Quick answer
A genuine turnkey commercial kitchen project delivers four things before any equipment ships:
- A measured 2D floor plan showing equipment footprints, working aisles, and utility connection points
- A 3D CAD model you can walk through to check sight lines, door swings and service access
- An equipment schedule (a bill of quantities) listing every item, its capacity, its utility load and its position
- Factory-direct supply of the fabricated stainless steel — worktables, sinks, hoods, shelving, pass-through units — cut to the drawing rather than adapted to it
Anything less is equipment supply with a drawing attached. The distinction matters because the drawing is your only protection against a €40,000 equipment order that does not fit the room.
Why “turnkey” means four different things in this industry
Ask five suppliers what turnkey includes and you will get five answers. Sort them before you compare prices, because you are not comparing the same scope.
| Supplier type | What you get | What you still have to organise | Typical pricing structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment trader | A price list and a shipping date | Layout, MEP coordination, installation, commissioning | Per-unit price + freight |
| Design consultancy | 2D/3D drawings, specification, tender documents | Every piece of equipment, all logistics | Design fee (% of project value or fixed) |
| Fabricator (most Chinese factories) | Custom stainless built to your drawing, or to theirs | Design sign-off, imported equipment, site works | Per-unit price, FOB |
| Turnkey manufacturer | Design + equipment schedule + fabricated stainless + freight consolidation + documentation | Site works, utilities installation, local labour | Design fee (often credited against order) + equipment + freight |
| Full EPC contractor | Everything above plus installation, commissioning, staff training | Nothing — but you pay a margin on every line | Single lump sum |
Most buyers in Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America are actually shopping in row four and being quoted in row one. The gap is where projects fail.
The 7 steps of a 2D/3D CAD kitchen design process
This is the sequence a competent design team runs. Ask any supplier to walk you through it — if they cannot describe steps 2 and 3, they are drawing, not designing.
Step 1 — Brief and menu logic. Covers per day, covers at peak, service style, menu categories, number of covers per turn. Without a menu, a layout is decoration.
Step 2 — Flow diagram, before any drawing. Delivery → dry store → cold store → prep → cooking → holding → plating → wash → waste. The best layout is the one with the shortest paths and zero crossing between clean and soiled routes. This is where most of the design value sits, and it is the step most often skipped.
Step 3 — Measured survey. Actual column positions, ceiling height and soffits, door widths, floor drain locations, existing gas and water entry points, electrical capacity, grease trap position. A layout drawn on a developer’s PDF rather than a measured survey will not survive contact with the building.
Step 4 — 2D layout. Equipment blocks placed at true footprint, working aisles dimensioned, utility connection points marked. Aisles between opposing work surfaces are typically specified at 1,000–1,200 mm for single-operator zones and 1,200–1,500 mm where two people pass or trolleys run.
Step 5 — 3D model and walkthrough. The value here is not presentation quality. It is catching: a door that swings into a fryer, a hood that stops short of the cooking line, a reach-in fridge that cannot open because a worktable is 40 mm too close, a pass shelf that blocks the server’s route.
Step 6 — Equipment schedule and utility load sheet. Every item with model, dimensions, kW, gas rating, water connection, drainage and weight. This document is what your electrician, plumber and structural engineer actually work from.
Step 7 — Revision, sign-off, release to production. Freeze the drawing, then cut stainless. Every revision after metal is cut is a change order.
What the design team needs from you (checklist)
Send these seven items and a competent factory can return a first-pass layout in days rather than weeks. Missing any one of them usually triggers a round of questions.
- [ ] Measured floor plan with columns, walls, door and window positions (DWG or dimensioned PDF, not a photo of a brochure)
- [ ] Ceiling height and any soffits, beams or ductwork
- [ ] Covers per day and peak covers per hour, plus service style (à la carte, buffet, banquet, QSR, cloud kitchen)
- [ ] Menu outline — the equipment follows the menu, not the other way round
- [ ] Utility capacity: electrical supply (three-phase? kVA available), gas type (LPG / natural gas / town gas), water pressure, drain positions
- [ ] Local code requirements: which certification the equipment must carry in your market (CE for the EU and much of the GCC, NSF for the US, SASO for Saudi Arabia, SONCAP for Nigeria)
- [ ] Budget band and target opening date — these two numbers decide which specification is realistic
The six line items that drive most of the cost
In a typical 200–300 m² restaurant kitchen, roughly 70% of the equipment budget sits in six categories. Design effort should concentrate there; everything else is detail.
| Line item | Cost driver | Where buyers over- and under-spend |
|---|---|---|
| Cold chain (walk-in cold room, reach-ins, prep fridges) | Volume, temperature class, panel thickness, compressor brand | Over-specify panel thickness; under-specify door traffic |
| Cooking line (ranges, fryers, combi ovens, charbroilers) | Gas rating, burner count, oven type | Buy combi ovens before the menu justifies them |
| Warewashing (dish machine, pot sink, pre-scrap) | Racks per hour, sanitizing method | Under-size the machine, then add labour |
| Ventilation / hood (canopy, filter type, fan, make-up air) | Extraction length, duct run, fire suppression | Forget make-up air, then wonder why extraction fails |
| Stainless fabrication (tables, sinks, shelving, pass) | Linear metres, gauge, grade (304 vs 201) | Save on gauge and replace in three years |
| Refrigeration display (if retail or buffet) | Glass area, lighting, defrost type | Under-estimate lighting load in hot climates |
Everything else — utensils, smallwares, shelving, bins — is a rounding error against these six, and it is also where a supplier will try to look cheapest.
Timeline: where the weeks actually go
The table below is a planning range, not a quoted lead time. Your factory and your port will move it. Use it to sanity-check any schedule a supplier gives you.
| Phase | Typical duration | What can blow it up |
|---|---|---|
| Brief, menu and flow design | 3–7 days | Client cannot decide the menu |
| Measured survey (if remote) | 3–10 days | No as-built drawings exist |
| 2D layout, first pass | 3–5 days | — |
| Client review rounds | 5–15 days | The single biggest schedule risk in most projects |
| 3D model and walkthrough | 3–7 days | Late scope changes |
| Equipment schedule and quote | 3–5 days | Specification still moving |
| Deposit, production of fabricated stainless | 20–35 days | Custom non-standard dimensions, special finishes |
| Imported equipment lead time | 30–75 days | Brand allocation, shipping schedule |
| Consolidation and export packing | 5–10 days | Mixed suppliers arriving late |
| Sea freight | 20–45 days | Route, transhipment, port congestion |
| Customs clearance | 3–14 days | Missing certificates, HS code disputes |
| Installation and commissioning | 5–15 days | Site not ready, utilities not live |
Sum the middle and you get a realistic 4–6 month envelope from brief to a working kitchen, of which only about two months is manufacturing. Buyers who plan for eight weeks are planning for a delay.
The lever that actually saves time: freeze the drawing and the equipment schedule before paying a deposit. Every week of client indecision after that point converts directly into a week of opening delay.
How turnkey pricing is usually structured
Three common models, and what to watch in each:
- Design fee credited against the order. You pay for design (commonly a fixed fee or a small percentage of equipment value), and the fee is deducted if you place the equipment order. Clean, and it aligns incentives — but confirm in writing what happens to the drawings if you do not place the order.
- Design bundled free with equipment. Common among Chinese turnkey manufacturers, including the model we run. Good value, but it means the design is optimised around that factory’s product range. Ask to see the layout with a competitor’s equipment list substituted — if the room still works, the design is honest.
- Percentage of project value. Standard for independent consultants, typically on a sliding scale. Transparent, but ensure the consultant is not also taking supplier commissions.
Always separate these three numbers in any quote: design, equipment, freight. Suppliers who quote one blended figure are usually hiding margin in the freight line.
Seven questions to ask before signing a turnkey contract
- Will I receive the DWG files, or only a PDF? You need DWG (or IFC/STEP) to hand to your contractor. A PDF is a picture, not a drawing.
- Is the layout drawn from a measured survey? Ask when the site was measured and by whom.
- Who calculates the hood extraction and make-up air volumes? If nobody does, the kitchen will be hot and the hood will be ineffective.
- Which certifications will the equipment carry, and can I see the certificates before shipment? CE, NSF, SASO, SONAR — the list depends on your market, and inspectors ask at the port, not at the factory.
- What is the spare-parts and warranty arrangement after arrival? Get the wear-parts list and a committed response time in writing.
- Who is responsible if the equipment does not fit the room? The answer should be “the drawing was measured, so we are” — in writing.
- Can you provide a reference project in my region? Same climate, same voltage, same import route.
How Zhongji runs turnkey projects
Zhongji Metal has manufactured commercial kitchen equipment and retail display refrigeration from Shandong, China since 2010, exporting to more than 130 countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Our turnkey service covers the full chain described above: menu-based flow design, measured 2D layout, 3D CAD walkthrough, equipment schedule with utility loads, factory-direct stainless fabrication, export consolidation and documentation.
Because we cut the stainless ourselves, the drawing and the metal come from the same place — which is where most fit-out conflicts disappear. Our turnkey kitchen project service is listed from US$500–1,000 per project for design and layout, with equipment quoted separately against the schedule.
If you already have a drawing and only need fabricated stainless, start from our stainless steel workbench range and separate sink units — both are built to your dimensions in AISI 304. If you are budgeting at concept stage, our commercial kitchen equipment cost breakdown gives per-line ranges by kitchen size.
Frequently asked questions
What does a turnkey commercial kitchen project include?
Design (2D layout and 3D CAD), an equipment schedule with utility loads, supply of all equipment including custom stainless fabrication, export packing and documentation. Installation, utilities connection and commissioning are included only if your contract explicitly says so — ask, because the phrase “turnkey” does not settle it legally.
How long does a turnkey kitchen project take?
Plan for 4–6 months from brief to a working kitchen in an imported-equipment scenario. Manufacturing of fabricated stainless typically takes 3–5 weeks; the longer variables are client design review, imported equipment lead time, sea freight and customs clearance.
How much does 2D/3D CAD kitchen design cost?
Independent consultants commonly charge a fixed fee or a percentage of project value; many manufacturers bundle design free with an equipment order. Factory-direct design-and-layout packages start at around US$500 on Alibaba. The relevant question is not the fee but whether the drawing is produced from a measured survey.
Do I need a 3D model, or is a 2D layout enough?
A 2D layout is enough to procure from. A 3D model is what catches the conflicts 2D hides — door swing versus equipment, hood coverage over the cooking line, service access to compressors, pass shelf blocking a walkway. For any kitchen over about 150 m², the 3D check pays for itself on the first avoided change order.
Can I use my own equipment specification with a turnkey supplier?
Yes, and you should. Send your specification and let the factory build the stainless to suit it. A supplier who insists their catalogue is the only option is selling product, not designing a kitchen.
What certifications does commercial kitchen equipment need?
It depends on the destination market: CE marking for the EU and much of the GCC, NSF/ANSI for the US and many institutional buyers, SASO for Saudi Arabia, SONCAP for Nigeria. Certificates are checked at customs and by health inspectors, so confirm scope and validity before the container ships.
Who is responsible for the site works?
Almost always the buyer. Floor drains, gas runs, electrical distribution, hood ductwork through the building, and fire suppression are site works. A turnkey supplier can provide the connection drawings and load schedule, but the physical installation is local. Clarify this in the first meeting — it is the most common source of scope disputes.
Sources
- NSF/ANSI 2 — Food Equipment, the base standard for commercial foodservice equipment construction and cleanability
- ISO 9001 — quality management system requirements (relevant when evaluating a factory’s process control)
- CE marking — EU Machinery Directive / Low Voltage Directive / EMC Directive, the certification basis for equipment sold into the EU and much of the GCC
- FCSI (Foodservice Consultants Society International) — professional standards for kitchen design practice
- Zhongji Metal — turnkey kitchen project service listing, US$500–1,000 per project: zhongjimetal.en.alibaba.com
Author: China Zhongji Metal
WhatsApp: +86 190 5035 2733
Website: https://zhongjimetal.com
Alibaba.com: https://zhongjimetal.en.alibaba.com
