A DFW cafe needs a Type I hood when any appliance on its equipment list produces grease or smoke and is not listed to run without one, and it needs a grease interceptor when its sinks and drains will carry grease and the space has no interceptor sized for them. On i30 Builders' published card, a Type I hood system is $45,000 to $75,000 and an exterior grease interceptor is $20,000 to $45,000, both on top of the per-square-foot build-out. Neither scales with floor area, which is why the menu decides a cafe's budget more than its size does.
Which four items decide a cafe's number?
Most of a cafe build-out is priced by the square foot. Four items are not, and each one either applies to your space or it does not:
| Item | Published range | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Type I hood system: hood, fire suppression, grease duct, fan, curb, makeup air | $45,000 to $75,000 | Any appliance producing grease vapor that is not UL 710B listed or ventless. |
| Exterior grease interceptor: tank, sawcut, trench, paving patch | $20,000 to $45,000 | No existing interceptor, or an existing one that is undersized for your fixture count. |
| Electrical service upgrade | $20,000 to $50,000 | The panel cannot carry an all-electric kitchen. |
| New rooftop HVAC unit with curb and duct | $25,000 to $50,000 | No rooftop unit, or one undersized for the kitchen heat load. |
The first two are decided by the menu and the equipment schedule. The last two are decided by the building. A cafe that bakes in electric ovens and pulls espresso in a space with a sound rooftop unit and enough electrical capacity can avoid all four. A cafe that adds a fryer to the same space adds a hood, and often the makeup air and electrical capacity that come with it.
Type I, Type II or ventless: which hood does your equipment need?
The International Mechanical Code sorts commercial kitchen hoods by what the appliance under them puts into the air. DFW cities adopt it with local amendments: Dallas and Fort Worth are on the 2021 edition, Plano and McKinney on 2024.
- A Type I hood is required where cooking appliances produce grease or smoke, and always over appliances the code classes as medium duty or heavier, which includes fryers, griddles and char-broilers. Appliances that need one also need an automatic fire suppression system. With the grease duct to the roof, the exhaust fan and makeup air, that is why it is the expensive line
- A Type II hood goes over dishwashers and appliances that put out heat, moisture or products of combustion without grease, and is not needed where the HVAC design already handles that load
- Two UL 710B routes can avoid a ducted Type I system. An electric appliance tested to UL 710B at no more than 5 mg/m3 of grease is exempt from the Type I requirement. A factory-built recirculating, or ventless, system listed to UL 710B filters the air and returns it to the room instead of ducting it to the roof; it is still a hood system the building official has to approve, but it avoids the duct and roof work
The building official makes the call for each appliance, from the manufacturer's listing and your equipment schedule. Settle the equipment list before you sign the lease, because changing one appliance can move a cafe from no hood to a full Type I system.
How is a grease interceptor sized, and who approves it?
The plumbing code requires a grease interceptor for fixtures that discharge grease-laden waste in food preparation areas of restaurants, cafeterias and similar establishments. The size depends on the fixtures and flow connected to it, so it is set from your plumbing plan rather than from the floor area. Then the city's own program takes over, and the big DFW cities each run one:
| City | Who approves the interceptor | Pumping once you are open |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas | The city approves the interceptor's type and capacity, and a trap or interceptor permit is required (City Code Chapter 19, Article X) | Fully pumped every 90 days, or sooner once solids and grease reach 25 percent of the wetted height |
| Fort Worth | The Water Department reviews and approves the plans; its guidance recommends 750 gallons and accepts no less than 500 | Fully pumped every 90 days, with records kept five years |
| Plano | A liquid waste generator permit is required | At least every 90 days, or sooner under the same 25 percent rule |
Other cities run their own versions, so the rule for your address is confirmed with the city before the interceptor is designed. Sources: Dallas City Code Chapter 19, Fort Worth grease traps and Plano fats, oils and grease.
An exterior interceptor means sawcutting the slab or parking lot, trenching, setting the tank and patching the paving, which is why it is priced as its own line. An existing interceptor only counts if it is sized for your fixture count and accepted by the city for your use. Confirm both with the city before you count it as a saving.
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What should you check in a second-generation space before signing?
A former restaurant can remove most of this list, or none of it. Walk it with whoever will build it, and get answers in writing:
- Is there an existing Type I hood, and is it long enough and in the right place for your cook line?
- When were the hood and duct last inspected for grease buildup and cleaned, and when was the suppression system last serviced? The fire code calls for service at least every six months, and changing the cooking equipment under an existing system can require it to be brought up to current requirements
- Does the exhaust fan run, and is there makeup air sized for the hood?
- Is there an interceptor, where is it, how large is it, and do the city's records show it in good standing?
- What is the electrical service, and what is already on the panel?
- How old is the rooftop unit, and was it sized for a kitchen?
- Is gas run to the line, and is the meter sized for your equipment?
An old hood that will not pass inspection, or an interceptor that is undersized for your fixtures, is not a saving. The second-generation vs raw shell guide covers the rest of that walk.
What does an 1,800 SF cafe cost with and without them?
A cafe or bakery in a vanilla shell, where the landlord delivers HVAC, a restroom and power, is $140 to $200/SF on the card. Across 1,800 square feet that is $252,000 to $360,000 before any adder.
| Scenario | Budget range |
|---|---|
| Vanilla-shell cafe, electric equipment, no hood or interceptor | $252,000 to $360,000 |
| Same cafe plus a Type I hood | $297,000 to $435,000 |
| Same cafe plus a Type I hood and an exterior interceptor | $317,000 to $480,000 |
These are budgets, not quotes, and they sit before kitchen equipment, FF&E, design and engineering, health-department plan review fees and landlord fees. The electrical and rooftop adders go on top again if the building needs them. The restaurant and cafe cost page lists what each tier includes, and the restaurant finish-out cost guide covers full-service kitchens.
Price the adders before you sign
Send us the equipment list and the space. We tell you which of the four items apply, put numbers on them, and help you negotiate the ones the landlord should carry. Call (469) 721-0146.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this topic from DFW tenants, landlords, and business owners.
Does an espresso bar need a hood?
Often not, if the menu is espresso, drip coffee and pastries baked in electric ovens. An espresso machine produces no grease or smoke, and the code treats a convection oven as light duty, needing a Type I hood only if it does. The rest of the equipment changes the answer: a double-sided griddle is medium duty and always needs one, and a panini press can be read the same way, unless the appliance qualifies under UL 710B. The building official decides from your equipment schedule, so settle it before you sign.
Who pays for the grease trap: landlord or tenant?
Whoever the lease says. Some landlords deliver an interceptor as part of a food-ready shell, and many leave it to the tenant. At $20,000 to $45,000 for an exterior interceptor, it is one of the items worth negotiating before you sign, along with who maintains it.
Can I reuse the existing hood?
Sometimes, and it is one of the biggest savings in a second-generation space. The hood has to suit your cook line, the duct and fan have to be sound and clean, and the suppression system has to be serviced and suited to your equipment: under the fire code, a change in cooking equipment can require an existing system to be brought up to current requirements. The building official and fire marshal have to accept it. We check all of it before you count on it.
About the author
Yelp
General contractor, Royse City, TX
Commercial tenant improvement, build-out and renovation, and residential outdoor living, fencing, additions and high-end kitchens and baths across Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas.