Food Facility Tenant Improvement
Converting a leased industrial or commercial space into a compliant, operational food facility — without the surprises that delay most build-outs.
Tenant Improvement for Food Facilities Is Not Standard TI
Standard commercial tenant improvement scopes — flooring, ceilings, partitions, basic MEP — cover a fraction of what a food facility build-out actually requires. Food distribution centers, cold storage, commissaries, and ghost kitchens each carry health department surface and drainage requirements, refrigeration or cooking equipment loads that most existing electrical services can't support, and fire code triggers (high-piled storage, Type I hoods) that standard industrial space was never designed around.
A tenant improvement scope for a food facility typically includes: cleanable, sealed floor and wall surfaces in product areas; floor drains and grease interceptors sized to the operation; refrigeration and insulated panel work for cold storage zones; an electrical service upgrade coordinated with SCE or LADWP; and a full health department plan check submission before any construction begins.
Getting this sequence wrong — starting construction before health department plans are approved, or discovering an electrical capacity shortfall mid-build — is the most common cause of delayed openings in food facility TI.
Why This Requires a GC With Food Facility Experience
Health Department Plan Check
LA County Environmental Health reviews food facility TI plans separately from the building permit — commonly 8–14 weeks including correction cycles. This has to be sequenced from day one, not filed after design is finished.
Electrical Service Timelines
Utility upgrades for refrigeration or cooking loads run 8–14 weeks with SCE or LADWP. Initiating this the day the lease is signed — not the day construction starts — is the single biggest schedule lever.
Fire Code Triggers
High-piled storage and Type I hood installations require LAFD plan review. A GC unfamiliar with these triggers will discover them during health department or building plan check, adding weeks.
Realistic Cost Ranges
Food facility TI runs materially higher per square foot than standard commercial TI once refrigeration, electrical upgrades, and health department-driven finishes are priced accurately — budget accordingly from the start.
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