Palm Beach County
A restaurant in Delray Beach lives or dies on the opening date. Rent starts whether or not the kitchen is finished, so every week lost to a permit question or a surprise in the walls costs real money. The Cher Group Contractors builds and remodels restaurant spaces in southern Palm Beach County, and Delray Beach is part of our regular area. We are a Florida-licensed general contractor, license CBC1265622, and we manage the job from the first look at the space to the final inspection.
First question: who issues your permit?
It sounds simple, but it trips people up. A Delray Beach mailing address does not always mean the City of Delray Beach issues the permit. The City explains it through the property’s Parcel Control Number (PCN): a PCN that starts with 12 is inside city limits and is permitted by the City of Delray Beach, while a PCN that starts with 00 is unincorporated Palm Beach County, and the County issues the permit. We look up the PCN before any drawings are prepared, so the permit set is built for the right reviewer from day one.
For city properties, permits run through Delray Beach eServices, the City’s portal that launched in June 2025. Applications, drawing uploads, reviewer comments, fees and inspection requests all move through it, and contractor registration has to be current for a permit to move. Drawing formatting rules are specific and do change, so we confirm the City’s current requirements with your design team on each job instead of relying on last year’s checklist.
Where restaurant budgets go in a Delray space
Every space is different, but the same items decide most budgets:
- Kitchen ventilation. Hood size, the exhaust route to the roof and the fire suppression system.
- Grease handling. Whether the existing grease interceptor is big enough for your menu and in usable condition.
- Plumbing. Floor sinks, hand sinks, prep sinks and dish area, and how they tie into what is already under the slab.
- Power and gas. Whether the service can run your cook line, walk-in and bar equipment.
- Front of house. Seating, bar, restrooms and the finishes that make your concept recognizable.
In a second-generation restaurant, some of this may already be in place. In a shell, all of it is new. Knowing which one you have before you sign changes the lease conversation, including how much tenant allowance to ask the landlord for.
Shell or second-generation: what changes in Delray
Taking over a former restaurant can save money, but only if what is left actually fits. An existing hood may be the wrong length for your cook line. A grease interceptor may be sized for a café when you plan a full kitchen. A dining room layout may put restrooms in the wrong place for your seating. We price the reuse option and the replace option side by side so you can see the real difference. In a shell, the questions are different: where the utilities enter the unit, where the exhaust can leave the building, and how long the long-lead items, such as the hood and walk-in, will take to arrive. Both paths can work. The point is to choose with numbers in hand.
How a Delray restaurant job runs with us
- Look at the space. We walk the unit with you and list what can stay, what needs work and what has to be replaced.
- Drawings and permit. We work with your architect and engineer, check the PCN, and track the submittal and comments through review.
- Build. Demolition, rough-ins, inspections, then finishes, with one schedule for every trade.
- Close-out. Final inspections and the paperwork you need to open.
Work nearby
Up the road in Palm Beach Gardens, our team handled the Texas de Brazil on PGA Boulevard: first the tenant improvement build-out, and later a renovation of the same restaurant. See the rest on our restaurant projects page and our restaurant construction overview.
Services for Delray Beach restaurants
- Restaurant build-outs in shell or second-generation spaces.
- Tenant improvements for restaurant units changing hands.
- Design-build when you have a concept but no drawings yet.
Nearby restaurant pages
Questions Delray Beach owners ask
Does the City of Delray Beach or Palm Beach County issue my permit?
Check the parcel’s PCN: one starting with 12 is permitted by the City, one starting with 00 by Palm Beach County.
What is Delray Beach eServices?
It is the City’s permitting portal, launched in June 2025, where applications, drawings, comments, fees and inspections are handled.
Talk to us before you sign
Call (305) 290-3323 with the address of the space you are considering. Our coverage includes all insurance required by the State of Florida.