Restaurants don’t close for a week. They run on tight schedules with stricter health code, denser rooftop equipment, and grease vapor patterns no other building type has. We’ve scoped and built dozens of Houston restaurant roofs — from QSR chains to full-service independents — and the way you scope a restaurant roof is different.
Three categories of restaurant-specific issues drive scope and system selection.
Grease vapor exposure. Hood exhaust fans discharge cooking-grease vapor that settles within 10-15 feet of the vent. Standard TPO and modified bitumen membranes suffer accelerated degradation in this zone — surface softening, color staining, eventual blistering. PVC handles grease better. Either system needs grease guards at vent perimeters and a maintenance plan to clean the affected area.
Equipment density. A typical full-service restaurant carries 4-8 HVAC units, 2-4 walk-in cooler condensers, 1-2 makeup-air units, multiple hood exhaust fans, and refrigeration line sets. Per square foot, more rooftop hardware than nearly any other commercial building type. Every piece is a flashing, a penetration, or a maintenance access point.
Health code and inspection. Restaurant roofs are part of the health-code envelope. Leaks into a kitchen ceiling are a health violation that can shut a restaurant down. We don’t patch with quick-fixes that have a 6-month life. When we repair a restaurant leak, the repair holds.
Operational schedule constraints. Lunch service, dinner service, prep windows. Loud roof work above the kitchen during prep is not workable. Tear-off above the dining room during dinner service is not workable. The schedule has to be planned around the restaurant’s real operating rhythm, not assumed daytime work.
The default for full-service restaurants and any kitchen with significant grease exhaust. Best chemical resistance of common membranes, strongest seam welds, longest warranty paths.
For quick-service restaurants with simpler kitchens or smaller footprints, TPO works with proper grease guard installation around hood vents. More cost-effective than PVC.
Existing roof in serviceable condition can take a silicone coating to extend life. Not appropriate for grease-zone areas without local cut-and-patch first; works well as a whole-roof restoration in non-critical zones.
Pre-job walk with operations. Before scope is finalized, we walk the roof with the GM or owner. Identify the hood-vent footprint, note where work above the kitchen is constrained vs. where work above storage or dining is more flexible. Map the schedule around the operation.
Daypart-aware scheduling. Tear-off and the loudest work happens during off-hours: 5am-11am for dinner-only restaurants, 11pm-5am for breakfast spots, full closure days where they exist. Material delivery and lay-down happens during operational quiet times.
Kitchen ceiling protection. When we’re working directly above kitchen prep areas, we install temporary plastic over the kitchen ceiling to protect against any debris during membrane work. Standard for any restaurant project.
Hood vent treatment. The 10-foot zone around every hood exhaust gets special scope: grease guard installation or replacement, base flashing in PVC or stainless steel, walk pad to prevent foot traffic on the most-exposed area. Documented as a discrete line item.
Daily dry-in, every day. No exposed roof at end of day. Period. Restaurant ceilings are not allowed to take a chance on overnight rain.
Restaurants concentrate three challenges: hood exhaust grease that contaminates the roof surface around vents, dense rooftop equipment (multiple HVAC units, walk-in cooler condensers, makeup-air units), and zero-tolerance for downtime — you can’t close a restaurant for a week of roof work. The system, the scope, and the schedule all have to account for this.
Restaurant exhaust hood vents discharge grease vapor that settles on the surrounding roof surface. Over years it stains, softens, and degrades standard membrane systems — especially asphalt-based ones. The 10-foot radius around any kitchen exhaust vent is a special-treatment zone. We use grease-resistant flashings (PVC or stainless), grease guard mats, and prep the surface for compatibility.
For most repair scope, yes — we work in sections, do the loud work outside business hours, and protect dining and kitchen areas from any debris. For full reroof, the restaurant typically stays open with phased work or off-hours-only execution. Some chains have Tuesday-Wednesday closure days that work well for concentrated work windows.
PVC membrane is our default recommendation for full-service restaurants. Better chemical and grease resistance than TPO. For QSR (quick-service) and chain locations with simpler exhaust profiles, TPO works well too — especially with grease guards installed at hood vents. Modified bitumen is rare for restaurants because of grease compatibility issues.
Single-location restaurant (3,000-6,000 sq ft) full reroof typically runs 1-2 weeks of active work, often phased to keep operations running. Repair scope is usually 1-3 days. We work around your schedule — daypart breaks, closure days, off-hours.
Yes. Hood vent flashings, grease curtains around exhaust outlets, walk-pad protection between equipment, and any grease-impact mitigation is part of restaurant roof scope. We don’t leave that as “the kitchen guy’s problem” — the integration of the kitchen exhaust system into the roof is roof scope.
Free site visit. PVC for grease zones. Off-hours execution. No service interruption.
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