Pizza Shop Site Checklist: What to Check Before Signing a Lease
Take a site visit checklist to a prospective pizza shop space and separate what you know from what needs a landlord, contractor, or local authority to confirm.
First question: can this site support your proposed operation?
Bring a short description of your pizza concept, menu, service style and likely cooking line to every tour. The Conference for Food Protection plan review guide puts the menu, equipment locations, mechanical systems and plumbing on the same plan because problems can be found before purchases or construction. A vacant storefront or a former restaurant is only a starting condition. Whether you can operate and alter the space depends on the address, the lease and the responsible authorities.
The SBA advises checking local zoning with the city planning office or equivalent. Do that before treating a listing or landlord description as a use approval.
What to check by space type
| Space | First documents to request | Decision to leave open |
|---|---|---|
| Former restaurant | Prior kitchen plan, hood/suppression service records, utility and plumbing information, equipment inventory. | Does the prior system suit your menu, cookline and layout? Use the deeper former-restaurant guide. |
| Retail conversion | Base building plan, utility service points, allowed alterations, water and wastewater routes. | What new food-service infrastructure and reviews will this conversion need? |
| Vanilla shell | Landlord delivery scope, utility stub and capacity records, shell drawings, permitted penetration/exhaust paths. | Which systems are included, and which remain your contractor’s scope? |
These are investigation priorities, not claims that one property type is automatically easier or approved. The CFP guide discusses plan review for construction, conversions and material changes, while each jurisdiction decides its actual process. See the guidance and examples.
Site visit checklist
Mark Known only when you can name the observation or document. Mark Verify when a qualified person or authority must judge suitability. Leave a question Unknown when no reliable information exists yet.
Record the address, previous operation, approximate area, and which space you can actually lease.
Ask for panel labels, service documentation, voltage, phase, and available circuits; do not infer capacity from an outlet.
Identify reported natural gas or propane service and request connection/capacity records.
Photograph the hood, duct and exhaust equipment; request plans, service records, and the prior cooking-line layout.
Request system identity, inspection/service documentation, and the equipment it protects.
Locate connections, sinks, water heater and available documentation for the proposed menu and wash process.
Locate floor drains, sewer connection and any interceptor; ask the local sewer/plumbing authority what applies.
Measure clear door width and height; record steps, turns, dock height, loading limits and any elevator.
Ask what work the landlord permits and which local offices review this menu, use and construction scope.
Your marks and notes stay on this page until you print it. They are not saved as site facts. Enter only confirmed or clearly labeled reported observations in your Planner.
Pizzeria Atlas · /guides/pizza-shop-site-checklist · Source documents and local-use boundaries are linked on the guide page.
Ask the landlord for a usable package
- Floor and kitchen drawings, plus permission to measure and photograph equipment paths.
- Electrical panel/service records and any gas, water, sewer or grease documentation they hold.
- Hood, exhaust, make-up air and suppression drawings, recent service reports and prior equipment layout, if present.
- A written description of what alterations, roof or wall penetrations, delivery access and contractor work the lease allows.
- Contact for the property manager and any existing maintenance contractor who can explain the records.
If a document is unavailable, record that gap. A landlord’s statement can be saved as a reported observation, but it is not an electrical load study, hood review or local permission.
Send each unresolved question to the right person
| Question | Who can confirm it |
|---|---|
| Is this food use and alteration scope allowed? | Landlord or lease adviser; city planning/building office or other responsible authority. |
| Can the service and circuits handle exact equipment? | Licensed electrician with site documentation and model installation sheets. |
| Does the hood and suppression fit the new line? | Mechanical designer, suppression contractor and local fire/building authority. |
| What drainage or grease work applies? | Plumber, sewer utility and local health authority. |
| Can the equipment be delivered and placed? | Dealer/rigging contractor with packaged dimensions and a measured route. |
Turn these findings into a site profile in the Planner. Unknown remains a normal state; no checklist mark is transferred automatically.
Sources and scope
These U.S. planning references explain what to collect and discuss. Food Code guidance is a model, and local requirements, lease rights, equipment configurations, and approvals must be confirmed for the actual project.
- U.S. Small Business Administration — Launch your businessLocation-specific zoning, permits and local offices.
- Conference for Food Protection — Food Establishment Plan Review Guidance Document (2025)Menus, layouts, equipment schedules, utilities, plumbing, ventilation and delivery areas; guidance, not a nationwide approval rule.
- FDA — Food CodeThe Food Code is a model used by jurisdictions; local adoption and applicability vary.
Continue with your own build
Leave a tour with measurements, document requests, and named follow-up questions. The guide worksheet stays on this page until you record what you have verified in your plan.
Start a plan for this site