Can I Open a Restaurant in This Space in BC?

A commercial unit should not be treated as restaurant-ready just because it is vacant, affordable, or located on a busy street.

For a restaurant, the real question is whether the space can support the proposed food service use under the local zoning bylaw, the municipality's permit process, and the BC Building Code.

The biggest risks are often hidden during a walkthrough: no practical exhaust route, insufficient electrical capacity, no suitable make-up air path, washrooms that do not support the proposed seating, accessibility upgrades, fire alarm work, grease management, or a previous occupancy that does not match the new restaurant use.

The safest time to find those issues is before lease terms are finalized, before equipment is ordered, and before design drawings begin.

Restaurant owners usually start with location, rent, foot traffic, parking, and visibility. Those matters are important, but they do not answer the permit question.

A restaurant permit review starts with a different set of questions: What was the unit approved for before? Is restaurant use permitted by zoning? Is the proposed cooking method compatible with the building? Can exhaust leave the building safely? Can the roof accept new equipment? Are washrooms, exits, fire protection, and accessibility suitable for the expected number of occupants?

A space can look perfect from the sidewalk and still be a poor restaurant candidate once the technical review begins.

The previous tenant matters more than most new restaurant owners expect.

A former full-service restaurant with similar cooking equipment may already have exhaust, grease management, plumbing, washrooms, fire suppression, and a permit history that supports the new use. That does not guarantee approval, but it gives the project a much stronger starting point.

A former clothing store, office, salon, warehouse, or dry retail unit is different. Converting that type of space into a restaurant may trigger change of occupancy review, new mechanical systems, new plumbing, accessible washroom upgrades, fire protection changes, and a more detailed building permit application.

Ask for previous permit drawings, previous occupancy information, and any records showing what the municipality last approved. A landlord's statement that 'a restaurant should be fine here' is not enough.

Restaurant use must be permitted under the applicable municipal zoning bylaw. Commercial zoning by itself does not always allow every food service use.

Some municipalities distinguish between restaurant, cafe, takeout restaurant, neighbourhood pub, lounge, brewery, commercial kitchen, commissary kitchen, food production, and catering use.

A small cafe with limited food preparation may be treated differently from a full commercial kitchen with Type I cooking equipment, a bar, late-night hours, patio seating, or liquor service.

Before relying on the space, confirm the exact proposed use with the municipality. The wording matters. 'Food service' is not always specific enough for zoning or business licence review.

A restaurant can introduce a different occupancy condition than the previous tenant. That change can affect occupant load, exits, washrooms, accessibility, fire separations, fire alarms, ventilation, and mechanical design.

For example, a retail store may have been approved for customers walking in and out, limited plumbing, and no commercial cooking. A restaurant may bring seated customers, staff, cooking equipment, dishwashing, grease, washroom demand, and fire suppression requirements.

This is why a business licence alone is not enough. The municipality may need to confirm that the building itself can safely support the proposed restaurant use before the business opens.

In many restaurant projects, kitchen exhaust is the item that decides whether the project is financially viable.

Installing a commercial exhaust system is rarely limited to placing a hood above the cooking equipment. The review may involve the hood type, exhaust duct routing, roof penetration, make-up air, rooftop equipment location, structural support, fire-rated shaft requirements, fire suppression, noise, odour, and landlord approval.

A unit in the middle of a multi-tenant building can be especially difficult. If there is no existing shaft, no direct roof path, no landlord permission for penetrations, or no practical way to route grease exhaust, the project may become too expensive or impractical.

Before signing a lease, ask whether the building already has a commercial kitchen exhaust path, whether the landlord will allow new roof penetrations, and whether a mechanical engineer has reviewed the concept.

A restaurant exhaust system removes air from the building. That air usually needs to be replaced with make-up air.

If make-up air is not properly planned, the restaurant can experience pressure problems, uncomfortable drafts, doors that are difficult to open, poor hood performance, odour migration, and HVAC imbalance.

This is one reason restaurant mechanical design can become expensive. The hood, exhaust fan, make-up air unit, rooftop equipment, gas supply, electrical capacity, and fire suppression often need to be coordinated together.

A lease review that only asks 'Can we install a hood?' is incomplete. The better question is: Can the building support the complete exhaust and make-up air system?

Restaurants usually need more plumbing than ordinary retail or office spaces.

A typical restaurant may require hand sinks, prep sinks, dishwashing areas, floor sinks, mop sinks, washrooms, grease management, hot water capacity, and drainage routes that suit the equipment layout.

The expensive part is not always the fixture itself. The cost often comes from trenching concrete, rerouting drainage, adding venting, upgrading hot water, coordinating grease interceptors, or working around existing slab and tenant demising walls.

Before lease signing, confirm where existing water, sanitary, venting, and grease management infrastructure are located. A beautiful dining room layout can fail quickly if the plumbing route does not work.

The number of seats is not just a business decision. It can affect occupant load, washroom demand, exit capacity, accessibility, fire alarm requirements, and the permit review.

A 20-seat cafe and an 85-seat restaurant may create very different code questions even if they are in similar-sized units.

The floor plan should clearly show fixed seating, loose seating, bar seating, staff areas, waiting areas, service counters, patios, washrooms, and kitchen support spaces. If the plan does not clearly show how people use the space, the reviewer may ask for occupant load clarification.

Do not increase seating after drawings are underway without checking the effect on washrooms, exiting, and accessibility.

Existing washrooms are often one of the first feasibility items to review.

A former retail unit may have a staff washroom that is not suitable for a public restaurant. A larger restaurant may require additional fixtures. An older washroom may need accessibility upgrades. A small tenant space may not have enough room to create a compliant layout without sacrificing dining area.

The difficult part is that washrooms affect both cost and revenue. More washroom space may reduce seating, and moving washrooms may trigger plumbing, slab cutting, accessibility, and ventilation work.

Before committing to the space, compare the proposed seating count with the existing washroom layout and ask whether the municipality is likely to require upgrades.

Restaurants are public-facing spaces, so accessibility can affect the entrance, route through the dining area, washrooms, service counters, patio access, and door clearances.

A single step at the entrance, tight washroom dimensions, narrow circulation between tables, or an inaccessible service counter can become a permit issue.

Accessibility upgrades are expensive when discovered late because they often change the layout. A washroom may need to be enlarged, a door swing may need to change, millwork may need to move, or the seating plan may need to be reduced.

The earlier accessibility is reviewed, the easier it is to design around it.

Cooking equipment may require hood suppression, but restaurant fire safety review can go further than that.

Depending on the building and scope, the permit review may include fire alarm coordination, emergency lighting, exit signs, fire separations, rated shafts, sprinkler modifications, service rooms, and alarm monitoring.

A restaurant inside an existing multi-tenant building can affect building-wide systems. Even small layout changes may require sprinkler head relocation, fire alarm device changes, or revised emergency lighting.

The permit drawings should show the cooking equipment, hood, suppression scope, exit paths, rated assemblies if affected, and coordination with base building systems.

A patio can change occupant load, accessibility, exiting, liquor licensing, washroom demand, neighbourhood impact, and municipal review.

Even if the interior restaurant is feasible, exterior seating may require separate approvals, landlord consent, strata approval, public realm review, or zoning confirmation.

Do not assume patio seats are automatically available because there is open space outside the unit. Confirm whether the patio is private property, common property, city property, or subject to another approval process.

What was the last approved use of the unit?

Do you have previous permit drawings and inspection records?

Was the unit ever approved as a restaurant or commercial kitchen?

Is there an existing kitchen exhaust shaft or roof penetration?

Will the landlord allow new roof penetrations, rooftop equipment, exhaust ducts, or exterior louvers?

Are there restrictions from strata, the lease, or the base building engineer?

What electrical service is available to the unit?

Where are the sanitary, water, gas, and venting connections?

Is there an existing grease interceptor or grease management system?

Will the landlord require review by their architect, mechanical engineer, or structural engineer before approving the tenant work?

Is the proposed restaurant use permitted at this address?

Does the proposed use trigger a change of occupancy review?

Will a development permit be required before the building permit?

What drawings are required for a restaurant tenant improvement?

Will a code summary be required?

How should occupant load and seating count be shown?

Will accessible washrooms be reviewed under the proposed scope?

Will mechanical drawings be required for kitchen exhaust and make-up air?

Are there special submission requirements for food service, patios, signage, or exterior equipment?

No visible route for kitchen exhaust.

The unit is located below residential suites with no obvious shaft path.

The landlord cannot provide previous permit drawings.

The previous tenant was dry retail or office use.

Existing washrooms are small, old, or not accessible.

Electrical service appears limited for the proposed kitchen equipment.

The roof is difficult to access or controlled by strata.

The lease prohibits roof penetrations or exterior equipment.

There is no clear location for grease management.

The proposed seating count depends on using every square foot with no realistic circulation space.

A restaurant tenant improvement package commonly includes existing and proposed floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, equipment layout, seating plan, washroom layouts, code summary, mechanical drawings, kitchen exhaust information, plumbing drawings, electrical drawings, fire suppression information, and accessibility notes.

Depending on the scope, the municipality may also request structural review for rooftop equipment, fire alarm drawings, sprinkler drawings, energy compliance information, landlord approval, health authority coordination, or development permit documents.

A clean package explains what exists today, what is changing, how the restaurant will operate, and which building systems are affected.

Confirm the previous approved occupancy and proposed occupancy.

Provide occupant load calculation and seating count.

Show exit paths, travel distance, door swings, and emergency lighting.

Provide accessible washroom layout with clearances.

Coordinate kitchen equipment schedule with mechanical and plumbing drawings.

Provide commercial kitchen exhaust and make-up air design.

Confirm fire suppression scope for cooking equipment.

Identify grease interceptor or grease management strategy.

Coordinate architectural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, sprinkler, and fire alarm drawings.

Provide landlord approval for rooftop equipment, shafts, penetrations, or exterior changes.

Signing the lease before confirming exhaust feasibility.

Assuming a cafe approval supports heavy cooking.

Ordering kitchen equipment before mechanical and electrical review.

Increasing seating count after drawings have started.

Ignoring accessible washroom requirements.

Treating grease management as a plumbing detail instead of a feasibility item.

Assuming the previous tenant's approval applies to the new restaurant.

Submitting architectural drawings before mechanical, plumbing, and fire suppression coordination.

Forgetting that rooftop equipment may need landlord, structural, and municipal review.

If the space was previously a similar restaurant, start by collecting previous permit drawings and checking whether the new concept changes cooking equipment, seating, washrooms, exits, or exterior equipment.

If the space was a cafe with limited cooking, review whether the new menu requires heavier cooking, a different hood, additional grease management, or more mechanical capacity.

If the space was retail, office, salon, or warehouse, treat the project as a feasibility review before lease signing. The main issues are zoning, change of occupancy, exhaust, plumbing, accessibility, washrooms, and fire protection.

If the project includes a patio, liquor service, late-night operation, or entertainment, confirm whether additional municipal or licensing review applies before relying on that revenue model.

PermitWave helps restaurant owners screen a space before money is committed to the wrong lease, the wrong equipment, or incomplete drawings.

The guided permit preview is designed to identify the issues that usually matter first: zoning, previous approved use, change of occupancy, kitchen exhaust, make-up air, washrooms, accessibility, seating, fire protection, plumbing, and required permit documents.

The goal is not to replace the architect, engineer, or municipal reviewer. The goal is to give owners a clearer picture of the permit risks before the expensive decisions are made.