- 01 Scope agreed in writing
- 02 Services isolated by licensed trades
- 03 Asbestos register checked
- 04 Waste sorted and removed
- 05 Clean shell on the handover date
Why restaurants are different
A café or restaurant packs more services into a small area than almost any other tenancy:
- Gas to cooktops, ovens, fryers and water heaters.
- Exhaust — hoods, ducts, fans and roof penetrations.
- Refrigeration — cool rooms, freezer rooms, remote condensers.
- Plumbing — sinks, dishwashers, floor wastes, grease traps.
- Electrical — high-load circuits for equipment.
The sequence
- Salvage — equipment being kept or sold removed first.
- Gas isolated by a licensed gas fitter.
- Electrical isolated by a licensed electrician.
- Refrigeration decommissioned by a licensed refrigeration technician where refrigerant must be recovered.
- Grease trap pumped by a licensed liquid waste contractor.
- Plumbing capped by a licensed plumber.
- Exhaust removed and penetrations made good as required.
- Fit-out removed — kitchen, bar, dining, ceilings, floors, amenities.
- Clean — commercial kitchens need a thorough degrease.
Buildings and neighbours
Restaurants are often below apartments or beside other businesses. Noise, smells, dust and waste movements are managed around neighbours and building rules.
Cool rooms
Cool room panels, doors and floors are removed, refrigeration decommissioned properly and panels recycled where possible.
Asbestos
Older premises may contain asbestos in wall linings, flues, floor tiles or behind stoves. Registers are checked; removal is by separately licensed asbestos removalists.
Make good
End of lease? See lease make good.
Costs
See the 2026 cost bands.
Call 02 6422 4201 or send the job details through.
More strip-out work
| Office Strip Outs | Whole floors and tenancies stripped to base building — ceilings, partitions, joinery, carpet, cabling — in occupied buildings. |
| Lease Make Good | End-of-lease make-good to the standard in your lease, handed back so the landlord signs off and the bond comes home. |
| Retail & Shop Strip Outs | Shopfronts, fit-outs and signage removed in shopping centres and high streets, around trading hours. |
| Warehouse & Industrial | Mezzanines, office pods, racking, amenities and redundant plant removed from warehouses and industrial units. |
| Bathroom Demolition | Bathrooms stripped to frame or slab for renovators and homeowners — tiles, screed, fixtures and membrane out, ready to rebuild. |
| Kitchen Demolition | Kitchens removed cleanly — cabinetry, benchtops, splashbacks and appliances out, services capped, ready for install. |
Questions people ask before they commit
Who disconnects the gas in a restaurant strip-out?
A licensed gas fitter isolates and caps gas supplies to cooking equipment and appliances before removal. Nothing is disconnected or cut until the gas is confirmed safe.
What happens to the kitchen exhaust?
Hoods, ductwork, fans and roof penetrations are removed as scoped. Grease-laden ducts need careful handling. Where ducts pass through other tenancies or the roof, the building's requirements for making good penetrations apply.
Can second-hand equipment be sold?
Often. Stainless benches, refrigeration, cooking equipment and furniture can have resale value. Items being sold or kept are identified and removed carefully before the general strip-out.
What about the grease trap?
Grease traps are pumped out by a licensed liquid waste contractor before removal or decommissioning, and any trade waste requirements from the water authority are followed.