What is a "Grandfather Clause" and how can this affect your commercial kitchen renovation plans?
Restaurant building codes, bylaws, and regulations evolve and change as time progresses. This often renders older restaurant or foodservice businesses out of date. Oddly enough, this does not necessarily mean ‘out-of-date’ operations become ‘non-compliant’ operations. However, it does mean that if you decide to upgrade your restaurant kitchen, then you may need to upgrade more than you had planned. This is the concept of a “Grandfather Clause”: where older approved restaurants are generally left operating without being required to upgrade to current standards.
What you need to know is that if you add anything to your existing cook line, then you may be required to upgrade your entire facility to meet new codes. Even if your existing restaurant kitchen is operating perfectly in your eyes, you may still be required to upgrade to current codes. Beware of quick salespeople who offer you an extension to your existing exhaust hood system, and do not address the potential for unplanned costs to upgrade your facility. Your local municipal Building Inspector will rule on your situation. This is important to understand before committing to a renovation, only to find out later that you are now roped-in to additional expenses you never saw coming. Understand before you sign a deal that could carry big hidden costs!
Remember that your local Building Inspector is the authority on these decisions, and enforcement does vary across regions. Codes, Bylaws, and Regulations govern the building requirements for commercial restaurant kitchens…BUT it is your local Building Inspector who makes the ruling on your compliance. Avoid surprises and hire a builder like Black Ink Co. who understands these principals and will protect your interests. Kitchen suppliers are not required to inform (or even be aware) of how a Grandfather Clause can impact your commercial kitchen renovation decisions. It is your job as a business owner to protect your interests, so learn and understand your local municipality requirements…all of them…before you sign a deal to renovate your commercial kitchen.
Delegate (do not abdicate) your kitchen renovation. You must stay informed and avoid flying into a deal blind OR you may face big unforeseen costs outside of your budget. A responsible qualified commercial kitchen supplier / builder should protect you from surprises; beware of charlatans selling partial solutions that may land you in hot water. Information is power.