Four things I check in every commercial kitchen, before my clients buy.

The most expensive thing in a restaurant is not the pizza oven. It's not the walk-in. It's the thing hanging from the ceiling that nobody ever looks at.

I'm Priscilla King. I do commercial real estate here in Texas, and today I want to talk about the kitchen hood, because once you know what this thing costs, you will never walk through a restaurant space the same way again.

Here's the short version. A real commercial hood system, installed, permitted, and passing inspection, rarely comes in under fifty thousand dollars. And six figures is common. Ranges vary by city and by year, and you should always get real bids, but that's the neighborhood. Let me show you why a piece of sheet metal costs more than a car.

Because it's not a piece of sheet metal. A Type 1 hood is a system with four parts, and you pay for all four.

Part one, the hood itself. Welded stainless steel, sized to overhang your cook line, fabricated to code.

Part two, the fire suppression system. Those little nozzles pointed at every burner and fryer are a chemical fire system, professionally engineered, installed, and re-certified on a schedule. Restaurants are one of the few businesses with a fire suppression system aimed directly at the workspace, because grease fires don't negotiate.

Part three, exhaust. A fan strong enough to pull grease-laden air up through the roof, with ductwork built to contain a fire on its way out.

And part four, the one that surprises everybody: makeup air. Every cubic foot of air that fan throws out of the building has to come back in from somewhere, or your kitchen turns into a vacuum, your doors won't close, and your inspector fails you. So there's a second system on the roof pushing conditioned air back in. Half the cost of a hood project can be air you'll never see.

Add mechanical engineering, permits, health and fire inspections, and you understand the price tag.

Now here's why this matters if you're buying or leasing restaurant space. When a space already has a working hood, that space is called second generation, and that hood is a five to six figure asset hanging from the ceiling. It's the single biggest reason second generation space is worth more than an empty shell. But, and this is the part that protects you, an existing hood is only worth that money if three things are true.

One, it's long enough for your cook line, because extending a hood is often a new hood.

Two, the fire suppression certification is current and transferable. An expired tag means re-certification at minimum, replacement at worst.

Three, the makeup air actually exists. Older installs sometimes exhaust without replacing the air, and what passed inspection years ago will not pass today.

So here's the habit. When you tour a restaurant space, before you look at the dining room, the finishes, or the patio, look up. The ceiling is where the money is.

If you're an operator looking at restaurant space in the Austin area, or you want to see a full working hood line in person, I know where one is. I'm at priscillaking.com, and texas@priscillaking.com. I'm Priscilla King. I show my work.