Guide · Fit-out · UK
The fit-out is the largest cost of opening a kitchen and the one most underestimated. Here is where the money really goes and how to build a budget that holds.
The fit-out is usually the largest single cost of opening a kitchen, and it is the one most operators underestimate. The trouble is rarely the headline number. It is the quiet exclusions in a low quote, the design decisions made too late, and the contingency that was never really there. A realistic budget starts by assuming the project will cost more and take longer than the first estimate. The figures here are market averages, not a quotation, and you should always get written quotes for your own site.
Most first-time budgets fail in the same way: they price the visible things and forget the services underneath them. A quote that looks competitive can quietly exclude extraction upgrades, three-phase power, grease traps, drainage, fire suppression or accessibility works, any one of which can move the total by tens of thousands. Comparing the scope of two quotes matters far more than comparing their bottom lines, because a cheaper number often just means less has been included. The realistic rule of thumb is that independent projects tend to run meaningfully over the original estimate and open later than planned, so a budget with no headroom is a budget already in trouble.
The shape of the spend
Fit-out costs are usually estimated per square metre, and hospitality sits at the expensive end because of the kitchen, the ventilation and the hygiene requirements. Casual dining commonly lands in one band and fine dining well above it, with London and complex sites higher again. Within that total, the back of house dominates: the kitchen, its equipment and its services routinely account for a large share of both the space and the budget.
Extraction and ventilation deserve their own line because they are easy to under-price and expensive to retrofit. Duct length, riser access and roof plant all drive the figure, and moving the kitchen or bar after drawings are issued can add substantial cost. The pragmatic principle experienced operators follow is to spend where guests sit, touch and look, and be disciplined in the back-of-house zones that customers never see, without cutting the services that keep the kitchen safe and compliant.
The costliest mistake
The single most expensive error new operators make is building before the design is fully resolved. Without a clear concept, coordinated technical drawings and a defined specification, contractors are left to guess details on site, and every change after work starts costs more than it would have on paper. Planning the kitchen, bar and service risers early is what prevents the tens-of-thousands surprises that come from moving them later. It also lets you get genuinely comparable quotes, since three contractors pricing the same detailed drawing will differ far less than three pricing a vague brief. Where you can reuse existing services, such as sound extraction routes in a leased kitchen, you remove large costs without cutting corners.
Sequencing matters as much as design. The order in which trades work has a direct effect on cost and timeline, and a delay to one trade cascades into everything that follows. Separating the shell works from specialist installations, and bringing the right contractor in at the right stage, avoids paying a general builder's markup on specialist kitchen supply and keeps the programme moving. An experienced project manager earns their fee here, because coordination failures are where budgets and opening dates both slip.
Protecting the number
A realistic fit-out budget treats contingency as untouchable rather than optional, because unforeseen conditions in an older building, landlord or council requirements, and cost inflation are near certainties over a project of any size. Remember too that professional fees for design, drawings and project management sit on top of construction costs, and that a new installation carries a warranty while an adapted one may not. Once the kitchen is open, the cost story does not end: the equipment and extraction you have just paid to install need a maintenance rhythm to protect that investment. Building a maintenance habit that is cheaper than replacement from day one is how you stop the fit-out you costed so carefully from quietly degrading.
Questions
Hospitality fit-outs typically fall in a higher band than offices or retail because of the kitchen, extraction and hygiene requirements. Casual dining commonly sits in one range and fine dining well above it, with London and technically complex sites higher again. Always get written quotes for your specific premises.
The kitchen, its equipment and its services take a large share of both space and budget. Equipment alone can represent a majority of capital expenditure in some builds, and the kitchen and extraction together often account for a significant slice of the overall fit-out.
Because scope varies, not just price. A cheaper quote often quietly excludes extraction upgrades, three-phase power, drainage, grease traps, fire suppression or accessibility works. Compare what is included line by line rather than comparing bottom-line figures.
Around 10% is standard practice and worth protecting fiercely. Older buildings, landlord or council requirements and cost inflation routinely produce unforeseen costs, and projects commonly run over the original estimate and open later than planned.
Building before the design is fully resolved. Without coordinated drawings and a defined specification, contractors guess on site and every change costs more than it would have on paper. Fixing the kitchen and service layout early prevents costly late moves.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
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