Restaurant design-build means one company designs the restaurant, produces the permit drawings, fabricates the custom pieces, and builds the space under a single contract. The alternative is hiring an architect or designer, then a general contractor, then separate millwork and metal shops, and managing the handoffs yourself. In Dallas-Fort Worth a design-build project typically runs a few months from signed scope to opening, with permitting and the condition of the space setting the pace. Build-out costs in 2026 range from about $225 per square foot for a second-generation refresh to $475 for a standard build-out and $650 to $800 for heavy or high-end work.
This guide walks through how a design-build project actually runs, phase by phase, what it costs, how long it takes, and how to tell a design-build firm from a contractor who outsources the design.
In this guide
What Design-Build Means for a Restaurant
A restaurant has three kinds of work that usually come from three kinds of companies. A designer or architect produces the concept and the drawings. A general contractor builds the space, usually through subcontractors. Fabricators make the bars, counters, hoods, stainless tables, and millwork. In a traditional project the owner holds three or more contracts and becomes the coordinator, and every gap between them costs time or money: drawings the contractor can’t build, millwork that arrives a few inches off, a hood that doesn’t match the line.
Design-build puts those jobs under one roof. The team that draws the room fabricates its pieces and builds it, so budget, schedule, and accountability sit in one place. When something needs fixing, there’s one phone number.
At Restaurant Headquarters that’s been the model since 1992 across more than 1,000 restaurants: concept and space planning, dining room and bar design, kitchen coordination, custom millwork and stainless fabrication in our own shop, permit-ready drawings, construction, and equipment. Our restaurant design and build page lays out the full scope.
The Five Phases of a Design-Build Project
1. Consultation and scope
The project starts with a free consultation, on site or at our showroom. We review the space, the concept, the menu, and the budget, and we lock scope before anything gets drawn. A locked scope is what makes the price and the schedule hold; most overruns in restaurant construction come from scope that was never defined.
2. Design and permit drawings
Floor plans, elevations, and permit-ready drawings for the whole space, front of house and back of house together, so the dining room, bar, and kitchen never conflict on paper. Seat counts, aisles, ADA clearances, egress, hood and utility positions, and health-department requirements are resolved in this phase. The commercial kitchen design page covers how the back of house gets planned, and our restaurant layouts and floor plans guide covers the numbers that govern the dining room.
3. Fabrication while permits process
This is where design-build earns its schedule. While the city reviews the drawings, our shop builds the millwork, bars, counters, stainless tables, hoods, and cut-metal features to those same drawings. Nothing sits in another vendor’s queue. On the Shipley Do-Nuts build-out in Garland, the service counter, the stainless display racks, and the kitchen pieces were fabricated while the site was being prepped, which is a large part of how a project typical at twelve to sixteen weeks finished in six.
4. Build-out
Construction runs under one contract with one point of accountability, on a schedule anchored to the opening date. Demolition if needed, framing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, the hood and fire suppression, finishes, and installation of the fabricated pieces, all sequenced by the same team that drew them. Because the people who drew the bar also built it, the millwork, stainless, and site conditions line up.
5. Equipment, inspection, and opening
Equipment is procured through our own store, delivered, set, and leveled. The health-department walkthrough, the final punch list, and the keys back to you close the project. Zumi Modern Sushi in Southlake went from a demolished salad shop to an opened upscale sushi room this way, with fabrication running in the shop while the site was prepped.
How Long a Restaurant Build Takes
Most DFW build-outs run a few months from signed scope to opening. Two things set the pace: permitting time, which depends on the city and the scope, and the condition of the space. A second-generation restaurant with a working hood, grease trap, and utilities is faster than a retail conversion or a bare shell, where everything has to be placed from a blank plan.
Real examples from our portfolio:
| Project | Starting condition | Scope | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shipley Do-Nuts, Garland | Franchise space, fixed opening date | Storefront, counter, stainless racks, kitchen line, finishes | Opened in 6 weeks (12 to 16 typical) |
| Sweet Hut, Plano | Existing bakery, same footprint | Full interior and exterior redesign | Opened in 4 months |
| Shun by Yama, McKinney | Bare shell | Full design-build, entry, counter, two bars, kitchen | Opened as a full omakase room with indoor and outdoor bars |
| Ebesu, Plano | Dated retail layout | Retail-to-restaurant conversion, ventilation, millwork | Opened with the ventilation built into the design |
The fastest schedules come from locking scope early, fabricating in parallel with permitting, and keeping one crew on the job. The slowest come from drawings that fail review, custom pieces ordered late, and three companies waiting on each other.
What a Design-Build Project Costs
Build-out cost depends on square footage, kitchen scope, and finish level, and it’s priced from a locked scope rather than a rate sheet. The planning ranges below come from 2026 DFW contractor pricing as compiled in our Texas restaurant cost guide.
| Scope | 2026 DFW planning range |
|---|---|
| Second-generation refresh (finishes, light changes, existing kitchen) | about $225 per sq ft |
| Remodel (new layout, new finishes, kitchen changes) | about $325 per sq ft |
| Standard build-out (second-generation shell, new kitchen and FOH) | about $475 per sq ft |
| Heavy build-out (new utilities, hood, structural work) | about $650 per sq ft |
| High-end or bare shell | about $800 per sq ft |
Tiers reflect 2026 Dallas-Fort Worth contractor pricing. City fees from the City of Dallas fee schedule; the TABC fee from the TABC license and permit fee chart.
Add soft costs of 12 to 20 percent of the hard number for design, drawings, permits, and fees. In Dallas, the certificate of occupancy runs $375 and the building permit roughly $800 to $2,800 on a $100,000 to $500,000 build-out, plus trade inspection fees. A TABC Mixed Beverage Permit is $5,300. Kitchen equipment is a separate line, typically $40,000 to $150,000 for an independent restaurant, and financing is available for the equipment portion.
Design-build doesn’t make the square footage cheaper. It removes the markups between companies, the change orders that come from drawings nobody could build, and the schedule slips that cost rent and payroll before opening. Our guide to what it costs to open a restaurant in Texas has the full breakdown with worked examples.
Design-Build Compared With Hiring Separately
| What changes | Separate architect, GC, and fabricators | Design-build |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts | Three or more | One |
| Who coordinates handoffs | The owner | The firm |
| Drawings | Produced without the builder’s input | Produced by the team that will build them |
| Custom pieces | Ordered after construction starts, often from out-of-state shops | Fabricated in-house while permits process |
| Schedule | Phases stacked end to end | Fabrication and permitting overlap |
| Accountability when something’s wrong | Each party points at another | One phone number |
| Typical fit | Large multi-site programs with in-house project management | Independent and franchise restaurants that need one accountable team |
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
A lot of contractors describe themselves as design-build. These separate the real thing:
- Who produces the permit drawings, and do they work for you directly?
- Where is the millwork made? Where is the stainless made? Can I see the shop?
- Will the people who draw the bar be the people who build it?
- How many restaurants have you opened in Dallas-Fort Worth, and can I visit three of them?
- Is the kitchen designed by the same team as the dining room?
- Who handles the health-department submittal and walkthrough?
- What’s included in the scope, and what happens if the city asks for changes?
If the answers involve “our partner” more than once, you’re hiring a coordinator, not a builder.
Design-Build in Dallas-Fort Worth
Restaurant Headquarters has designed and built more than 1,000 restaurants since 1992, with design, millwork, stainless fabrication, waterjet cutting, and construction under one roof. The portfolio shows the finished rooms, from Shun by Yama’s bare-shell omakase build in McKinney to Sweet Hut’s four-month redesign in Plano.
Start with a free design-build quote
Have a lease, a floor plan, or a photo of the shell? Send it over and we’ll walk you through scope, schedule, and a clear quote, or call (972) 487-8888.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is restaurant design-build?
A delivery method where one company designs the restaurant, produces the permit drawings, fabricates the custom millwork and metal, and builds the space under a single contract. The owner holds one agreement instead of coordinating an architect, a general contractor, and separate fabricators.
How long does it take to build a restaurant?
Most Dallas-Fort Worth build-outs run a few months from signed scope to opening, set mainly by permitting time and the condition of the space. Restaurant Headquarters finished the Shipley Do-Nuts franchise build-out in Garland in six weeks against a typical twelve to sixteen, and Sweet Hut's full interior and exterior redesign in Plano took four months.
How much does it cost to build out a restaurant in Dallas?
2026 Dallas-Fort Worth planning ranges run from about $225 per square foot for a second-generation refresh to about $475 for a standard build-out and $650 to $800 for heavy or high-end work, plus 12 to 20 percent soft costs and a separate equipment budget. Each project is priced from a locked scope.
Do I still need an architect with a design-build firm?
The design-build firm produces the drawings, including permit-ready plans for the city and the health department. Restaurant Headquarters prepares those drawings in-house and guides the submittals, so you don't hire a separate architect for the restaurant build-out.
Does design-build cost more than hiring a contractor?
The square footage costs what it costs. Design-build removes the markups between separate companies, the change orders from drawings the builder can't execute, and the schedule slips that cost rent before opening, which is why most owners end up spending less in total and opening sooner.
Do you handle the health department and permits?
Yes. Restaurant Headquarters prepares permit-ready drawings, guides the submittals through the city and the health department, and runs the final walkthrough before the keys are handed over. More than thirty years of Dallas-Fort Worth projects means code requirements are in the plans from the first draft.