A one-stop-shop for hospitality fitouts

Get expert advice to avoid costly blunders when building or renovating your restaurant.

Hospitality fitouts are one of the biggest expenses for business owners, so mistakes can be costly and have long-term consequences.

Some proprietors, especially if new to the industry, may turn to cheap contractors or DIY in a bid to cut costs, which can lead to inferior outcomes and major problems, such as non-compliance. This means they will need to spend even more money to remedy the situation and likely lose business in the meantime. If done correctly, good fitouts are an investment in growth and continued success.

A sophisticated and trendy design theme combined with a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere will optimise the customer experience and guarantee repeat business.

With more than 15 years’ of experience in the Sydney commercial fitout industry, LITECO Projects has extensive knowledge and expertise in hospitality fitouts and refurbishments. With 200+ projects successfully delivered, the LITECO team works hand-in-hand with the designers and business owners.

According to Andy Tse, Director of LITECO, the most common mistakes restaurant owners make include selecting the wrong premises for their business, designing the interior fitout out of their budgets, assigning the project to nonhospitality-experienced builders, and they end up building a restaurant which is noncompliant to health and BCA standards.

‘‘Hence, hiring a professional hospitality fitout builder is very important to avoid costly mistakes and major delays,’’ he says.

LITECO monitors every step of the process, providing guidance from the very early stages of conception to handover. This includes a free preliminary site inspection while selecting the right premises for a restaurant.

Technical suitability of a restaurant location, for instance, is measured by parameters such as existing exhaust capacity, grease trap availability, electrical and gas supply to the premises and disabled access requirements.

‘‘Choosing a location that meets all these parameters – about which LITECO provides advice – can considerably reduce the construction cost and time at later stages,’’ says Tse.

LITECO can also provide an initial budget estimate even before the design stage, based on the design perspectives of clients and present site conditions

‘‘Once you finalise a location for your new venture, it is very important to carefully set a realistic budget and stick to it,’’ he says.

The team also monitors costs, offering suitable value engineering options if required without compromising the quality and style of a fitout – all in co- ordination with business owners.

Delays in construction can also cost owners a lot of money.

‘‘Strictly following the schedules and timely delivery of the project is a key point to our success. On-time delivery of our projects is also attributed to our 1800-square-metre joinery factory, located at St Peters in Sydney’s inner west, which is well equipped with the latest machinery and software to manufacture high quality, innovative joinery pieces and furniture at a faster pace,’’ Tse says.

There are many other important aspects to be considered in restaurant and cafe fitouts. For instance, investing in quality kitchen equipment and its professional installation will keep the maintenance and repair costs to a minimum in the long run. Being an approved dealer of many kitchen equipment brands, LITECO not only supplies equipment but ensures its precise installation.

‘‘LITECO is a one-stop-shop for the restaurant owners we support with premises selection, planning applications, budget-setting, project scheduling and, moreover, our team of highly experienced project managers who oversee the entire project from start to finish,’’ says Tse.