Two restaurants of identical size in Dubai can carry very different fit-out budgets, and the difference is rarely the dining chairs. The real cost drivers sit behind the walls and above the ceiling: extract ductwork, drainage, authority compliance and the condition of the shell you inherit. Published price-per-square-metre figures for F&B vary so widely between concepts that they are best treated with caution; understanding the drivers below is a more reliable way to budget.
The kitchen sets the budget
Back-of-house is almost always the most expensive zone per square metre. A commercial kitchen needs extract canopies and ductwork routed to a compliant discharge point, fresh-air make-up, grease traps, floor drainage with correct falls, washable wall and floor finishes, and substantial electrical capacity. A delivery-led concept with a compact kitchen and a full-service restaurant with live cooking sit at opposite ends of the cost spectrum, even at the same floor area. Duct routing deserves early attention: where the building’s riser or roof access sits can change the mechanical scope dramatically.
Approvals shape cost as much as design does
Every Dubai restaurant must satisfy Dubai Municipality food-establishment requirements covering kitchen layout, finishes, ventilation and hygiene provisions, alongside Dubai Civil Defence approval of the fire strategy, suppression and alarm works. In a mall, the landlord’s fit-out NOC process adds design-criteria reviews, hoarding, night-working restrictions and staged inspections. None of this is optional, and retrofitting compliance after a design is priced is where budgets most often slip. Drawings prepared for approval from the first issue protect both programme and cost — the discipline we apply across our restaurant fit-out projects in Dubai and wider mall fit-out work across the UAE.
Location and shell condition
A unit handed over as a bare shell needs power, water, drainage and fresh-air provisions brought in before fit-out proper begins, while a previously fitted unit may offer reusable services — or hidden strip-out costs. Mall units typically carry higher compliance overheads; street-front units bring their own utility-connection, signage and access constraints. A proper site survey before pricing is the cheapest insurance a restaurant owner can buy.
Front-of-house: where joinery earns its keep
Dining-room costs are driven by joinery density — counters, banquettes, feature ceilings, wall panelling — and by material selection. Fire-rated and washable materials are required in specific zones, so specification is a compliance matter as well as an aesthetic one. Because Sinas manufactures at its own 34,000 sq ft production facility in Al Quoz, with machining lines, spray and paint booths and a climate-controlled storage section, in-house joinery is produced while site works proceed, compressing programme and removing a layer of subcontractor margin.
Controlling the budget
The restaurants that open on budget tend to share four habits: the design is frozen before mobilisation; the shell is surveyed before the contract is signed; spend is prioritised on the kitchen and compliance items before decorative upgrades; and one contractor carries design, joinery and MEP together, so interfaces do not become variations. Sinas has delivered commercial fit-out in the UAE since 1986 — more than 2,500 projects with a 300-plus in-house team — and that single-point model is central to how we price and deliver F&B work. Explore the full range on our fit-out services hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the single biggest cost driver in a Dubai restaurant fit-out?
The commercial kitchen. Extract, make-up air, grease management, drainage and power typically make back-of-house the costliest zone per square metre, and kitchen scope varies far more between concepts than dining-room finishes do.
Do approvals add to restaurant fit-out costs in Dubai?
Yes. Dubai Municipality requirements, Dubai Civil Defence approval and mall NOC processes all shape design and programme. Approval-ready drawings from day one avoid redesign and resubmission costs.
Is a mall restaurant fit-out more expensive than a street-front unit?
The compliance burden is usually higher in malls — design criteria, hoarding, restricted hours and staged inspections — while street-front units carry their own utility and access constraints.
How can a restaurant owner keep fit-out costs under control?
Freeze the design early, survey the shell before pricing, prioritise kitchen and compliance spend, and appoint one contractor for design, joinery and MEP.
Planning a restaurant fit-out?
Share your concept, unit and target opening date and our technical team will walk you through the cost drivers specific to your site. Contact Sinas Interior Decoration for a consultation.
Written by the Sinas Interior Technical Team. Reviewed by Arun Kumar, Projects Director, Sinas Interior Decoration LLC. Last updated: 1 October 2026.
