A&W Restaurant Build-Out

Verterra Builds completed an A&W franchise restaurant build-out in the Lower Mainland, BC, delivering a full-scope commercial kitchen, three-phase electrical, ventilation system, and complete dining room fit-out to A&W brand standards under a fixed-price contract. The location passed the Fraser Health food premises inspection on the first visit.

The Project

A&W locations are more mechanically complex than most QSR franchise builds. The cooking line includes grills, fryers, and holding equipment that require three-phase power at multiple amperage ratings, a high-volume Type 1 hood system, and more intensive plumbing than a cold-assembly concept like Subway. The franchisee needed a contractor with documented experience managing this scope under a lease-driven timeline.

The space was a retail shell in a Metro Vancouver commercial development. We managed the full scope from demolition of the existing shell finish to certificate of occupancy, including commercial kitchen construction, ventilation, three-phase electrical, front-of-house fit-out to A&W brand standards, and all permits and inspections.

A&W Brand Standard Execution

A&W's construction manual specifies materials, finishes, equipment, and layout for every element of the build. The dining room finish package, counter and millwork configuration, flooring materials, and kitchen equipment rough-in locations are all prescribed in the brand standard documentation.

We sourced all brand-standard materials from A&W's approved supplier list and coordinated with the franchisor's construction team on milestone inspections. The brand inspection at near-final completion passed without required changes, reflecting that the build met brand standards throughout rather than requiring corrections at the inspection stage.

Commercial Kitchen: the Critical Scope

The A&W kitchen scope was more complex than a typical QSR build. Key elements:

Ventilation hood system. A Type 1 hood sized to the cooking line's BTU output, with grease-rated exhaust duct routed to the building's exhaust shaft, a makeup air unit balanced to the exhaust rate, and a Ansul fire suppression system. The mechanical engineer's stamped drawings were submitted with the permit application. The hood was ordered at permit application to manage the 8-week fabrication and delivery lead time.

Three-phase electrical. A&W's cooking equipment -- including the grill, fryers, and holding units -- requires three-phase 208V power at dedicated circuits sized per manufacturer specifications. We coordinated with the building's electrical room to extend three-phase service to the tenant panel, then distributed dedicated circuits to each equipment location. The electrical permit was issued through Technical Safety BC.

Plumbing. Commercial kitchen plumbing included multiple floor drains at equipment and warewashing locations, a grease interceptor sized to the kitchen's grease load, a three-compartment sink, and hand sinks at each required position per Fraser Health's food premises requirements. The grease interceptor was coordinated with the building's landlord on connection to the building's sanitary system.

Fraser Health Compliance

Fraser Health's food premises inspection verifies that the completed space meets BC Food Premises Regulation 210/99 before issuing an operating permit. The inspection covers hand sink placement, surface materials, ventilation performance, equipment clearances, and lighting levels in food preparation areas.

Before the official inspection, Verterra conducted an internal pre-inspection against Fraser Health's criteria. Every hand sink location, floor drain, surface material, and equipment clearance was verified. The official inspection passed on the first visit.

Permits and Timeline

We managed the full permit package: building permit from the relevant Metro Vancouver municipality, plumbing permit, mechanical permit for the hood and makeup air system, and electrical permit. The permit application was submitted as a complete package on day one -- including stamped architectural drawings, mechanical design, fire suppression design, and electrical single-line diagram -- to minimize re-review cycles and protect the franchisee's opening timeline.

The Result

The A&W location opened on schedule. All permits were closed. The Fraser Health operating permit was issued following the first-visit inspection pass. The franchisor's opening approval documentation was fulfilled at handover.

For franchisees evaluating contractors for A&W or other QSR builds in Metro Vancouver or Victoria, Verterra Builds manages the full scope under a fixed-price contract including all permits, Fraser Health coordination, and brand-standard compliance. Call (604) 690-3830 or view our franchise build-out service page.