Restaurant Renovation & Refurbishment

Yes. Any structural change, facade alteration, or significant MEP modification to an existing UAE food-and-beverage outlet requires a DM modification permit (or the equivalent authority permit in other emirates). Make My Restaurant handles the full submission, including as-built drawings, NOC from the landlord, and Civil Defence re-approval where fire-safety systems are affected.

In most cases, yes. We design a phased work programme that isolates the active construction zone behind dust-proof hoarding, schedules noisy or disruptive tasks overnight, and rotates through sections of the restaurant so that at least part of your dining room stays open to guests throughout the majority of the project.

A cosmetic refresh of finishes, lighting, and furniture typically takes three to five weeks on site. A full renovation including kitchen reconfiguration, new MEP runs, and facade changes usually runs eight to fourteen weeks, of which two to four weeks are the authority-approval stage. Make My Restaurant gives you a detailed programme at the design stage so you can plan your operations accordingly.

Yes. Make My Restaurant delivers restaurant renovation projects across all seven UAE emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah (Industrial Area 13 office), Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain. Each emirate has its own municipal authority and approval pathway, and our teams are familiar with all of them.

Dubai Municipality classifies renovation permits by alteration type. Cosmetic-only works (paint, furniture, loose FF&E) may not require a DM permit, but any change to partition walls, ceilings, MEP systems, kitchen layout, or facades triggers a formal modification permit. Works affecting fire-safety systems additionally require Civil Defence re-approval. Make My Restaurant identifies the correct permit class during the survey stage to avoid submitting under the wrong category.

A cosmetic refresh -- new paint, lighting, and furniture -- typically costs AED 100 to AED 250 per square foot. A mid-level renovation including new finishes, updated joinery, and partial kitchen works runs AED 300 to AED 600 per square foot. A full structural and MEP overhaul of an existing restaurant is priced similarly to a new fit-out, at AED 600 to AED 1,200 per square foot, depending on the scope and finishes specified.

Any renovation that alters fire-alarm loop positions, suppression pipework, emergency-exit routes, or the occupancy load of your premises requires a DCD re-inspection and re-certification. Make My Restaurant coordinates this as part of the renovation scope, ensuring your updated fire-safety layout is submitted to Civil Defence before construction begins and that a fresh safety certificate is issued at handover -- avoiding post-renovation trading restrictions.

Yes. We design around retained equipment wherever it meets current DM Food Safety and Civil Defence standards. Our kitchen survey assesses each item for compliance -- ventilation capacity, suppression coverage, grease trap sizing, and DM-approved installation. Compliant equipment is retained and integrated into the new layout. Non-compliant or end-of-life items are flagged with a clear cost-benefit note so you make an informed decision before any purchase is committed.

Almost always. UAE commercial leases and mall operator agreements require written landlord or mall-management consent before any structural, MEP, or facade alteration. The landlord NOC must typically accompany your DM modification permit application. Make My Restaurant prepares the technical drawings and cover documentation required for landlord submission and coordinates this approval track in parallel with authority submissions to avoid adding weeks to your timeline.

We produce a detailed phased construction programme that divides your restaurant into zones. Active dining zones are screened behind dust-proof temporary hoarding, noisy demolition and MEP rough-ins are scheduled in overnight or off-peak shifts, and each zone is sequenced to restore trading before the next one is closed. The programme is agreed with you before work starts so your front-of-house team can brief guests and manage booking volumes accordingly.

No. Each UAE emirate has its own municipal authority and approval pathway. Sharjah restaurants fall under Sharjah City Municipality for permit approvals, and Sharjah Civil Defence for fire-safety certificates. Permit categories, drawing format requirements, and inspection processes differ from Dubai Municipality. Make My Restaurant operates from Sharjah Industrial Area 13 and manages Sharjah authority submissions directly without outsourcing to local runners.

Make My Restaurant issues a written defects liability period of 12 months from the date of practical completion, covering workmanship defects in civil finishing, joinery, and MEP installation. Equipment carries the manufacturer warranty managed through UAE-based service agents. Defects reported during the liability period are remedied at no cost, and our project manager conducts a formal six-month site walk-through to identify and close any latent issues before the period expires.