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How small is your shop?

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pjcampbell

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Now I think we have a member with a trailer that might take the win, but anyone operating in a fairly small location? I found a very prime location which is 382 sq. ft. I have a fair idea as to what 382 sq ft is, but not sure how that translates into mixer, oven, counter space, storage, fridge, bathroom and seating, etc. I am looking for a small place to begin with. Sort of hole in the wall kind of place… I like to say cozy.
 
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PJ forget it. It can not be done. I operate my slice business out of 410 feet with no storage, no bathroom, no mixer. An ADA bathroom will take up about 60 square feet alone. The only reason we can do it out of 400 feet is that our other location handles all the prep and storage and the bathrooms are outside of our unit and shared with the other businesses in the area.
 
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Good info, thanks.

Do you know if the ADA bathroom is a requirement regardless of # of seats or only based on if number seats are greater than XYZ ? I am thinking about a place around here with seating for maybe 6 and no bathroom at all :?:
 
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Check your building and health regulations for the requirements on seating. Where I am if you have 10 or more seats you must have a public ADA washroom. I have 3 tables and 9 chairs this means that it is a waiting area. I serve all food as if it were to leave the store.

Notice I called my place a store? This also avoids the need to provide a public washroom under the city’s building code. I am however required to provide an ADA washroom for the staff to use.
 
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we started in a 14 x 32 shed 448 sq feet forget about it. we were carry out only used frozen dough balls did pizzas subs wings etc total nightmare 4 people working tripin all over each other and everything.our joke when someone filled out application we always asked how skinny they were 😃 our size really limeted our menu just not enough storage room. could it be done im sure if you layed it out right but heck i have problems packin a shopin cart :?
 
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Daddio:
Check your building and health regulations for the requirements on seating. Where I am if you have 10 or more seats you must have a public ADA washroom. I have 3 tables and 9 chairs this means that it is a waiting area. I serve all food as if it were to leave the store.

Notice I called my place a store? This also avoids the need to provide a public washroom under the city’s building code. I am however required to provide an ADA washroom for the staff to use.
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Just in case you employ American(s) with Disabilities?
 
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Cool, I’m going to keep looking and will start to do some math to figure things out.

In this location the idea would only be pizza with a few topping choices and drinks, nothing else but I don’t know if that changes things too much. Lots of take out, but I would really want at least a couple of seats for those just stopping in for a slice or two in the winter.

This location is one I’ve had my eye on for years and years and years, actually 2 places next to one another. They have both been occupied since I was a kid and I had always thought if I ever had any sort of store, THAT is the place! They were occupied for at least 20 years because that is how long I’ve been living here. 400 and 800 sq ft. They larger one is pricey, 4000 a month and for that I think out of my range, and smaller just under 2000. It is in a fairly wealthy town with a ton of foot traffic, stores, starbucks across the street, movie theater directly next door and NO other “real, but quick” food anywhere. One of few quaint little bustling down town areas left really. Lots of teenagers with disposable income, no other pizza within sight. There are a few within maybe 5 minutes walking distance, but people are lazy.
 
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$60 per square foot… wow. using typical metrics, you have to assume that the business can do about $700 per foot in sales to make that work. 800 is small but it is big enough. It is not generous, but it can be done. At that size you need to do about 550-600K to justify the rent you quote. Are there other businesses nearby doing that kind of sales? Those are not impossible numbers, but they are pretty high.
 
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Hello pj,I have 640 sq.ft. w/ no seating all t/o and del…We do everything from pizza to deserts.We’re pushing 17-20 G’s a week out of this tiny location.Our walkin is outside which is a pain in da butt.But we get by.Anything can be done w/ all the right planning but what your looking to do just might be a little too small.
Niccademo
 
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Daddio:
Check your building and health regulations for the requirements on seating. Where I am if you have 10 or more seats you must have a public ADA washroom. I have 3 tables and 9 chairs this means that it is a waiting area. I serve all food as if it were to leave the store.

Notice I called my place a store? This also avoids the need to provide a public washroom under the city’s building code. I am however required to provide an ADA washroom for the staff to use.
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I wonder how or if this changes if you don’t have any employees. For example if the place is run by a partner and I, both owners, 0 employees. It sounds like its time for a trip to the library/bookstore and town hall 😃
 
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George might need to weigh in on this thread. they are master kitchen designers as part of their services.

Our kitchen is 483 sq feet, main pantry is 228 . . . total 666. Heck, my ADA bathroom is 54 sq feet. Sure, we have a lavish walking space, and some “not precisely effecient” use of pantry space. I just cannot envision a place where I have to get all my work done and all of my food/paper/cleaning goods storage into 382 square feet. And for $2000 a month. I suspect that the motivated and innovative will find a way. I am just glad it won’t be me.

I hope George Mills has had some experience with that sort of space and layout.
 
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my barn ( was just under 500 sq ft) god it was cramped!
our new restuarant is 2800 square ft plus our walk ins are out side
we are loving the addtional space
 
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bodegahwy, could you tell me since you are the closest in size, what are the big space killers in your 410 sq. ft ?? With no mixer are you just storing dough balls and sauce and cheese plus the oven?
 
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Our location runs as a satalitte of our 1600 square foot location a mile away. We make dough and sauce at the larger location. We have a walk-in cooler that is about 70 square feet, mixer, shelves, etc etc all at the larger location.

Every morning we bring supplies up to the smaller store. No way we could run out of that space without the other kitchen for prep and storage.
 
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Store #2 is in a C-store, so the bathrooms are on the “C-store” side…sq. ft. is approx. 500…we make our own dough & store in a 2-door roll-in…run a 4-tier conveyor oven…3 prep tables, slap & cut table, ventless fryer, alto-shaam smoker/slow-cooker + heated glass display for specials…its tight!!!
 
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are kithen designer just finished our kitchen and the pizza area is 1500sqft,bar 1500sqft and are kitchen is 500 sq ft.the walk in is 10x12 but not in the kitchen.we were told about 15% should go toward the kitchen.so 3,000 sq ft 500 sq ft kitchen im in central new jersey it doesnt suprise me your rent is that high .our highway is $30.00-$35.00 a sq ft.
 
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