Restaurants run on the most demanding electrical loads in commercial construction. We engineer kitchens that perform and dining rooms that delight — efficiently and to code.
Atmospheric lighting design and layered dimming scenes that elevate the guest experience.
Standardized, rapid-deployment electrical packages tuned for speed and energy efficiency.
High-load kitchen power distribution engineered for multi-vendor operations.
Commercial kitchen electrical load calculations account for all cooking equipment (ovens, fryers, grills, steamers), refrigeration compressors, fan motors, lighting, and general receptacles. We apply NEC Article 220 demand factors for commercial cooking equipment and size the main service, sub-panels and feeders to handle simultaneous peak loads during a full dinner service — the most electrically demanding scenario.
NEC 220.56 permits demand factors for commercial kitchen equipment when three or more units are on the feeder — recognizing that not every appliance draws full nameplate simultaneously. Applying the table correctly can significantly reduce the calculated feeder and service size versus a straight nameplate sum. We document the equipment schedule, the applied factors and the resulting service size so the plan reviewer can follow every step.
When a hood fire-suppression system activates, power to all cooking equipment under the hood must be disconnected automatically — typically via shunt-trip breakers wired to the suppression system's microswitch. We design the shunt-trip circuits, the interlock wiring and the equipment disconnects so the electrical installation passes both the fire marshal's and the electrical inspector's review the first time.
Yes — this is one of our highest-value capabilities for restaurant brands. We develop a master prototype electrical package for your standard store footprint, then adapt it efficiently for each new site by adjusting for local utility voltages, local code amendments and site-specific conditions. Prototype-based rollout reduces engineering time per location by 40–60%, allowing your franchise development pipeline to move faster without sacrificing code compliance.
IES recommends: fast-casual and QSR 30–50 fc at table level for a bright, energetic feel; casual dining 20–30 fc with warmer color temperature (2700–3000K) for a relaxed atmosphere; fine dining 10–20 fc with heavy use of accent lighting (4:1 accent-to-ambient ratio) for an intimate, high-end feel. We model all scenarios in DIALux or Visual Lighting to confirm targets are met before fixture orders are placed.
The NEC requires GFCI protection for receptacles in commercial kitchens — a requirement that has expanded in recent code editions to cover more receptacle types and ratings. We lay out the kitchen receptacle plan with the correct GFCI protection, dedicated circuits for fixed equipment and equipment disconnects, matched to the NEC edition adopted in your project's jurisdiction.
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