Published: September 26, 2026 · Last reviewed: September 2026 · Reviewed by: Buildup Contracting Estimating Team · Service area: Toronto & GTA
Planning numbers, not a quote — your space, your lease and your municipality decide the specifics.
A restaurant kitchen contractor in Toronto coordinates five systems that each have their own inspector: the exhaust hood and make-up air (a Type I hood package runs $25K–60K installed), the grease interceptor and sanitary drainage ($12K–35K installed), the gas line (installed by a licensed fuels contractor and signed off by TSSA), the electrical service (restaurants usually need 200–400A, on an ESA permit, with a hydro upgrade taking 6–14 weeks if the building cannot deliver it), and the washable finishes and refrigeration that Toronto Public Health reviews before you open. Done in the right order, the kitchen is the first part of the restaurant finished and inspected. Done out of order, it is the reason the dining room sits ready for three weeks with no fire in the kitchen.
Want the real number for your unit?
Free site walk across Toronto & the GTA — you get a written scope and budget range within one business day.
Get a build-out estimate → or call 647-477-7999A commercial kitchen is not a room with appliances in it. It is a mechanical system that happens to have a floor. The hood pulls air out; the make-up air unit pushes it back in; the gas line feeds the cook line under the hood; the suppression system protects the cook line; the grease interceptor catches what goes down the drains; the electrical service runs the refrigeration, the fans and everything else; and every surface has to survive a pressure washer and a health inspector. Each of those systems has a different trade, a different code, and a different inspector who can hold up your opening.
The kitchen contractor's job is to make those trades and inspectors arrive in the right order. Our team has delivered 100+ commercial build-outs across Toronto & the GTA, and on every restaurant the kitchen is where the schedule is won or lost. The dining room can be built by any competent general contractor. The kitchen is where restaurant experience pays for itself.
The hood is the first decision because everything else is sized from it.
The mistake we see most often is a Type II hood specified over a cook line that includes a flat-top or a fryer because it was cheaper, or because the previous tenant's hood was Type II and "it was fine." It is not fine. Fire services will not approve it and the insurance carrier will not cover it. If your menu includes anything that produces grease-laden vapour, price a Type I from the start.
The hood must overhang the cooking equipment by the amount the code requires on the ends and the front, and the exhaust volume in CFM is calculated from the hood length, the type of hood and the equipment duty under it. A 10 ft wall-mounted canopy over a heavy-duty line can pull 2,500–4,000 CFM. The mechanical engineer does the calculation; the contractor's job is to make sure the equipment list the engineer used is the one that actually shows up on delivery day.
Every cubic foot the hood exhausts has to come from somewhere. Without dedicated make-up air, the kitchen pulls air from the dining room, the front door slams, the pilot lights blow out and the rooftop unit runs itself to death trying to heat air that leaves through the hood 30 seconds later. Make-up air is usually a tempered rooftop unit, sometimes integrated with the hood package, delivering most of the exhausted volume back into the kitchen. It is a roof penetration, a gas or electric heating load and, in winter, a large part of your utility bill. It has to be on the drawings from day one.
Type I duct wants the shortest, straightest route to the roof. Welded black steel or listed factory-built grease duct, sloped back to the hood, with cleanouts at every change of direction, and either a fire-rated enclosure or a listed wrap wherever it passes through a concealed space or near combustibles. Running it horizontally across a ceiling, around a beam, and out a side wall is sometimes the only option in a downtown storefront with residential above, but it costs more, needs more cleanouts, and the wall termination has to clear property lines, windows, air intakes and the neighbour's patio by the distances the code sets. If there is no compliant route, there is no restaurant. We confirm the route on the site walk, before the lease is signed if we can get there in time.
Every Type I hood needs a ULC 300-listed wet-chemical suppression system covering the cooking surfaces, the plenum and the duct, with nozzles placed for the specific equipment underneath. The system ties into a gas shut-off valve and, where there is one, the building fire alarm. Fire services verifies it at the end of the job. Change a fryer for a charbroiler after the system is designed and the nozzle layout changes with it, so the equipment list is locked before the suppression contractor draws it.
Toronto's sewer use by-law requires a grease interceptor on food-service fixtures, sized under the Ontario Building Code's plumbing provisions. There are two families:
Installed, plan $12K–35K depending on type, size and how much floor has to be opened. The interceptor sizing is done with the plumbing designer from your fixture list, and the location is set so the pumping truck can actually reach it. An interceptor under the walk-in cooler is an interceptor that never gets pumped.
Floor drains go on the same drawing. Under the cook line, at the dish area, at the mop sink, at the walk-in, with the floor sloped to them. Health wants indirect connections for food-prep sinks and ice machines so a backed-up drain cannot contaminate food. If the slab has to be cut for drains and an interceptor, that is one slab cut, one pour, one schedule item; if it is discovered in week 9 it is two weeks of delay and a very unhappy landlord.
In Ontario, gas piping and appliance connections are done by a licensed fuels contractor holding TSSA gas technician certification, and the work is inspected and signed off by TSSA before the utility releases gas to the meter. The kitchen contractor coordinates this, but the licence is the fuels contractor's. What we manage:
A restaurant kitchen is an electrical hog even when the cooking is gas. Walk-in cooler and freezer compressors, reach-ins, ice machine, dishwasher with booster heater, exhaust fan, make-up air unit, hood lights and controls, POS, HVAC, water heater if electric, and any induction or electric cooking equipment. Most restaurants in Toronto need a 200–400A service, and all-electric concepts such as induction hotpot tables can push past 600A.
All electrical work runs on an ESA permit filed by a licensed electrical contractor, with rough-in and final inspections. That part is routine. The part that stalls openings is the service itself. If the building delivers 100A to your unit and you need 400A, the upgrade goes through Toronto Hydro (or Alectra in the 905) and takes 6–14 weeks from application to energization, sometimes longer if the transformer on the street is at capacity. There is no overtime that speeds up a utility. We size the service on the site walk and file the upgrade application in week 3 if it is needed.
Walk-in coolers and freezers are 6–10 weeks from order to delivery and are assembled on site from panels, so the floor has to be level, the drain has to be in place, the electrical circuit has to be pulled, and the condensing unit has to have a location (roof, exterior wall or a ventilated mechanical space) with a refrigerant line route. The health inspector wants a thermometer, a smooth washable interior, shelving off the floor and a door that closes. The kitchen contractor coordinates the refrigeration contractor with the electrician and the plumber so the walk-in is running and holding temperature before Public Health walks through, because an empty walk-in that is not yet cold is a failed pre-opening inspection.
Toronto Public Health reviews finishes as part of the food-premises plan review. Kitchen floors, walls and ceilings have to be smooth, non-absorbent, and cleanable, and the inspector checks them on the pre-opening walk. What passes:
The plan-review package we help assemble for Public Health includes the equipment layout with every piece numbered, finish schedules for each surface, sink and dishwashing set-up, refrigeration and dry-storage capacity, washroom provisions and pest-proofing. A complete package reviews in 2–4 weeks. An incomplete one gets a comment letter and starts again.
Kitchen mechanical and electrical is the largest single block of a restaurant construction budget. These are 2026 installed planning ranges across Toronto & the GTA:
| Kitchen system | 2026 installed range | Lead time / critical path |
|---|---|---|
| Type I hood package (hood, filters, exhaust fan, make-up air, duct to roof, suppression) | $25K–60K | 4–8 weeks stock, 8–12 custom; roof work via landlord's roofer |
| Grease interceptor (in-ground or hydromechanical, incl. slab work) | $12K–35K | On permit drawings; slab cut during demolition |
| Gas piping and TSSA sign-off | $5K–20K | Meter upsizing through the utility can take weeks |
| Electrical (panel, circuits, ESA permit), excluding service upgrade | $15K–50K | Hydro upgrade 6–14 weeks if needed |
| Walk-in cooler / freezer, installed | $15K–40K | 6–10 weeks delivery |
| Kitchen finishes (tile, FRP, ceilings, coved base) | $20–45/sf of kitchen area | After rough-in inspections pass |
For the whole restaurant, that lands inside the concept ranges we use across the GTA: $70–120/sf for a quick-service refresh, $120–180/sf for a café or bubble tea shop, $180–300/sf for full-service, $300+/sf for hotpot or Korean BBQ. Hold a 10–15% contingency.
The kitchen has six sign-offs that depend on each other. Book them in this order and the kitchen finishes first; book them as they come up and you lose weeks waiting for a slot.
We book every inspection as a placeholder the day the building permit issues and move it as the schedule firms up. A Toronto quick-service restaurant we built went from shell to opening-ready in 9 weeks of construction on that method; a national brand's take-out kitchen was built inside a Vaughan gas-station convenience store that never closed, with the hood, gas and electrical inspected around a store that stayed open the whole time.
These come up on the drawing review before the permit goes in. Each one would have cost a resubmission (2–3 weeks) or a change order in week 9.
Buildup Contracting is headquartered in Richmond Hill and builds restaurants, retail and offices across Toronto & the GTA. Most of our build-outs open in 4–9 weeks of construction; full-service restaurants run 8–16 weeks. We carry WSIB and $5M commercial general liability, and every project comes with a 1-year workmanship warranty. The kitchen work runs through our licensed mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fuels subcontractors under one schedule and one point of contact. It starts with a free site walk, and you get a written scope and estimate within one business day.
A complete Type I hood package, meaning the hood, grease filters, exhaust fan, make-up air unit, welded duct to the roof and a ULC 300-listed suppression system, runs $25K–60K installed in 2026. Longer hoods, island hoods, long horizontal duct runs and difficult roof access push toward the top of the range.
Usually not, if the cooking is limited to steam, boiling and ovens with no grease. Add a fryer, a griddle or a wok and you need a Type I hood with suppression. Menus change, so if there is any chance the concept grows into grease, plan the exhaust route now even if the hood comes later.
A licensed fuels contractor installs the piping and connects the appliances, and TSSA inspects and signs off before the utility releases gas to the meter. Your kitchen contractor coordinates the timing so the TSSA inspection happens before the fire-services suppression test, which needs live gas.
Most restaurants in Toronto need 200–400A. All-electric or induction-heavy concepts can need more. If the building cannot deliver it, a hydro service upgrade takes 6–14 weeks, so the service size is one of the first things we check on a site walk.
It is sized from your fixture list and menu under the Ontario Building Code's plumbing provisions and the municipal sewer use by-law. Cafés and quick-service units often use a hydromechanical unit at the sink; full-service, hotpot and high-volume kitchens usually need an in-ground gravity interceptor. Installed, plan $12K–35K.
The plan-review package (equipment layout, finishes, sinks, dishwashing, refrigeration, storage, washrooms) during permitting, and then a pre-opening inspection where the inspector checks that what was built matches the plan, refrigeration holds temperature, hot water reaches every sink, surfaces are washable and pests are kept out.
Buildup Contracting builds restaurants, retail and offices across Toronto & the GTA. See our restaurant construction services and recent projects, or book a free site walk — written scope and estimate within one business day.
4.9 on Google
Every review from a GTA operator we built for
“BuildUp handled the full build-out of our restaurant and I honestly couldn't have asked for a smoother process. Lev understood from day one how important it was to open on schedule, and he kept everything moving — permits, inspections, the kitchen, the dining area — without me having to chase anyone.”
Kamesh Parcha · via Google
What happens when you get in touch
You deal with Lev directly. He does the site walk and writes the scope — not a salesperson who hands you off.
A written scope and a first read on budget within one business day.
Nothing is booked or billed until you say so. The site walk is free anywhere in the GTA.
WSIB clearance · $5M commercial liability · 1-year workmanship warranty · Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
Free · one business day
Three questions. We come back with a preliminary scope and a first read on budget within one business day — plus a free site walk anywhere in the GTA if it makes sense.
Prefer to talk? Call 647-477-7999. WSIB clearance and $5M commercial liability insured · 1-year workmanship warranty.
Planning a build-out
Buildup Contracting builds offices, retail stores and restaurants across the Greater Toronto Area — permits, trades and inspections on one contract, with a written scope and a first read on budget within one business day of the site walk.
Restaurant constructionRetail fit-outsOffice and commercial TIFranchise and multi-unitLandlords and property managers
Building in a specific city? These pages cover the local approvals, the departments that review them, and what usually moves the schedule there.
More of the research we use to scope real projects:
Commercial kitchen design mistakesChoosing a restaurant contractorOffice fit-out costs in TorontoBubble tea shop build-outsLease-to-opening checklistChoosing a renovation contractorAll guides
Send us the unit address, approximate square footage and your concept. We walk the space for free, then send a written scope and a real price range — no obligation.
