True cost — by format
WIDE BAND — sources disagree most here: Bhumi 2026 fine dining $520-$850+/sq ft, EB3 Construction $300-$1,000/sq ft, design guides $250-$400+/sq ft for design alone. Premium finishes, custom millwork, wine storage and complex ventilation drive the top. Equipment $150,000-$500,000 in fine-dining guides; Miami full-service worked example used $120,000-$200,000 for kitchen alone.
| Line | Range |
|---|---|
| Typical size | 3,000–6,000 sq ft |
| Build-out (new build) | $350–$800 per sq ft |
| Equipment package | $150,000–$350,000 |
| Opening inventory | $20,000–$50,000 |
| Worked example — build-out at 4,500 sq ft | $1,575,000–$3,600,000 |
These ranges are the shell. Your real total adds the lines only a dataset can fill: your state's permit fees, your team's certificates, your liquor path and the dead rent while it processes. That is exactly what the calculator does.
Don't read the table — run your verdict. Your state + this format + your space and liquor plan — one labeled total.
Included in the $49 Opening Pack: the filled templates, trackers, calendars and worksheets for this door — built from the same dated datasets as the free checker above.
Sources: Bhumi Calculator — Restaurant Construction Cost Per Square Foot 2026; EB3 Construction — Restaurant Build-Out Estimate; Dojo Business — Fine Dining Startup Costs, 2026-02 — researched range, labeled as such; regulated lines come from the datasets. Dataset checked October 23, 2026. Where a fee or rule is set by a county or city, this page says so instead of guessing a number.