and Shojo.
Six stages, idea to opening.
The idea
It starts with a cuisine you can't stop thinking about, a service style you know works, and a rough number in your head. This is where that idea gets stress-tested before anyone signs anything.
- Concept and service style
- Rough budget range and funding sources
- Target neighborhood and seat count
Site selection
The right space makes everything downstream easier. This is where a second set of eyes on a lease space pays for itself.
- Which listings fit your concept and budget
- Lease terms and tenant improvement allowance
- Zoning, use permits, and lease space condition
Design and layout
Kitchen flow, front-of-house feel, and equipment placement get locked in here. Small layout mistakes at this stage become expensive change orders later.
- Kitchen workflow and equipment layout
- Front-of-house design, seating, finishes
- A real, itemized cost estimate
Permitting and engineering
AHS and ALCB approval, building permits, and mechanical/electrical/gas drawings: the paperwork stage that determines your actual opening date more than any other.
- AHS and ALCB submission
- Building, mechanical, electrical, gas permits
- Engineering drawings and equipment specs
Construction
Framing, MEP, kitchen equipment installation, finishes. This is the visible part, and the stage where a clear schedule and honest updates matter most.
- Construction milestones and site schedule
- Kitchen equipment lead times
- Change orders (reviewed before work proceeds)
Pre-opening
Final inspections, punch list, staff walk-through. The gap between "built" and "open" is smaller when this stage is planned instead of scrambled.
- Final health, building, and fire inspections
- Punch list sign-off
- Staff walk-through and opening date
Twenty-plus years of restaurants that opened on time.
Dalla Tavola Zenari
El Corazon
Let's put your idea on paper.
Bring us a concept, a listing you're considering, or just a rough idea. We'll help you figure out what stage one actually looks like for your restaurant.