MEP engineering for restaurants, cafés & bars.
Kitchen-heavy projects where the electrical, mechanical and plumbing designs have to agree: equipment loads, hood exhaust and make-up air, grease and gas.
In shortA restaurant package covers the kitchen's electrical load with NEC 220.56 demand factors, hood exhaust and make-up air, grease interceptor and gas sizing, dining-room lighting and plumbing fixtures, and it can be repeated across a QSR rollout.
Scope, by discipline.
Typical items on restaurants, cafés & bars projects. Exact scope is agreed before we start.
Electrical
- Kitchen equipment circuits and demand factors
- Panel schedules and service sizing
- Lighting and dimming layouts
- Emergency lighting
Mechanical
- Hood exhaust and make-up air
- HVAC load calculation
- Dining-room ventilation (ASHRAE 62.1)
- Equipment schedules
Plumbing
- Fixture counts
- Grease interceptor sizing
- Gas piping sizing
- Water heater, floor drains and sinks
Engineering
Design assist and permit drawings.
- Restaurants & cafés
- Bars & breweries
- Renovations & additions
Drafting and modeling
Revit, CAD and BIM.
- MEP drafting in Revit and AutoCAD
- MEP coordination & clash detection
- Shop drawings / fabrication models
Services for restaurants and cafés, by region.
A tick marks the services we support in each region. Open a region for its standards and scope.
| Region | Electrical | Mechanical | Plumbing | MEP drafting & modeling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA & CanadaEngineering assist, design assist and modeling assist | ||||
| Australia & New ZealandEngineering assist, design assist and modeling assist | ||||
| Middle EastModeling, lighting & photometric analysis, with electrical, drafting and support | ||||
| United KingdomModeling, lighting & photometric analysis, with electrical, drafting and support | ||||
| IrelandModeling, lighting & photometric analysis, with electrical, drafting and support | ||||
| NetherlandsModeling, lighting & photometric analysis, with electrical, drafting and support | ||||
| FinlandModeling, lighting & photometric analysis, with electrical, drafting and support |
In the USA and Canada, mechanical and plumbing include the calculations. In the other regions they come as design assist, drafting and modeling. Electrical calculations are included everywhere.
Questions about restaurants and cafés.
How do you size the electrical load for a commercial kitchen?
We list all the cooking equipment, refrigeration, fans, lighting and receptacles, apply the NEC Article 220 demand factors for commercial cooking equipment, and size the service, sub-panels and feeders for the busiest service period. The equipment schedule and the factors are documented so the plan reviewer can follow every step.
What are the NEC 220.56 demand factors for commercial kitchen equipment?
NEC 220.56 allows demand factors for commercial kitchen equipment when there are three or more units on the feeder, with a floor set by the largest loads. Applied correctly it can reduce the calculated feeder size compared with a straight nameplate sum. Check the factors against the edition your jurisdiction has adopted; our worked example shows the method.
Which electrical connections does a kitchen hood system need?
When the hood's suppression system operates, power to the cooking equipment under the hood must be disconnected, usually through shunt-trip devices wired to the suppression system. We design the shunt-trip circuits, interlocks and disconnects so the installation passes inspection.
Can you develop prototype packages for QSR franchise rollouts?
Yes. We build a master electrical, mechanical and plumbing package for the brand's standard store, then adapt it for each site's utility voltage, local amendments and conditions, which shortens the engineering time per location.
What lighting levels are used in restaurants?
Design levels vary with the concept: roughly 10 to 20 footcandles at the table in fine dining, 20 to 30 in casual dining and 30 to 50 in fast-casual, with warmer color temperatures and accent lighting for atmosphere. We model the layout in DIALux to confirm the targets before fixtures are ordered.
Do you size grease interceptors and gas piping for restaurants?
Yes. We size grease interceptors from the fixture and flow data using the method in the adopted plumbing code, and we size the gas piping to the equipment schedule, then show both on the plumbing plans for your engineer to review.
Which MEP services do you offer for restaurants and cafés?
For restaurants and cafés we provide electrical, mechanical and plumbing design assist, plus MEP drafting and Revit modeling. Typical scope includes kitchen equipment circuits and demand factors, hood exhaust and make-up air and fixture counts. The exact scope is agreed before we start.
Where do you provide MEP drafting and modeling for restaurants and cafés?
In every region we serve: the US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland and the Middle East. In the US and Canada we also prepare the mechanical and plumbing calculations; elsewhere mechanical and plumbing come as design assist, drafting and modeling. See regions.
Services for restaurants and cafés
Other project types.
Every project type has its own page.
- 01
ResidentialHomes, townhouses and multifamily buildings - 02
Retail & shopping centersStores, boutiques and shopping centers - 03
Hotels & hospitalitySmall hotels, motels and resorts - 04
HealthcareDental clinics, medical offices and facilities - 05
Education & communitySchools, daycares and community buildings - 06
Offices & workspacesFit-outs, tenant improvements and office buildings - 07
Commercial & mixed-useMixed-use buildings, gyms, salons and service stations - 08
Industrial, warehouses & labsWarehouses, distribution, manufacturing and laboratories