A 30-100 seat NYC pizzeria buildout end-to-end — concept through post-open recurring ops. Concept tier: $500K-$2.5M all-in, 8-14 months from lease signing. Pizza oven (deck / brick / wood-fired / conveyor) is the defining capital line; FDNY F-58 solid-fuel + smoke management drive the regulatory path on wood-fired.
Pizzerias split into 4 sub-concepts with very different economics: counter-service slice shops ($300K-$900K, 6-10 months), Neapolitan wood-fired ($1M-$2.5M, 10-14 months, FDNY F-58 + smoke management critical path), New York-style coal-or-wood ($1.2M-$3M+, 12-16 months, F-58 dominant), and conveyor + commodity ($500K-$1.5M, 8-12 months, no F-58 needed).
The defining decision is oven choice: Forno Bravo / Acunto wood-fired ($15K-$45K+) for 800-900°F Neapolitan; Marsal / Bakers Pride deck oven for NY-style; Lincoln / Middleby Marshall conveyor for QSR volume. Pizza oven choice gates everything downstream: hood spec, gas line, FDNY filings, and labor model.
The 11-phase structure tracks every category an operator engages from concept-lock through opening + recurring ops.
Restaurant Consultant + F&B Consultant lock concept (oven type + menu + service economics). Slice-shop economics differ from Neapolitan or New York-style — pour cost target 24-28% food / 18-22% on bar.
NYC commercial real estate broker + lease attorney. Lease must accommodate pizza-oven gas line + chimney venting + smoke management for wood-fired. NYSLA-friendly use clause if beer/wine.
Architect + Interior Designer + Kitchen Design Consultant + Acoustic Consultant. Pizza oven placement + smoke chimney + makeup air all design-critical. Wood-fired adds smoke-management engineering.
DOH C of O + DOB + FDNY hood approval + FDNY F-58 (solid-fuel cooking permit · wood-fired only). NYSLA Catering Permit or on-premises if alcohol. Wood-fired adds 4-8 weeks to permitting timeline due to F-58 and smoke management review.
DOB + FDNY + DOH coordination
DOB filing acceleration
FDNY F-58 + hood + smoke management
DOH Article 81 + dough handling
NYSLA Catering Permit / on-premises
GC + electrician + plumber + HVAC + millwork + tile. Wood-fired pizza oven install requires structural reinforcement (1-3 ton oven) + chimney + brick/refractory work. Specialty pizza oven installer typically separate from GC.
GMP + schedule
MEP electrical
MEP plumbing + drainage
HVAC + makeup air
Type I hood + smoke management
Counter + bench + service
Pizza-oven base tile + bathroom
BoH + dining floor
Interior paint
Storefront awning
Pizza oven $15K-$45K (wood-fired) / $5K-$20K (conveyor) / $8K-$35K (deck). Refrigeration + dough-prep table + cookline + warewashing. Pizza-specific smallware (peels + screens + cutters).
Pizza oven + cookline + fryer
Walk-in + dough cooler
Peels + screens + smallware
Manitowoc / Hoshizaki
Hobart / Jackson door-type
BoH wire shelving
Fire ext + AED + cameras + Ansul
Tables + seating + tabletop + small bar program. Pizzerias often beer/wine-only or limited cocktails. Wholesale flour + cheese + pepperoni + tomato + mozzarella all open accounts.
Booths + counter + 4-tops
Wood / metal pizzeria chairs + stools
Sidewalk seating
Plates + flatware
Limited bar / beer-wine focus
Soda + beer draft
Pepperoni + sausage
Baldor + tomatoes + basil
Flour wholesale + supplemental bread
Italian-focused wine list
Beer + craft selection
Operating supplies
Pizza box + delivery packaging · 30-50% takeout typical
POS + KDS + delivery integration (Toast / Square + DoorDash / Grubhub / UberEats). Pizzerias have 30-50% takeout/delivery — online-ordering platform integration critical.
Toast / Square pizzeria-mode
KDS for pizza ticket flow
DoorDash + Grubhub + UberEats integration
Music + ASCAP/BMI
Camera install
Fiber + redundancy
Branding photography + digital marketing + SEO. Hiring: head pizzaiolo + GM month -3, line cooks + cashiers + delivery drivers month -1.
Hero + pizza photography
Pre-launch + ongoing
Search + Google Business
Printed menus + delivery menus
Pizzaiolo + GM
Pre-hire screening
Payroll + tip pool
Pizza + service training
NYC Food Handler + ServSafe
Soft launch week -1, public open day 0. Recurring ops: cleaning + pest + grease-trap + hood-cleaning + waste removal. Wood-fired ovens require monthly chimney + flue inspection.
Nightly + deep-clean
Monthly DOH-required
NFPA 96 + monthly chimney for wood-fired
HVAC service
Pizza-oven service contract
Storefront weekly
Trash + recycling + compost
Download Nightrush. Tell us about your concept + budget + timeline, and we’ll match you to vetted NYC vendors across every phase. Real introductions, not a directory.
