Restaurant & QSR Construction in San Antonio, TX

Ground-up restaurant construction in San Antonio runs $172–$385 per square foot: QSR pads at $172–$300/SF, full-service at $250–$385/SF, and high-end or fine dining at the top of the range. Tenant improvements in existing shells run $25–$160/SF. San Antonio's 0.85–0.98x cost multiplier and right-to-work labor run 25–35% below union markets.

A ground-up QSR with drive-thru in San Antonio typically runs $172–$300 per square foot for the building, plus sitework for the drive-thru lane, stacking, canopies, and menu-board infrastructure. Dual-lane and pickup-window-only coffee formats shift the mix toward site cost. SA's low cost indices keep total project budgets below most major metros.

Restaurant tenant improvements in San Antonio typically run 3–6 months; ground-up QSR projects run 8–12 months from design through opening under design-build delivery. San Antonio's fast permitting and year-round construction window compress schedules versus northern markets.

Yes. TCG procures kitchen equipment directly through manufacturer relationships — hoods, walk-ins, cooklines, and refrigeration — cutting dealer markup and aligning equipment lead times with the construction schedule so the kitchen is ready when the building is.

Yes. TCG builds restaurant TI in existing San Antonio shells from $25–$160 per square foot — second-generation refreshes at the low end, first-generation vanilla shells with full kitchen, grease, and HVAC infrastructure at the high end — delivered design-build under one contract.

The drive-thru itself is mostly site cost: lane paving and stacking geometry, canopies, menu boards, order-confirmation and timer systems, and extra utility runs beyond the building shell. Dual-lane formats and small-footprint coffee prototypes push even more of the budget into the site. Our QSR coffee shop cost guide breaks down where the drive-thru money goes.

Commercial kitchens need slip-resistant, washdown-rated, seamless systems — typically epoxy or urethane cement over a properly prepped slab, coved at the walls to pass health inspection. Quarry tile remains common, but grout joints are a maintenance liability on fryer lines. See our commercial flooring cost guide for pricing by system and building type.

TCG buys direct from manufacturers instead of through dealer channels — hoods, walk-ins, cooklines, and refrigeration — stripping out the markup layered onto most kitchen packages. Equipment lead times are sequenced into the construction schedule so nothing ships late or sits in storage. Learn more about TCG's direct equipment procurement service.

Yes. Restaurant and QSR work sits inside TCG's broader hotel, restaurant, and QSR construction practice — ground-up hotels, hotel food-and-beverage outlets, and hospitality renovations across the San Antonio market, delivered design-build under one contract. Licensed in all 50 states.

TCG serves all of Metro San Antonio and Bexar County — downtown, the Medical Center, Stone Oak, the far west side, and the Loop 1604 and I-35/I-10 corridors — plus New Braunfels, Schertz, Seguin, Boerne, and the broader Austin–San Antonio corridor. Start at our San Antonio commercial general contractor hub to see every service we deliver in the market.