Five Guys is an American quick casual QSR restaurant franchise located in Brampton, ON that specializes in hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries. We have become one of their favourite commercial general contractors due to our constant delivery of projects on time and under budget.
Five Guys – Burger and Fries
Brampton, ON
2,500 SF
Unit Alterations/Maintenance
November 2021
Entrepreneurs will tell you a good business idea is scalable. It makes sense: duplicating a success will create more success, right? Well, that depends on the business, and if your business is a restaurant? Great success requires great risk.
So, before you start calling your restaurant designers and commercial contractors, make sure you’ve covered all your angles. Mull over some of the most important questions you need to ask before you decide to get into restaurant expansion and construction.
Ah, the big question – after all, everything following will depend on the right decision here. A successful restauranteur is rightfully proud of the accomplishment, and that can lead to overexcitement and rash decisions. Growing too fast could cause problems for the whole project because of lack of funding or the right people to make everything work.
First things first: the funding for a new location should not come off the first restaurant’s back. Outside investors or personal savings, should be funding the fledgling project through restaurant construction, design, and opening until it gets off its feet, not the currently-successful venture.
Why? Because any failure in the new location could put the original at risk if all the money is tied into one bundle.
Think about it: if you start to cut costs in staffing, supplies, or restaurant renovations and upgrade, your successful restaurant to help fund an unsuccessful one, the service or quality at your first restaurant could start to suffer, costing it customers and its hard-earned reputation.
Instead, you need to make sure your business is running like a top, financially and operationally, and then let it do it’s thing without interfering with its profits. Fund the second venture separately throughout, right from the moment your restaurant contractor gets involved.
And speaking of running like a top: your current location needs loyal, trusted staff and an effective general manager so it can run well without much attention from you. A new location is bound to take the lion’s share of your time and effort as you work out kinks, decide on restaurant builders and commercial designers, and market your buns off to get it started well.
Your commitment to making both places work is undeniable, but unless you’ve discovered how to clone yourself you also have limits. Your best asset will be a team that’s loyal and motivated to produce the quality and service your clientele has come to expect.
Your new location will require a well designed and constructed interior, an efficient commercial kitchen flow, and a stellar restaurant contractor and interior designer to help you realize your dream.
But above all, to success beyond the grand opening day and the first week of launch, you’ll need a crack team, too, including the right staff, a chef who’s willing to collaborate. This could be achieved by partnering and hiring the right individuals, or by working with an experienced and creative restaurant consultation firm, that can assist you and introduce you to the right contacts in the industry.
So your business has gone gangbusters. Congratulations! Why do you suppose that’s so?
Have you got a top-flight menu? Do you offer a unique dining experience? It’s time to analyse exactly what your secret sauce has been. Figuring out who your customers are and what keeps them flocking back will be crucial to deciding how to do it again.
If you’re appealing to young, wealthy, investment professionals in the heart of GTA and Toronto, your same formula for success may not work out in the ‘burbs. A close look and an in-depth business plan for your new spot will establish your target audience and how to reach it through appropriate restaurant design ideas, menu items, and more.
Even if you’re going for a new vibe the next time around, keeping your best management practices will help bolster chances of success in the new effort.
Do you have a set of systems and processes in place for how your restaurant runs? Do you use specific inventory management methods or payment software, like CLOVER or TOUCHBISTRO? Do you do payroll a certain way each time? Check for and order supplies on specific days? Cleaning and maintenance probably have their own schedules and set methods, too.
These daily tasks may be done haphazardly now, but establishing a set of guidelines for how and when things are done will solidify and, in time, simplify daily operations exponentially. Then everybody knows and how and when things will happen, no need for questions or guesses.
Outlining systems and processes for your successful business will give you a template on how to go forward, too. Things may differ at your new spot for any number of reasons, and you can tailor your checklists accordingly.
Having a successful restaurant means you’re an expert – at that first restaurant. While you’re no beginner, don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll have all the answers going forward. Think of it as an entirely new venture, except now you have some experience.
Team up with knowledgeable chefs, restaurant consultants, restaurant & hospitality specialized designers and commercial contractors, and with experienced construction managers to decide what the new place should be.
By keeping a new location separate financially and mentally, you will be more prepared for what’s coming – a wild and exciting ride that ends in even more success for your business.
When you’re deciding where to build your new successful restaurant, you’ve got an extra element to consider: where’s your old one?
Proximity between the two is a tricky balance: too far apart and you’ll spend tons of time trekking back and forth between the two. Too close and you could cause your new place to steal customers from your old one, especially if you’re targeting a similar clientele.
Your creative and experienced restaurant design team and build out commercial contractor can turn any old place into a gem, but research is key to determine that potential customers travel in the area you’re looking to inhabit.
Establishing the kind of success you have is really incredible in such a competitive sphere. It’s a great idea to capitalize on that success and expand – when you’re ready. When that time comes, make sure you contact our expert Restaurant construction team at GTA General Contractors if your project is in GTA and Ontario, or contact the restaurant design/build team at Canada Retail Group who can help in the design and construction of your new restaurant venture in major cities across Canada.
Building a restaurant is a big step for the average entrepreneur or franchise owner, keeping up with trends while maintaining your brand can be very challenging. While you often wonder about the appearance of your business, have you ever considered the condition of your floors?
It’s easy to take your floors for granted, I mean it’s just going to get dirty right? Why even pay any attention to its condition? “
I’ll tell you exactly why you should pay more attention to it. Your commercial flooring adds more aesthetic to your business than you realize. If you start to cut corners and use cheap flooring materials, it will certainly reflect on your businesses reputation with the public. Now, you may be asking, “Well, I don’t know the first thing about flooring, what should I do?”. Well the answer to that question depends on a number of factors including your design, budget, and amount of daily foot traffic. Read on to find out about the Four Top Commercial Flooring Materials and the benefits of each.
Vinyl Flooring is one of the most popular flooring options in restaurant construction in Toronto. This style of flooring is very versatile and adaptable to all types of businesses from retail, restaurants, nightclubs, fitness centres, and much more – the sky’s the limit! Vinyl is incredibly durable and can withstand heavy foot traffic for even the busiest restaurants. It is comfortable to walk on and helps absorb restaurant noise, which can be important for businesses that cater to kids and younger families.
Vinyl flooring is also very affordable which is great for new restaurants expenses. In Toronto, you can expect to pay anywhere from $2 and up per sq.ft. (installation included). Vinyl flooring comes in a wide range of colours and finishes which means you should be able to find exactly the style you are looking for.
A great long-term flooring option in Toronto is natural hardwood flooring. The first advantage to hardwood commercial flooring is it provides a natural feel to your business. A classic hardwood floor can create a warm and welcoming environment to your customers. Hardwood flooring is an earthy, neutral finish which can make the process of matching it to your custom retail fixtures a lot easier than tile, carpet or vinyl. Another great aspect of natural hardwood flooring is the ability to change the finish. If you ever grow tired of the finish or you redesign your restaurant, you can just sand the floor down with specialized equipment and stain the floor to the colour you need – piece of cake!
There are companies who can come in and refinish your whole floor by lunch time, making the process a lot less stressful and saving you time and money. For natural hardwood in Toronto, you can expect to pay approximately $7-$9 per sq.ft. If you’re looking for more exotic, or unique hardwood styles you should expect to pay around $8 – $13 per sq.ft.
Another great option for commercial flooring is choosing eco-friendly flooring options. Examples of Eco-flooring include cork, bamboo, concrete, linoleum, glass tiles, and reclaimed hardwood. There are a number of eco-friendly flooring options available in Toronto and has risen drastically in popularity in recent years due in part to the growing trend of eco-friendly, organic lifestyle. Eco-friendly can refer to anything from natural fiber carpets, tiles made from recycled materials, and natural wood from sustainable sources.
Installing trendy, eco-friendly flooring can make you feel good about doing your part for the environment. Customers enjoy eating at natural, and sustainable businesses which can make the investment in eco-friendly building materials worthwhile for your business. Since eco-friendly flooring is such a large category, it is hard to pinpoint an average starting price. However, Cork flooring typically ranges in the area of $3 – $7 per sq.ft., whereas, bamboo flooring costs range between $8-$12 per sq.ft.
Another great choice for commercial flooring is laminate as it offers a ton of colours and styles for you to match with your restaurant interior design. A great aspect of laminate flooring is its resistance to various damage. However, laminate flooring has five different levels of durability ranging from AC1 – AC5. These levels determine just how durable the flooring is. AC1 laminate flooring is for light or general home use. AC2 is for moderate residential use. AC3 is for heavy residential use which sees a lot of daily foot traffic. AC4 is for light commercial use and AC5 is for heavy commercial use.
Depending on how much traffic your business sees on a daily basis, you should look for commercial flooring in the AC4 – AC5 range.These are the most durable laminate flooring you can buy and are great for areas with frequent, everyday foot traffic. Laminate flooring costs in Toronto per square foot can start around $2 per sq.ft. and can go up to $12 per sq.ft. depending on the durability and style you choose.
If you’re in the market for restaurant construction in Toronto or are looking to get more information on the contracting process around new restaurants. Give us a call and one of our Toronto commercial construction specialists will answer any questions you have.
Finding premium restaurant space in Toronto, can be difficult depending on your budget. Since commercial real estate is becoming increasingly harder to find, Restaurants are having to use smaller, more compact commercial units.
While renovating smaller units in Toronto can be stressful at first – with some planning, ambition and creativity you can organize and streamline your project to make construction as efficient as possible.
With the skill of design and organization, you can maximize the available commercial space to best suit your needs. The following tips can be used to help you improve your potential design and boost customer satisfaction:
The front entrance of your restaurant should be one of the final areas of your design plan. As many restaurant owners make the mistake of running out of kitchen space in the planning stage, leaving the front entrance for the final area to design this will make sure your main priorities are covered.
However, this isn’t a way of saying the front entrance is any less important! In our opinion, the front entrance is one of the most important areas to design as it is the best way to impress your customers. This area should clearly represent your restaurant’s brand, your front entrance and main waiting area should be able to impress your customers with a warm, memorable and welcoming area.
Standard design rules usually have the main dining area as 60-65% of your restaurant’s whole floor plan.
This area of your new restaurant should mainly focus on providing your customers with comfortable, inviting seating layout with large walking areas in between for your staff to safely transport food and beverages to the customers table.
As mixed seating options can help make the most of your given space, adding a variety of trendy counter-top tables around the perimeter will provide plenty of seating accommodation. This will also free up a lot of centre space for additional tables and/or booth options.
While your main dining area of your restaurant should be approximately 60% of your floor plan, the remaining 30-40% is best used for the “engine” of your restaurant – the kitchen! The kitchen is one of the most important areas of your restaurant as the food is ultimately what your customers are there for.
Designing your kitchen to be spacious with all of the necessary food equipment allows your chefs/cooks to work their magic – providing your customers with a memorable and delicious experience. Designing your kitchen well also helps reduce the risk of accidents or injuries as your staff is not running into each other while they prepare food. This helps your kitchen staff to navigate the food preparation area without the risk of injuries.
Helpful things to keep in mind when planning your commercial washroom space is:
Firstly, when you place your commercial washrooms near your kitchen, you will save yourself a lot of hassle and unnecessary expenses when it comes to setting up your commercial plumbing and drainage system. Also, you should begin ordering your Toilet partitions and washroom accessories at this time to ensure that they are ready to be installed once construction has completed on your restroom. Our friends over at Specialty Product Hardware (SPH) are Toronto’s commercial washroom experts and can supply, deliver and install all styles of toilet partitions including powder coated metal, plastic laminate, phenolic, solid plastic and stainless steel. They also can provide all washroom accessories such as hand dryers, baby change tables, dispensers, and much more.
Secondly, having a commercial restroom that opens directly into your dining room area might make your customers a little bit uncomfortable and lead to less repeat business. Planning your restrooms in a way that are accessible but not visible from the dining area will ensure that your customers have a pleasant and memorable experience at your new restaurant.
Need more information about your new restaurant? Or maybe you’re looking to start construction? Give us a call at (647) 341-1030 to speak to a Toronto commercial construction specialist in your area.
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