Planning a Restaurant or Hotel Build-Out in Miami? What Owners Should Know Before Construction Begins
Septimo photos courtesy of World Red Eye.
By Zion Mass, Founder and CEO of MASS Construction
In recent years, Miami's restaurant and hospitality landscape has changed significantly. Local restaurant groups are expanding and restructuring their concepts. National and international operators are also entering the market. Hotels are opening new restaurants, bars, and experiences in their existing properties. Meanwhile, rising rent costs and a growing level of competition are putting greater pressure on owners to make sensible decisions about where and how they invest.
For restaurant and hotel owners, great design is merely the foundation of a successful project. The space must also function as a business.
Having worked for many years with owners of restaurants and hotels all over Miami, I have found that construction must not be considered in isolation from the business; every decision – whether it's about how you carry out a renovation or how fast you can complete the work – has to take into account the way that particular restaurant or hotel needs to operate.
At MASS Construction, we’ve worked as a restaurant and hospitality construction contractor in Miami for years, helping operators with everything from emergency repairs and renovations to new concepts and highly customized interiors. This experience has given us a great deal of insight into the considerations that owners should make before construction starts.
Begin by considering how the space should function.
Restaurants and hotels involve many elements, and because construction is a major investment, decisions made when fitting out a restaurant or renovating a hotel must be sensible from the business's point of view.
Owners ought to have a clear understanding of their objectives with regard to the space before work starts. Are you opening a brand-new restaurant or taking over an existing restaurant? Do you intend to revamp a concept that is already successful? Are you changing the positioning of a restaurant or bar that is part of a hotel? Or are you creating a new kind of experience within an already operating hotel?
They are quite different projects. The most costly option isn't necessarily the best; instead, figure out what the owner and design team want to achieve, then choose the most practical way of building it.
2. Get the contractor involved early in the discussion.
A rendering can show you what a restaurant or hotel interior will look like. However, somebody still has to work out how to build it.
By involving the general contractor early, the construction team can understand the design, the existing space, and the owner's objectives before work starts.
This is particularly important in the case of highly customized hospitality interiors.
We have undertaken various projects in which interior designers have introduced ideas and finishes which are not normally found in Miami. These are among the kinds of projects I enjoy most, since the construction team has to grasp the designer's vision and work out how all of the individual details will come together on site.
Rather than watering down a design, the contractor must help physically carry it out.
3. Get a clear understanding of what you are inheriting in a space that already exists
Renovating an existing restaurant is different from starting with a completely empty space.
It is possible that the building you are inheriting has been renovated on more than one occasion or that the space has been operated under various concepts over the years, a situation which is particularly common in some of Miami's older neighborhoods.
MASS has always been involved in renovation and adaptive reuse projects. In the field of hospitality construction, this experience matters because property owners usually try to achieve something new within an existing space.
By understanding the current conditions early on, the owner and project team can decide what can stay the same, what needs to change, and where construction problems might occur.
The more you know about the situation before starting construction, the better prepared the team will be for what follows.
4. Design with changes in mind
One thing I've picked up from working with restaurant owners is that restaurants change.
Customer preferences change, neighborhoods change, and competition changes too. A concept which worked years ago might now need refreshing or a complete reinvention.
We've experienced this firsthand while working with restaurant operators in Miami.
MASS has carried out a number of projects and developed several concepts in association with the Kush Hospitality Group over the years. We've assisted with renovations and alterations as concepts and neighboring areas have changed. We have also supported restaurant projects and renovations for Ariete, a Michelin-starred restaurant by Michael Beltran.
That experience has taught us that constructing restaurants isn't just building them once and then leaving. Sometimes a successful restaurant owner has to make changes for the business to move forward. This might mean renewing the current establishment, launching a new concept, or finding a new way of using the restaurant.
When planning a restaurant build-out or renovation, keep that possibility in mind; although you can't predict exactly what customers will want years from now, you can recognize that hospitality spaces never stay exactly the same forever.
For an operating restaurant, every day matters. One of the first things I did for a restaurant client wasn't a large construction job. Instead, they needed help with a problem with the air-conditioning or another minor repair. What mattered was that they needed someone who could respond quickly. The experience has remained with me as MASS has expanded. A restaurant in Miami without working air conditioning has a problem right now. Customers arrive, and staff still have to work.
The same way of thinking applies to renovations.
Construction is never carried out on its own. When a restaurant that is already operating is being renovated, the owner still has to worry about the business. The method you use and the speed at which you finish can greatly affect the business.
Since MASS has been carrying out bigger and more complicated projects, I've made it a point of ensure that we don't lose that sense of urgency. A problem that initially seems like a minor construction issue can become a significant business issue for the client.
6. Hotels pose a different kind of construction challenge.
Hotels add an extra layer of complexity because work may continue while the hotel is still operating. MASS has itself experienced this as a result of our work on a private bar location at the Four Seasons in Brickell.
The project included unique interior finishes and a highly individualized design to create a new experience within the existing hotel. What's interesting about these projects is that hospitality owners are discovering ways of creating new experiences inside properties people already know.
From a construction standpoint, you are still working within an existing building and an active hospitality environment. The new space has to be built around everything happening around it. For hotel owners carrying out an interior renovation, it's especially important to coordinate with the members of the ownership team, the contractor, the designers, and other project partners.
7. Don’t Underestimate Responsiveness
Several of MASS's longest client relationships began with fairly small assignments.
When I first started the company decades ago, I believed that if a client asked us to replace a light bulb, we should do it. The best way to earn the opportunity to help with the next job was to take care of what the client needed at that moment. I still believe that today.
A restaurant owner might have a repair carried out today, a renovation planned for next year, and a completely new concept developed several years later, so as a contractor you must be there at all those stages. As projects grow, that mentality should not disappear.
MASS provides services to local business owners and large institutional clients, but the standard of service must not vary by the size of the client.
It is especially important in the building of restaurants and hotels since the relationship between an owner and a contractor usually extends well past the completion of a single project.
8. Select a hospitality contractor who understands your objective
When choosing a contractor for a restaurant build-out or a hotel renovation, experience matters, but owners should also consider how the contractor manages the relationship.
Will the contractor work effectively with your architect and interior designer?
Do they understand the complexities of altering existing buildings?
Do they feel comfortable carrying out design-oriented interiors?
Do they realize that timing can have an effect on your business?
Will you get a reply when you need them?
Do they really take the time to understand what your ultimate objective is regarding the use of the space?
At MASS, we don't just execute a series of drawings and then get out of the way. We want to educate our clients, help them navigate the construction problems they may encounter, and provide the information they need to make well-judged decisions.
Miami is changing quickly, and its restaurant and hospitality industry is changing with it. Local operators are evolving. New restaurant groups are entering the market. Hotels are looking for ways to create new experiences. And customers continue to expect more from the places where they eat, stay, and spend their time.
Construction has to adapt alongside them. Our objective is to create environments where our clients can do what they do best.
Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant and Hotel Construction in Miami
At what stage should I involve a general contractor in the build-out of a restaurant?
Owners ought to consider getting a general contractor involved at an early stage, especially if they are carrying out a renovation of an existing restaurant or if they want a highly customized interior. Having early discussions enables the contractor to get a better understanding of the design, the present conditions, and the owner's objectives before work starts.
What distinguishes renovating a restaurant that is already established?
An established restaurant may have undergone earlier renovations or operated under different concepts. In order to carry out the project, the team has to get a good understanding of the present space and decide what can be kept, what needs to be altered, and what conditions might affect the renovation.
Can a restaurant remain open while it is being renovated?
This will vary according to the specific project and the circumstances involved. Restaurant owners should raise the matter of their operations and possible periods of downtime with their contractor at an early stage so that the contractor's method of carrying out the work can take into account the requirements of the business.
What should I look for when choosing a restaurant build-out contractor in Miami?
Look for a contractor with experience in commercial interiors, renovations, existing buildings, and hospitality projects. Owners should also consider responsiveness and the contractor’s ability to collaborate with the owner, architect, interior designer, and other members of the project team.
What should hotel owners consider before beginning an interior renovation?
Hotel owners should consider how construction will interact with an existing property and its operations. The owner, contractor, designers, and other project partners should discuss the space, construction approach, and operational considerations before work begins.
Does MASS Construction build and renovate restaurants and hospitality interiors in South Florida?
Yes. MASS Construction is a Miami-based construction management and general contracting firm with experience working on restaurant, hospitality, commercial interior, and adaptive reuse projects. MASS has worked with restaurant operators and hospitality properties on renovations, evolving concepts, and customized interiors in Miami and South Florida.
About the Author
Zion Mass is the Founder and CEO of MASS Construction, with more than 20 years of experience managing multifamily, mixed-use, office, restaurant, retail, adaptive reuse, and urban infill projects across South Florida. A licensed Florida General Contractor and LEED Accredited Professional, he helps developers and business and property owners navigate pre-construction, permitting, and construction while managing cost, schedule, and quality. His portfolio includes 830 Brickell, Miami Tower, and the historic Citizens Bank Building in Overtown.