The simplest answer to this common question is…”it depends”
In this article you will get some figures and some ballpark ranges of costs to help understand where you can expect to be when you’re considering the investment for a commercial kitchen, there are some key variables to consider as well as some clarification as to what is understood as the overriding scope.
If you want to know how much a particular appliance costs then it is not difficult to go online and find out, generally single appliance purchases are cost driven and whilst there are benefits of not simply buying the cheapest item available we aren’t going to focus on this today, this article is specifically for people who are considering a whole kitchen project and want to understand the budgeting requirements.
Naturally there isn’t really a ceiling on what someone could pay, and some do choose extremely high end finishes depending on the nature of a project and associated prestige, such projects are often seen in high end hotels or chef’s table type establishments.
Equally there is generally always a minimum that a kitchen might cost as you tend to always require the basics. That being said there is a phone box coffee shop in Highgate which is about the smallest catering establishment we’ve ever seen!
Prices below are indicative and garnered from experience carrying out hundreds of projects over a number of decades and are based around those more bespoke elements that are difficult to benchmark or check online:-
Design Services – £5k - £50k plus for the largest projects protracted over a long period.
Project Management & Installation + 15% - 20% of equipment costs plus specialist access equipment.
Enabling / Building Works – Extensive – please get in touch as we do have some rough figures
Ventilation Canopies – £3k - £20k for larger hoods or UV systems (Plus £3k for SDU’s).
Ventilation Systems - £12k - £80k for larger systems with air treatment – building work usually excluded.
Coldrooms & Remote Condensers - £10k - £300k plus for the largest systems.
Kitchen Tabling (Fabrication) - £500 per metre – approximately basic bench construction.
Servery Counters - £1.5k per linear metre – approximately for counter ‘body’ only.
Servery Counter Drop ins - £3k - £6k each – Chilled Multideck or Heated Ceran Top for Example.
Bar Areas - £1k per metre – approximately for modular system.
Combination Ovens - £6k - £20k each depending on size and spec.
Induction Ranges - £8k - £10k each – depending on duty & quality; expect to get what you pay for.
Gas Open Ranges - £1.5k – £3k each.
Fryers - £2.5k - £3.5k each – more for frying suites or oil filtration.
Intelligent Bratt Pans - £15k - £30k each – expensive but these save a lot on labour and resources.
Fridge & Freezer Cabinets - £2k - £4k each – again, you get what you pay for and you can pay a lot in energy over the long term on cheaper units.
Greasetraps / Separators - £3k - £4k each – separator units as usually insisted upon by landlord fit out guides.
Fire Suppression Systems - £6k - £15k – dependant upon size of system.
Hood Type Dishwasher & Tabling - £8k - £10k.
Rack Type / Flight Type Conveyor Dishwasher and Tabling - £40k – 100k +
Utensil / Pot Wash Machines - £6k - £30k dependant upon size and spec.
For a point of reference and some example summaries below – not allowing for associated building works or VAT.
Small Pantry / Decant Kitchen - £5k - £25k
Coffee Shop / Café - £30k - £70k
Standard Care Home Kitchen - £60k - £80k
Care Village or Upmarket Onward Living Kitchen - £120k - £150k
Basic Bar - £10k - £25k
Complex / Cocktail Bar - £20k - £50k
Smal Bistro Restaurant Kitchen - £30k - £100k
Fine Dining Restaurant Kitchen - £100k - £200k
Small School Kitchen (State) - £70k - £90k
Large School Kitchen (State) - £150k - £600k
Large School Kitchen (Boarding) - £250k - £1m plus
Hospital Kitchen (Not Inc Wards) - £500k - £2m plus
Functions / Conferencing Centre - £100k - £4m plus
We would like to suggest that it is not advisable to create a shopping list of items you find online and then expect that to be aligned with a project cost. This is quite a common approach but unfortunately, in our experience, not particularly representative of commercial kitchen contracts in practice. If this method is something you’re trying to adopt then we would recommend adding approx. 15% to your shopping list cost and then another 15% to that total to account for installation and project management. In our opinion it is important that you work with a profitable, well-established company on your projects as unstable ones could put your whole investment at risk if they are to fall into administration half way through the scheme, or after you have paid your deposit.
You should expect to have credit checks carried out if you are hoping to arrange payment terms, most contractors do tend to expect a payment structure that involves a deposit (usually around 40% project value) with a second payment of 40% just prior to delivery and the final 10% on handover of installation. It’s not common place for contractors to accept retention schemes unless a main contractor is involved but this is something you could discuss if you have a good relationship with the company.
You have other options in terms of financing your projects which can be a popular option, although be aware that some firms do not cover labour and installation in their terms.
In closing, the above is indicative of capital expenditure, we hope it is of some use in your planning, however if you are also the operator and bill payer you should be carefully considering how these elements come together to affect your running costs. Some refrigeration for example may appear cheaper to purchase but if you look closely at the running costs over a 10 year period you may be in for a surprise.