FREE BILINGUAL FIELD GUIDE
Don’t sign a restaurant lease until you’ve walked through these checks.
A bilingual conversion-inspection library for 20 cuisine types — written for owners who need to know, before they sign, whether the space can actually support the menu.
20 manuals · EN + ES · free · link by email
One email with the link. We don’t sell your address; you can unsubscribe with one click.
Immediate stop signals
If you see ANY of these on the walkthrough, do not sign.
You smell gas, see burnt wiring, or see blackened / charred hood areas.
The exhaust fan is missing, disconnected, or shaking violently.
The seller refuses to provide hood / fire / grease records.
You must add major cooking equipment outside the existing hood.
The landlord will not allow roof, gas, electrical, or grease-interceptor work.
WALK
Smell, look, listen
PROVE
Hood · gas · electrical · plumbing
PRICE
Written scopes before signing
NEGOTIATE
Or walk away
The universal go / no-go
The universal go / no-go — five systems, every cuisine
Green items can be reused. Yellow items need a written contractor quote before signing. Red items must be resolved before the lease or purchase closes. This grid is the same across all 20 cuisine manuals — what changes is what counts as green vs. red for your specific menu.
Menu-to-equipment match
GREENHot appliances fit under existing hood and at approved areas.
REDMenu requires new hood or new utility service.
Type I hood + exhaust
GREENStrong capture at hood edge, clean filters, service records on file.
REDSmoke escape, grease on roof, missing service history.
Make-up air + pressure
GREENDoors behave normally when hood runs; kitchen stays comfortable.
REDSlamming doors, whistling, hot kitchen, smoke roll-out.
Fire suppression + gas
GREENInspection tag current; meter and pipe sizes match equipment.
REDOld tag, wrong nozzle coverage, undersized gas meter.
Electrical + plumbing + grease
GREENPanel capacity, dedicated circuits, interceptor sized and pumped.
REDPanel full, wrong voltage, interceptor overflowing or missing.
WHAT’S IN THE PACK
20 cuisine-specific manuals
Every cuisine has its own conversion landmine. Pick the closest match to your concept — the manual walks you through the equipment, hood, gas, electrical, plumbing, and code checks that apply to that menu specifically.
01
Chinese / Wok
High-BTU wok ranges need real make-up air and a Type I hood with proven capture.
02
Mexican / Tex-Mex
Comal + plancha lines and tortilla warmers are usually under-vented in inherited TI shells.
03
American Diner / Burger / Breakfast
Flat-top + fryer + bacon = heavy grease load; old grease interceptors rarely keep up.
04
Bar / Lounge / Sports Bar
Walk-in cooler placement, glycol lines, and occupant load dictate the entire floor plan.
05
Coffee Shop / Cafe
Espresso machine amperage and water hardness routinely surprise first-time operators.
06
Pizza / Italian
Deck/wood-fired oven weight and venting are show-stoppers in mid-floor TI spaces.
07
BBQ / Smokehouse
Wood-burning smokers need solid-fuel hood + ember collector + spark arrestor — not optional.
08
Indian / South Asian
Tandoor ovens have unique clearance + venting rules most inherited hoods don’t satisfy.
09
Thai / Vietnamese / Southeast Asian
Pho stock pots run 18+ hours — gas load and exhaust capacity get under-spec’d.
10
Sushi / Poke / Ramen
Cold-side sanitation + dedicated rice & seafood prep zones drive a different floor plan than hot lines.
11
Seafood / Cajun Boil
Live tanks, salt-water plumbing, and giant boil pots reshape both the kitchen and the dining-room layout.
12
Bakery / Dessert / Ice Cream
Mixer amperage, proofer + retarder humidity loads, and freezer-condenser placement are the budget killers.
13
Boba / Juice / Smoothie
Tapioca starch in floor drains and ice-machine drain water can overwhelm older plumbing.
14
Deli / Sandwich / Salad / Fast Casual
POS + line speed force a specific cold-table + display-case + heat-lamp geometry from day one.
15
Buffet / Hot Pot / Large Dining
Per-table induction or gas runs change the entire MEP and finish package.
16
Commissary / Ghost Kitchen / Catering
Pickup-door logistics + loading layout + per-tenant separation drive a wholly different code path.
17
Mediterranean / Middle Eastern / Kabob
Vertical broiler + charbroiler combinations stack BTUs in ways inherited hoods rarely handle.
18
Fried Chicken / Wings / Quick-Service Fry
Fryer banks mean heavy grease washdown — check the existing grease interceptor against your city's sizing rules before you sign.
19
Fine Dining / Full-Service
Multi-station cookline + plating pass + open-kitchen sightlines reshape the entire MEP plan.
20
Other / Custom Cuisine
When concepts mix or don’t fit a category, this manual maps your menu against universal MEP checks.
One email with the link. We don’t sell your address; you can unsubscribe with one click.
AFTER YOU WALK THE SPACE
We refer restaurant jobs to a registered architect.
Once you know the space can support the menu, the permit drawings come next. We don’t take restaurant jobs ourselves — send us the address and we’ll refer you to a registered architect. We reply within one business day.
Contact
Begin a project.
Studio
Phoenix4435 E Chandler Blvd · Suite 200
Phone
(602) 628-1231Servicios disponibles en español · 中文版本 (602) 628-1231