Café and Restaurant Fit-outs in Sydney
We build cafés, restaurants, takeaways and dessert shops across Sydney: the kitchen and its exhaust, the grease trap and plumbing, the counter and the dining room. The work runs in the order the inspections need, to your opening date.
A café or restaurant fit-out in Sydney is a build where most of the cost and risk sits behind the counter: the kitchen exhaust, the grease trap, drainage, three-phase power and the hand basins the food premises standard asks for. We build those first, by licensed trades, then the counter, seating and finishes. Our builders work from our architects' drawings or from yours, and we plan the work so the certificates are ready when you need to open.
The work behind the counter
These are the parts of a food fit-out that decide whether you can open on time, so they go in first.
Kitchen exhaust
In the City of Sydney, kitchen exhaust has to discharge vertically above roof level without affecting the neighbours. The duct route through the building is often the hardest part of the job, so we confirm it before the quote and install it early.
Grease trap and plumbing
Sydney Water says that if you cook or serve hot food, you need a grease trap and a trade waste agreement. Traps hold at least 1,000 litres and must be an approved product, installed by a licensed plumber after the application is made. In the City of Sydney the trap can't sit in a kitchen, preparation or storage area.
Power
Commercial kitchens often need three-phase power and a new switchboard. Checking the supply at the site visit avoids a surprise once the equipment list is final.
Basins, walls and floors
The food premises standard, usually applied through AS 4674, asks for hands-free hand basins within 5 metres of food handling, solid walls rather than stud walls, sealed washable floors and concealed pipes. City of Sydney also asks for a food preparation sink, a cleaner's sink and benches raised 150 mm off the floor.
Opening day depends on the back of house
A café can't trade until its exhaust, grease trap, drainage and power are installed, certified and signed off. We book those trades and inspections first, so the last weeks of the build go on the room your customers see.
From drawings to opening day
Council, Sydney Water and the certifier set part of the timeline. We plan the build around them.
Quote on the drawings
We check the drawings against the site and the food rules, then give you an itemised quote.
Approvals in place
The CDC or DA and the landlord's or franchisor's approval, and your plumber's trade waste application to Sydney Water.
Strip-out and services
The old fit-out comes out, then drainage, grease trap, power and the exhaust duct go in.
Walls, wet areas and tiling
Solid walls, waterproofing and tiling, then the ceilings and lighting.
Counter, joinery and equipment
The counter and joinery are installed, and the kitchen equipment is connected by licensed trades.
Certificates and handover
Trade certificates go to your certifier for the occupation certificate. You register the food business with council before you trade.
What drives the cost of a café or restaurant build
A Sydney hospitality shopfitter publishes 2026 rates of about $1,500 to $2,200 per m² for a basic refresh, $2,500 to $4,000 standard and $4,500 or more premium (ex GST). Your site decides where you land.
| Cost driver | Why it moves the price | What we check before we quote |
|---|---|---|
| Shell condition | A bare shell needs everything; a former café may have a working kitchen, exhaust and grease trap | What's there and whether it's approved |
| Kitchen exhaust | Ducting usually rises above the roof. Allowance: about $12,000 plus $260 per m² of kitchen | A route to the roof |
| Grease trap and plumbing | 1,000-litre minimum trap, drainage, basins. Allowance: about $9,500 | Where the trap can go |
| Power | Kitchens often need three-phase power. Allowance: about $11,000 | The supply and switchboard |
| Joinery and finishes | Counters, seating, tiling and lighting are where the design shows, and where budgets are easiest to adjust | The finishes schedule |
All rates and allowances exclude GST. Industry figures, not quotes.
Refitting a café or restaurant you've taken over
An existing kitchen can save a lot, if it's approved and suits your menu. Before the quote, we check which parts can stay: the exhaust hood and duct, the grease trap and its size, the switchboard, the cool room and the floor drains. Whatever stays is tested and certified like new work; whatever doesn't suit the new menu comes out in the strip-out.
The approval doesn't come with the shop. City of Sydney tells anyone taking on a food business to make sure the premises has the right consent, and the last consent's conditions on hours, noise and parking still apply. Our before you sign the lease check covers that side.
Café and restaurant build questions
How much does a café fit-out cost per m² in Sydney?
A Sydney cost guide puts cafés and restaurants at about $2,800 to $4,500 per m², including GST, typically about $3,700. The services decide most of it: a former café with a working exhaust and grease trap costs far less than a bare shell. See our café and restaurant cost guide.
How long does a café fit-out take to build?
A small café or restaurant usually takes 5 to 6 weeks to build, and longer when the site or the scope is complex. The approvals come before the build: a CDC can take as little as 10 to 20 days, and councils aim to decide DAs within an average of 90 days. See how long until we can open.
Can you install the kitchen equipment we've bought?
Yes. Send us the equipment list with the drawings, because it sets the exhaust, power, gas and drainage. Your supplier delivers it, and our licensed trades connect it.
Do I need a grease trap?
If you cook or serve hot food, yes. Sydney Water requires a grease trap and a trade waste agreement, and a licensed plumber applies before the trap goes in. See commercial kitchen requirements in NSW.
Can we open while the last work is finished?
Usually not. After DA or CDC work you generally need an occupation certificate before using the changed premises, and the food business must be registered with council before you trade. We plan the build so both are ready together.
Guides for café and restaurant owners
Tell us what you are planning. In a free 15-minute call we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit, what the approval route looks like and what the sensible next step is.
