It usually goes like this: you find a place with good footfall, a nice rent and a pretty shopfront — it's a joy to look at. Then we come in to price the renovation, and it turns out there's nowhere to run the kitchen extractor, and the allotted capacity won't cover the stove, oven and air conditioners. And the dream spot turns into an expensive problem.
So the best moment to show a space to a builder is before you sign, not after. Here's what we check first when we're asked to look at a future café.
Electrics: can the space power a kitchen
The first thing that kills a café at the start is not enough electrical capacity. Coffee machine, stove, oven, fridges, air conditioners — the kitchen and the floor pull a fair bit, and old spaces in central Tbilisi are often rated for a far more modest load.
Ask the landlord what capacity the space has and whether there's paperwork for it. If it's too little, increasing it goes through the utility — that's time, money, and not always possible in a given building. Better to know before you sign than once you're paying rent and hitting the limit at the panel.
Ventilation: is there anywhere to run the extractor
For a café with a hot kitchen this is life or death, and it's where most deals fall apart. The extractor over the kitchen has to go somewhere — usually up to the roof through a duct or a dedicated shaft. If the space is on the ground floor of a residential building with flats above you, running it into the wall won't do: the smell goes to the residents, and that means complaints and conflicts that can close the place.
Check in advance: is there a suitable duct in the building, does the landlord allow an outlet on the facade or roof, and how the neighbours upstairs feel about it. A pretty space with nowhere to run the extractor isn't a café space, however good the view from the window.
Water and drainage
The kitchen and the sinks need water points and, above all, drainage with a proper fall. Look at where the risers run: the further the kitchen and bathroom are from them, the harder and pricier it is to run drainage on a fall. Food service usually needs a grease trap — check there's room for one and where it connects. These are the things you can't see in a "cosmetically clean" space, but they decide half the budget.
What matters more than the rent in the lease
Everyone looks at the rent; almost nobody looks at the renovation terms — and those are what decide whether the investment pays off.
- Rent-free fit-out period. While the renovation is on, the café earns nothing. It's sensible to agree a period with no rent, or reduced rent, during the works — a direct saving at the start.
- Lease term and right to renew. Fitting out a café is a serious investment. If the lease is short and there's no guaranteed renewal, you risk not earning it back. The term should line up with the payback period.
- Who keeps the renovation. Non-removable improvements — screed, wiring, ventilation — usually stay with the owner at the end of the lease. That's normal, but it's another argument for a long term and clear exit terms.
- Who pays for what. Spell out what the landlord does (sometimes the rough services or the facade) and what falls on you.
Sign-offs people remember too late
A couple of things that surface after signing if you don't ask up front:
- The permitted use of the space. It has to allow food service; a residential building can carry restrictions.
- Signage, shopfront, terrace. All of it often needs the landlord's consent, and sometimes permits. If a summer terrace is part of your business model, check whether it's allowed here at all.
- Fire safety. Escape routes, a second exit, materials — for a place with guests, that's no formality.
We take the engineering and technical side on ourselves. But you need to know about these points before the deal, so they don't become a nasty surprise mid-renovation.
How to see the real cost of entry
The rent is only the tip. The real cost of entry is rent plus renovation plus the engineering you can't see at first glance. Two spaces of the same size can differ several times over in launch cost: one has a duct and enough capacity, the other needs all of it run from scratch.
So before signing, it's worth bringing in a builder and pricing not "renovation in general" but this particular space. We do exactly that kind of visit: we look at the electrics, the option for ventilation and the water, and tell you straight whether a café is realistic here and what the entry will cost. Then, if you go ahead, we do the commercial renovation with a fixed price in the contract; examples are in the portfolio.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check first when renting a space for a café?
The electrics and the ventilation. Whether the allotted capacity covers the kitchen, and whether there's anywhere to run the extractor — those are the things without which a café won't start, and fixing them later is expensive or impossible. Everything else is secondary.
Can I open a café on the ground floor of a residential building?
Sometimes yes, with caveats. The space has to be of non-residential use and allow food service, and the main question is ventilation: the smell must not drift up to the residents. Worth checking before you sign, not after.
What is a rent-free fit-out period and why does it matter?
It's a period at the start of the lease when you pay nothing, or less, while the renovation is on and the café isn't trading yet. It's worth negotiating: while the space is closed it earns nothing, and the rent runs anyway.
Who keeps the renovation after the lease ends?
Non-removable improvements — screed, wiring, ventilation — usually stay with the landlord. That's why a long lease term and a right to renew matter so much for a café: the investment has to have time to pay off.
Is it worth showing the space to builders before renting?
Yes, and it's the best thing you can do before the deal. The engineering — capacity, extractor, water — is usually what decides whether a café is realistic here and what the entry will cost. Half an hour of inspection before signing saves months and money after.
Looking at a space for a café?
We'll come by, look at the engineering — electrics, extractor, water — and tell you straight whether a café is realistic here and what the entry will cost. Before you sign the lease.
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