Restaurant, café, takeout and food service locations across Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, with the details that matter checked before you sign.
Restaurant Space for Lease in Ottawa
Food service leasing
The right space can save you a fortune in fit-up
Opening a restaurant is one of the most expensive fit-ups in retail. A space that already has a kitchen exhaust, grease interceptor, gas service and the right electrical capacity can save a great deal of time and money, and a space without them can make a concept unworkable.
We look at the technical side first: venting route, make-up air, gas, power, water and drains, washrooms and accessibility. Then we look at the location, the landlord's rules on odours and hours, and the lease terms that protect a large investment.
See our full retail real estate services.
Venting
exhaust route and make-up air
Grease
interceptor and drains
Power + gas
capacity for your equipment
Exclusive
protection from competing uses
Check first
What to check before leasing restaurant space
Exhaust and venting
Whether a hood exhaust can reach the roof, and what the landlord and code allow.
Grease interceptor
Existing interceptor size and condition, and plumbing for your kitchen.
Gas and electrical
Service size for your cooking line, refrigeration and HVAC.
Washrooms and accessibility
Fixture counts for your seating and accessibility requirements.
Zoning and licensing
Restaurant use permitted by zoning, and what licensing and permits will need.
Second-generation space
Former restaurants with equipment and services in place, and the condition they are in.
Live MLS® listings
Retail and restaurant space in Ottawa
Updated automatically from MLS®.
Lease terms
Protecting a restaurant investment
A restaurant fit-up can cost more than several years of rent. The lease has to give you enough time to earn that back, and protect you if the plaza changes around you.
Terms we focus on
- Long enough term, with renewal options
- Tenant improvement allowance and free rent for build-out
- Exclusive use for your type of food
- Patio rights, hours and signage
- Assignment rights if you sell the business
- Responsibility for exhaust, grease and roof repairs
Explore
More Ottawa retail real estate
Retail space for lease
Storefronts, plaza units and street retail across Ottawa.
Retail plazas for sale
Plazas, strip centres and retail investment properties.
Selling a retail property
How we help owners prepare, evaluate and sell.
Leasing your retail space
How we help landlords lease vacant units.
Ottawa Restaurant Space FAQs
Should I look for a former restaurant space?
Second-generation restaurant space can save a great deal on fit-up, but equipment and services may be old. We help you assess what can be reused.
Can any retail unit become a restaurant?
No. Zoning, venting, plumbing, gas, electrical and the landlord’s rules all have to allow it. We check these before you commit.
How long should a restaurant lease be?
Long enough to recover your investment, often five to ten years with renewal options. We help you match the term to your fit-up cost.
Do you help sell a restaurant business?
Our focus is the real estate. We can help with the lease side of a sale, including assignment to a buyer.
Mitch Gauzas, REALTOR®
