Every night a restaurant is closed is a night of lost covers, idle staff and regulars who may try somewhere else. So the real goal of a restaurant move is not just getting the equipment across town. It is this:
How few service nights can we lose?
The answer depends less on the moving truck than on three things: whether the new space is approved to open, who disconnects and reconnects the kitchen, and how the move is sequenced.
The new space has to be ready to cook in
A truck full of equipment does not help if the new kitchen cannot legally open. Before you set a move date, confirm where the new location stands.
In San Francisco, building or remodeling a food facility, including installing cooking equipment or ventilation hoods, may need approval from the Department of Public Health, with site inspections during and after construction. You also need to close out the health permit at the old address. Outside San Francisco, food facility permits are usually handled by the county environmental health department.
Ask your contractor and the health department for realistic dates, then plan the move around them, not the other way round.
Who disconnects what
Moving in the Bay Area? Get a detailed written quote for your move.
This is where restaurant moves go wrong most often. Movers move equipment. They do not disconnect gas lines, rewire equipment or plumb sinks.
- Gas, electric and water connections: Ranges, ovens, fryers, dish machines and prep units that are connected to utilities need a licensed vendor to disconnect them before the move and reconnect them at the new site.
- Built-in systems: Walk-in coolers, hood systems and fire suppression are often part of the building or installed by specialists. Confirm with your landlord and contractor whether they stay, move or are replaced.
- Freestanding equipment: Reach-ins, prep tables, shelving and smallwares can be moved once they are emptied and cleaned.
On Impel restaurant moves, vendor disconnects for gas, electric and water are lined up around the move, and the crew transports the equipment protected. The walkthrough logs each piece, so nothing is left waiting on a connection at reopening.
Measure before you move
Commercial kitchen equipment is large and heavy, and older buildings have narrow doors and tight corridors. For every major piece, record:
- Width, depth and height
- Door and corridor widths at both locations
- Stairs, ramps, elevators and loading access
- Where the piece goes in the new kitchen
A range that does not fit through the new back door is a problem you want to discover weeks before move night, not on it.
Protect the cold stock
Food is the one thing in a restaurant that cannot wait on a loading dock.
- Run inventory down in the final week, so there is less to move.
- Decide what moves, what is used up and what is not worth moving.
- If refrigerated or frozen stock has to move, plan a cold hold across the move. Impel's restaurant scope accounts for one where needed.
- Have the new refrigeration running and at temperature before stock arrives.
Pack the front of house by zone
The dining room and bar are full of things that break: glassware, plates, bottles, decor and lighting.
- Pack glassware and smallwares in proper cartons with dividers, never in shared boxes with heavier items.
- Pack by zone (bar, line, dish, dining room, host stand) so each zone can be unpacked in its new place.
- Wrap tables, chairs and booths and label them for their position in the new floor plan.
Plan an overnight cutover
For many restaurants, the best plan is to close after service, move overnight and reopen at the new address the next day. That only works when the new space is approved and the utility vendors are booked.
A cutover usually runs in this order:
- After last service: Equipment is emptied, cleaned and disconnected by vendors.
- Overnight: The kitchen loads first, then the front of house.
- At the new site: Kitchen equipment is positioned first, so vendors can reconnect while the dining room is still being set.
- Before opening: Equipment is tested, the line is stocked and the dining room is set.
On Impel restaurant moves, equipment is positioned for vendor reconnection first, so the kitchen can be ready before the dining room is finished.
Tell your guests where you went
On reopening day, update your address and hours on your Google Business Profile, reservation platform, delivery apps and website. Put a sign in the old window for regulars who walk by.
Questions to ask a restaurant mover
- Who lines up the gas, electric and water disconnects and reconnects?
- How will refrigerated and frozen stock be handled?
- How are glassware and smallwares packed?
- Can the move run overnight after service?
- What gets set up first at the new location?
Moving a restaurant in the Bay Area?
Impel plans restaurant moves around your service hours in San Francisco, San Carlos, Redwood City, San Jose and across the Bay Area. If you are moving a shop or another small business, our guide to moving a retail store without losing sales days covers the cutover from the retail side. In San Francisco, plan truck parking at both addresses too.
