Don't Let This Happen to You!
I opened my first restaurant three years ago. I had been a manager since college, so I knew the business well. I was working on the design with a reputable food equipment company that I had purchased replacement equipment from in the past. They were doing the design for free as long as I bought the kitchen package from them.
Once finalized, I took the plan to my architect so she could incorporate it into the construction drawings. The first thing she said was, “Where are the utility provision requirements?” I called the equipment company to inquire about the utility drawings, but that was something they did not provide. Instead, they gave us specification sheets, for the equipment, for the architect to comprise the utility drawings, which I had to pay for. The construction went fairly well and we were ready for the kitchen equipment delivery as scheduled. Unfortunately, the equipment was not ready for delivery, so we lost a week until the final items were delivered.
The plumbers and electricians went to work on the connections, and the red flags started flying: the plumber said we were missing two floor sinks, three incoming water lines, and the main gas pipe was not big enough to support the equipment. The electrician's news came right after: there was no provision for the insect control fan or the electric controls for the gas equipment. The finished floor had to be busted up for the floor sinks and three finished walls had to be re-worked for the missing plumbing and electrical provisions. Two weeks and several thousand dollars later, we finally opened for business. I could not recover any of the lost revenue from the architect, as she had previously stated she would not be responsible for errors and omissions on the kitchen utility drawings. She had suggested I hire a food service consultant or an equipment supplier that offered utility provision drawings. I took her advice on my second restaurant, and hired Eastern Food Equipment. They provided everything we needed and the installation went very smooth.