January/February 2018 43
focus on these types of buildings. Most
of the teams involved know each other
and share information on good sources
for advice and proven solutions.
Commercial real-estate salespeople
also are interested in having multiple
restaurant-friendly spaces in their
community to rent to potential tenants.
ey know the value this provides in
securing quality tenants for spaces they
want to lease. It reduces contingencies
and deal-killing clauses that cannot be
satisfi ed.
What makes a foodservice-friendly
building?
Access for grease exhaust duct and fan
If direct access to a roof is not
possible, then space should be available
for an optional scrubber or pollution-
control unit. I am aware of several
large restaurant lease deals that never
closed because the developer didn't off er
provisions to install exhaust air fi ltration
equipment that would be needed to lease
the space to a restaurant.
Reasonable headroom
e section of the rental space,
assumed to be where the kitchen will
be located, should have at minimum a
9-foot clearance from the fl oor to the
underside of a structure. Codes require
an exhaust hood to be hung no lower than
6 feet 8 inches. Assuming it's a 2-foot-
high shallow hood, an 8-by-8 minimum
is required to install that hood. Add 4
inches for the hardware and lighting that
may extend from the top of the hood and
9 feet becomes the minimum.
