Restaurant and hospitality architect in Middle Tennessee

A restaurant architect lays out the dining room, bar, kitchen, and back of house so they work together, then prepares the drawings the building department, the fire marshal, and the health department review. Along the way the architect coordinates the engineers and the kitchen equipment designer, and answers questions during construction.

In most cases, yes. Tennessee's licensing statute lets unlicensed designers prepare plans only for certain building types, and restaurants are generally classed as assembly occupancies, which are not on that list. Plans for a restaurant are therefore normally prepared by a registered architect or engineer.

The biggest drivers are usually the kitchen: its size, the hood and ventilation, grease handling, and plumbing. The condition of the space you lease matters too, along with how much of the existing structure and services can stay.