Restaurant and bar fit-out: the building work, done in order

What is included in the construction package?

A hospitality fit-out splits naturally into the building work and the specialist systems. We take on the first and coordinate with the second. The construction package usually covers:

• Strip-out of the previous fit-out where it cannot be reused, with debris removed.
• Partitions separating kitchen, storage, staff area, toilets and dining room, using boards suited to each zone.
• Wall finishes in kitchen and wash-up areas that can be cleaned thoroughly and repeatedly.
• Floors chosen for slip resistance, cleaning and heavy traffic, with falls to drains where the design requires them.
• Ceilings with access to services, and finishes appropriate to each area.
• Customer and staff toilets, built to the specification your technician sets.
• Plumbing, drainage and electrics by authorised partner installers, including gas work where needed.
• Painting, fitting and a deep clean before the kitchen equipment and furniture arrive.

Which parts are handled by specialists?

Several systems in a restaurant or bar are specialist packages with their own designers and installers: kitchen equipment, extraction hoods and ductwork, refrigeration, air conditioning, fire detection and suppression, and often the bar counter itself. We do not supply or design these. What we do is make sure the building is ready for them — openings in the right place, fixings and reinforcement in partitions, ceiling voids with enough room, floors finished where equipment will stand — and that each installer arrives at the right moment.

Extraction outlets in particular often have to run up through or along the building. That usually involves the owners’ community and the town hall, and should be resolved before you commit to the unit. Our guide on works and the owners’ community explains why.

Who deals with the activity licence?

The operator, normally through an architect, engineer or specialist consultant. Hospitality is one of the activities where the paperwork matters most, because it involves noise, smoke, odours and public safety as well as building work. We do not process licences or declarations; we build to the scope your technician defines.

The framework in Andalusia changed recently. Ley 2/2026 for Environmental Management of Andalusia, published in the BOJA on 20 March 2026, replaces the former calificación ambiental with a municipal licencia ambiental and keeps a declaración responsable route for certain activities. According to published summaries, it came into force on 20 June 2026. Which route applies to a particular bar or restaurant depends on the law’s annex and on municipal ordinances (to be verified case by case). The national licence exemption for small shops under Ley 12/2012 covers activities listed in its annex; whether a given hospitality activity is included is also to be verified. The licences guide lists the sources.

Why does the order of works matter so much in hospitality?

Because so many trades share a small space. If the floor is finished before the drainage for the kitchen is tested, it may have to be cut open again. If the ceiling closes before the extraction duct is in, it comes down again. If partitions are built without reinforcement where heavy equipment will hang, they have to be opened up.

We draw up the sequence with you and your specialists at the start: who needs which opening, when each system is first fixed, when it is tested, and when surfaces can be closed. Then we keep that list current as the job progresses. It is the least visible part of what we do and the one that saves the most time.

Which finishes stand up to a working kitchen?

Kitchen and wash-up areas need surfaces that can be cleaned hard every day without deteriorating, joints that do not trap dirt, and junctions between wall and floor that are easy to keep clean. Dining areas have different priorities — acoustics, atmosphere, comfort — and can use a wider range of finishes.

Your technician or the relevant health requirements may specify particular characteristics for food areas; we follow those. Where there is room for choice, we explain the practical differences between options at the visit, without naming brands, so you can balance appearance, durability and budget. Lighting and ceilings for the dining room are covered in our guide on lighting and ceilings.

Can an existing bar be reused rather than rebuilt?

Often it can, at least in part. Taking over a unit that was already a bar or restaurant can save a great deal if the drainage, toilets and kitchen layout suit your concept. The question is whether what is there works for you, is in good condition and matches what the current paperwork allows. A previous licence is not automatically transferable to a different activity or a bigger scope.

We can visit with you before you commit and give a builder’s view of what can stay and what must go. For the decision itself, the article on alternatives to a full refit is a useful companion.

What affects the cost of a hospitality fit-out?

The kitchen and toilets usually drive the construction cost more than the dining room: drainage runs, wall and floor finishes in wet areas, and the number of fixtures. Ceilings, the amount of strip-out, access for deliveries and whether work must happen outside the hours of neighbouring businesses all add up. Specialist systems are priced separately by their installers.

Our quote lists every construction task separately, so you can compare it with other bids and see what is excluded. For the general logic, see the article on fit-out cost factors.

Official sources

• BOJA no. 55 of 20 March 2026 – Ley 2/2026 for Environmental Management of Andalusia
• Ley 2/2026: environmental licence replaces calificación ambiental (summary, derecholocal.es)
• Ley 12/2012 on urgent measures to liberalise retail and certain services (text, Ministerio de Hacienda)
• Chronology of amendments to Ley 12/2012 – surface threshold raised to 750 m² by Ley 20/2013