Restaurant & F&B fit-out cost per sq ft in Malaysia — commercial kitchen, Bomba and health compliance, and a fixed quote from a Klang Valley contractor.
Restaurant and full-service F&B fit-out is the most expensive commercial category per square foot because of the commercial kitchen and its services. The ranges below are a Klang Valley planning guide; the kitchen specification and seating capacity drive the final figure.
| F&B type | Indicative cost (per sq ft) | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|
| Simple / quick-service | RM150 – RM220 | Compact kitchen, counter service, basic dining, light decor |
| Mid full-service | RM220 – RM320 | Full kitchen with exhaust & grease trap, designed dining, bar |
| High-spec / fine dining | RM350 – RM400+ | Heavy M&E, premium finishes, show kitchen, full brand fit-out |
A typical KL casual-dining restaurant lands around RM200–RM320 per sq ft once the kitchen, exhaust and dining are properly built. Starting a cafe or restaurant in Malaysia can reach RM300,000–RM500,000 all-in, with renovation and equipment the biggest slices.
The commercial kitchen is the reason. Kitchen exhaust and make-up air, grease traps and grease-laden ductwork, heavy-duty plumbing and floor traps, gas piping, extra electrical load and fire suppression all add cost that an office or retail unit simply does not carry. Health-authority and Bomba requirements for F&B are also stricter. The same authority and M&E principles as our office fit-out apply, just heavier.
Budget the kitchen first, because it constrains everything else. A compliant kitchen needs a stainless exhaust hood and ducting to roof level, make-up air, a grease trap sized to the council's requirement, washable wall and floor finishes with floor gradients to traps, adequate gas and electrical supply, and often a fire-suppression system over the cooking line. Cutting corners here causes the most expensive rework and the most authority rejections.
The exhaust route is the detail that most often dictates whether a unit works at all: ducting must reach roof level and discharge away from neighbours, which is straightforward in a standalone shoplot but can be complex — or restricted — in a mall or a unit with residential floors above. Verify the exhaust path, gas provision and the council's grease-trap requirement before you sign the lease, not after. Equipment layout should follow a clean workflow from delivery and storage through prep, cooking and plating to washing, because a kitchen that fights the staff costs you in labour every single shift, long after the fit-out is paid for.
Front-of-house is where your concept and "instagrammability" live — seating, bar/counter, lighting, feature walls and washrooms. It is more flexible on budget than the kitchen, so it is the natural place to phase or trade finishes up and down. Seating capacity and toilet provision must still meet council requirements for the floor area. Plan the seating mix around your covers strategy: tighter two- and four-tops maximise turnover for casual dining, while a few larger tables and a banquette suit group and family business. Durable, cleanable finishes pay off in a high-traffic restaurant — surfaces that look good but scuff or stain quickly become a recurring maintenance cost that quietly erodes the saving you thought you made at fit-out.
| Component | Share of budget | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial kitchen & M&E | 35 – 50% | Exhaust, grease trap, plumbing, gas, fire suppression |
| Front-of-house & dining | 25 – 35% | Seating, bar, lighting, decor, washrooms |
| Air-conditioning | 10 – 15% | Sized for kitchen heat load and diners |
| Shopfront & signage | 5 – 10% | Needs a council signboard licence |
| Authority & compliance | 5 – 10% | Bomba, health, mall management |
F&B carries the heaviest compliance load: Bomba fire-safety approval (with kitchen fire suppression), local-council building/renovation approval, a food premise and business licence from the council's health department, kitchen and grease-trap compliance, plus a signboard licence. These approvals gate your opening date, so they belong at the front of the programme. See our commercial renovation permit guide.
Allow 3–4 weeks for design and approvals and 6–10 weeks on site, so roughly 9–14 weeks end to end — longer than retail or office because of the kitchen build and inspections. Kitchen equipment lead times and authority inspections are the main variables.
Mall F&B units usually have designated grease, exhaust and gas provisions and a fit-out manual, but tighter rules and deposits. A shoplot gives more freedom (and is common for cafes and casual dining) but you build exhaust to roof and handle council approvals yourself. The right choice depends on your concept and footfall strategy.
Right-size the kitchen to the menu rather than over-building, choose proven equipment with local service support, reuse compliant base services in a former F&B unit, and concentrate design spend on the dining areas customers actually see and photograph. Taking over an ex-restaurant unit with working exhaust and grease trap is the single biggest saving.
Use a contractor who has built commercial kitchens and knows Bomba and health-department requirements — F&B is unforgiving of inexperience. Ask for an itemised quote separating kitchen M&E, confirm who manages Bomba and the food-premise approvals, check CIDB registration, and lock the programme to your launch date.
ClickBina delivers Klang Valley restaurant and F&B fit-outs end to end — commercial kitchen, exhaust and grease, dining design, M&E, and Bomba/health submissions — with itemised fixed quotes and WhatsApp replies within the hour. From a single casual-dining outlet to a multi-site rollout, we build to your concept, your budget and your launch date, with the compliance handled so you can focus on the food. Send your unit and concept for a same-day ballpark.
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