When it comes to restaurants, food isn’t the only thing that can make or break an establishment. Ambiance and architecture are a big factor in an eatery’s success. Whether working with an established brand or coming up with a whole new design and character, the best restaurant contractors in Oakland, featured below, are capable of everything from simple to complex projects: they are attuned to the unique needs and challenges that come with restaurant building and design.

 

Black Creek Builders

4096 Piedmont Ave. #240, Oakland, CA 94611

Black Creek Builders is a full-service general contractor that specializes in commercial restaurant build-outs, tenant improvements, and residential remodels. The firm provides in-house services in all the major trades, as it has licensed electricians and plumbers on staff. 

The firm’s work in restaurant building, especially in casual dining, is outstanding. Pictured below is the firm’s work on the restaurant Noodle Theory Provisions. The design combines industrial and rustic, with wood, steel, and brick being recurring materials throughout the restaurant. The steel suggests the fast-paced environment and service of a food chain; the brick and wood materials tell both the eyes and the stomach to slow down and enjoy the meal.  

 

R3 Builders

503 Stone Rd, Benicia, CA 94510

R3 Builders has been building restaurant, retail, grocery, and office spaces since 2001. Every year, the firm—40 employees strong and led by owner Rick Dade—delivers between 40 to 65 projects for everyone from large corporations to small-business owners. This prolific practice is spurred on by the employees’ combined experience in the construction trades—that experience exceeds a century.

Such expertise has led the firm to grow in its chosen specialties of retail, restaurant, grocery, hospitality, and office construction. When it comes to restaurant construction, the firm has worked on a variety of projects, from cafés to casual dining to fine dining. Pictured below is the firm’s work on the household brand The Coffee Bean. Working with an established aesthetic proved to be no problem for R3 Builders as the firm built the structure in accordance with The Coffee Bean’s brand while still letting its chic, structured build stand out from the rest of the establishments in the vicinity. 

Fisher Development, Inc. 

601 California Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94108

Fisher Development, Inc. is a San Francisco-based commercial general contractor that specializes in ground-up construction, seismic retrofitting, tenant improvements, and historic preservation. Other areas of specialty include multi-family, adaptive reuse, corporate interiors, restaurants, retail, and educational facilities. The firm is led by Alex R. Fisher, a 4th generation builder who has served many roles at Fisher Development, from project manager to business development. Today, Alex serves as president of the firm.

When it comes to restaurant construction, the firm takes on work ranging from casual to fine dining, and from eateries to cafés. Pictured below is an example of Fisher’s work. La Boulange, a bakery and café acquired by Starbucks, has a vibrant exterior and a quaint interior, reminiscent of bakeries in France. The space used to be a dilapidated corner grocery, but the firm transformed the place into a 3,300-square-foot space that features rustic wood flooring, subway tiled walls, and the signature casework and fixtures La Boulange has come to be known for. 

Terra Nova Industries 

1607 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek, CA 94595

With over 2,000 completed projects comprising its portfolio, Terra Nova Industries is a prolific practice, established in 1984 by its president, Ron Taylor. The firm offers general contracting, construction management, development, and design services to clients throughout the United States.

For its restaurant work, the firm has taken on casual to fine dining, cafés, and bars. Pictured above is an example of the firm’s work on a restaurant chain. BJ’s Restaurant is a name known across the United States. For this particular location, BJ’s Restaurant housed a microbrewery in addition to the restaurant. Terra Nova Industries worked to make the interior a harmonious space between the eatery and bar; the exterior was successfully designed to be grand and inviting.

Build Group 

405 14th Street, Suite 900, Oakland, CA 94612

Named the “Largest Commercial Contractor in the Bay Area,” Build Group is an all-in-one general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder with over 400 employees across the state of California. The firm builds for a diverse clientele, including residential multi-family, tenant improvements, retail, restaurant, and mixed-use developments. 

Pictured below is an example of the firm’s work on Kuleto’s Restaurant, completed in 2015. Located in San Francisco, the 18,000-square-foot bay-view restaurant spans three floors and is set within a four-story historical building in Ghirardelli Square. The restaurant was built using specialty finishes, including the use of natural dark wood, all custom-built lighting, rich colors, and original glasswork to create a traditional ambiance. The project also involved constructing a new public stairway to the Square, landscaping the adjacent park, and re-lighting the Municipal Pier.

 

Skyline Construction 

100 Pringle Ave, Suite 330, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Skyline Construction is a 100% employee-owned commercial general contractor servicing the greater San Francisco Bay Area. While the firm specializes in building corporate office interiors, it is able to offer—through Skyline’s family of companies—commercial construction services in multiple markets. Sister companies ACCEND Construction in Chicago, Unimark Construction in Seattle, and Skyline Capital Builders in the Bay Area make this impressive reach possible.

One such market the firm works in is restaurant building. An example of its work is this casual dining project for the popular restaurant chain Chipotle. The build was completed in 12 weeks and was completed in collaboration with FHA Architects. The project involved converting an existing ground-floor office suite into a thriving restaurant retail space. The bulk of the work was the installation of mechanical platforms and units to support the kitchen equipment such as the gas range, the steam tables, and the refrigeration units. Plumbing work was also completed; specialized custom wood paneling and finishes were installed throughout the build.

 

Cannon Constructors

6000 Shoreline Court., Suite 206, South San Francisco, CA 94080

Cannon Constructors is a general contracting firm with a concentration in four specific markets: restoration-remodel, interior development, new construction, multi-family, and medical. Projects undertaken by the firm generally range in value from $300,000 to $50,000,000, with the firm’s annual gross sales falling into the $125,000,000 range. Cannon Constructors is led by four principals: Larry Pace, John Locascio, Michael Stieger, and Michael Adler. Together, the principals make up a formidable leadership team with each member having their own extensive experience in the construction industry.

While the firm’s project concentration is in four specific areas, Cannon Constructors also takes on hospitality and restaurant projects. Pictured below is a new building the firm completed for a casual dining establishment. The Stand Restaurant has been redefining American classics and casual dining since its inception. Working with this established brand allowed Cannon Constructors to build in accordance with the restaurant’s aesthetic of simple, traditional dining. The space is characterized by open seating, bright light fixtures, and a casual experience. Checkered tablecloths evoke nostalgic picnics.

Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company

275 Battery St, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94111

Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company is one of the most respected construction companies in California. In operation for over a century, the firm has firsthand experience helping the nation’s premier corporations and institutions develop landmark buildings throughout California. Some of the firm’s project types include commercial office, higher education, bio-pharmaceutical, LEED/sustainable, healthcare, technology, entertainment, finance, and special-use facilities.

Pictured below is an example of the firm’s work in the restaurant market. The firm provided a remodel for Quince, a three Michelin-star restaurant located in San Francisco. For the remodel, the firm reconfigured the gourmet kitchen and decked the main dining room with higher-end finishes and custom-millwork banquettes. The main entrance, bar, and all underground utilities were also relocated. It took only seven weeks for the firm to complete work on the project and the owners to reopen the business. 

BALI Construction

2600 N Main St., Walnut Creek, CA 94597

BALI Construction is a general contracting company that specializes in construction management and design-build projects. The firm delivers turn-key completed construction projects for large and small businesses, from sole proprietors to franchise owners. Its markets include retail shops, restaurants, bars, and office tenant improvements.

Pictured below is the firm’s work on a restaurant and bar establishment. Jack’s Restaurant is a staple in the Pleasant Hill community. The firm stepped in to build the restaurant, providing private dining spaces and outdoor seating. Inside the restaurant, the firm also made room for Jack’s Taps, the restaurant’s bar section.