Thursday, May 15, 2008—DENVER, COLORADO— Building a new restaurant can be a costly process, especially if the owner has no previous experience in creating a restaurant from the ground up.In 2002, the leadership at American Professional Systems (APS-Hoods) recognized the need for a qualified consultant to advise builders during the early planning and construction phases. They began offering those services in addition to the company’s hood installation and fire protection services.

Colorado kitchen vent hoods specialist Massoud Farazandeh, chief executive officer of APS-Hoods, is confident his company can save owners time and money in the long run because of his expertise and licensing as a mechanical, electrical and fire protection company, he said. APS-Hoods professionals draw from a wealth of knowledge to adequately consult on restaurant kitchen construction projects.

“Sometimes it is beneficial to spend money in the planning stages in order to save money in the long term,” Farazandeh said.

Most architects and builders are good at following the proper guidelines and ensuring plans are approved.

“But drawings don’t show reality necessarily,” Farazandeh said. “In the real world, you also want to make sure everything is practical.”

For example, if workers have to run a duct for an exhaust fan, there must be access panels, and future cleaning crews must be able to get to them.

During the construction phase, Farazandeh has run into situations where a duct needed to run in a certain location, but a plumber already had run water pipe or an electrician had put a junction box there.

APS-Hoods considers the end-result. The company concentrates solely on restaurant construction, so they have become adept at finding ways to “work out all the difficult issues, in terms of building a restaurant,” Farazandeh said.
This is especially true in the case of constructing chain restaurants. These restaurants rely heavily on having pre-fabricated materials, so developing the appropriate system for one new restaurant means the system will be appropriate for additional restaurants in the chain.

“Restaurants have a lot of different requirements that other buildings may not have,” Farazandeh said. “There needs to be someone who can picture this project in their head and work to avoid common mistakes. That’s what we do.”

The restaurant kitchen construction consulting services provided by APS-Hoods include reviewing blueprints to ensure everything is built in a way that makes access safe and easy. Restaurants should be designed so that electricians, plumbers and hood system installers have enough room to do their jobs properly during the installation process.

In addition to making sure the restaurant is built with long-term maintenance in mind, Farazandeh offers input to prevent the project from going over budget.

“The majority of people who build a restaurant from scratch go over budget because of unforeseeable costs they didn’t count on,” he said. “We try to take away all that worry by giving a comprehensive package that isn’t going to require a lot of change orders.”

Thinking of the Big Picture
Of equal importance is installing everything in a way that future maintenance and repairs can safely and easily be made after the restaurant is built. That saves restaurant owners money in the long run, Farazandeh said.

“The easier things are to get to, the cheaper the cost of cleaning, maintenance and repairs,” he said.

Often, companies that install kitchen hood and fire protection systems don’t service them. Therefore, they don’t look at the installation from a maintenance and repair perspective, Farazandeh said.

Farazandeh has learned that lesson the hard way. Throughout his years of cleaning and servicing hood and fire suppression systems in restaurant kitchens, he has seen how little thought is given to maintenance.

“I’ve seen it all,” Farazandeh said. “I’ve seen access panels that were out of reach, blocked access panels and ducts in areas where there was no way to get to them to clean them.

“Hardly anyone thinks about safety and access afterward, it seems,” he said. “That’s where we make a difference.”

Learn More
For more information about new restaurant construction consulting services, hood systems or hood cleaning, contact APS-Hoods, (303) 639-9399, or visit the company’s Web site: www.aps-hoods.com.

About APS-Hoods
APS-Hoods is a full-service restaurant fire protection business that installs, services, repairs and performs routine inspections and cleaning for hood and fire suppression systems. Founded by Chief Executive Officer Massoud Farazandeh in 1989, APS-Hoods has grown into a national leader in hood cleaning and fire protection for restaurants and facilities.

APS provides superior service, a quality guarantee and maintains a highly qualified and dependable staff. All crew members are professionally trained to comply with the National Fire Prevention Association Standards and state and local codes. APS-Hoods is fully insured and bonded. They are licensed in the mechanical and electrical fields, as well as fire protection contracting.

APS-Hoods is affiliated with the National Fire Protection Agency and the Colorado Division of Fire Safety Fire Suppression Program.

© 2008 Sinai Marketing and APS-Hoods. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
-end-