Restaurant real estate & brokers
Agents and brokers who work restaurant space specifically — second-generation kitchens, liquor-permit sites, and lease negotiation.
A second-generation space with a working hood and grease interceptor can save six figures versus a raw build-out — the single biggest cost variable in opening. Note that finding space and selling a business are two different professionals: a commercial real estate broker handles the property and the lease; a business broker sells the operation itself, including goodwill, equipment, the lease assignment, and any liquor permit. Hiring the wrong one for an exit is a common and expensive mistake.
What to ask before you sign
Take this into the call. No vendor gets to edit this list.
- Are you representing me on a property transaction, or are you a business broker selling an operating restaurant? If I am exiting rather than opening, make sure I am talking to the right one.
- How many restaurant deals have you closed in this submarket in the last two years?
- Does this space have an existing Type I hood, make-up air, grease interceptor, and adequate electrical and gas service — and are they permitted?
- What is the zoning, and does the use I am planning require a conditional use or variance in this municipality?
- Is there an existing liquor permit at this address, and is the class transferable?
- What is the landlord offering in TI allowance, free rent, and who owns the equipment at lease end?
- Who represents whom in this deal, and how are you paid?
Listings
Listed alphabetically. Order is never sold or influenced by sponsorship.
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Anchor Retail
Beachwood-based retail and investment commercial real estate brokerage and third-party property manager, working tenant representation, landlord representation, and investment sales. Restaurant and retail brand expansion is a core part of the practice.
Services: Tenant representation · Landlord representation · Investment sales · Property management
Serves: Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage, Geauga counties
Restaurant experience skews toward franchise and chain expansion — Panera through Covelli, Moe's, Little Caesars. That is real transaction volume and useful market knowledge, but a first-time independent should ask how they approach a one-off deal. They also work landlord side, so establish who they represent in your specific transaction before you share your numbers. Second office in Columbus.
24500 Chagrin Blvd, Suite 100, Beachwood, OH 44122
216-342-2523Verified Aug 8, 2026 · number checked against 3 sources
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CRESCO Real Estate
Northeast Ohio commercial real estate brokerage with retail, office and industrial groups, operating as an independently owned Cushman & Wakefield alliance member.
Services: Retail leasing · Tenant representation · Property sales · Property management
Serves: Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage, Geauga counties
A full-service commercial firm rather than a restaurant specialist — ask for the retail group and for someone who has closed restaurant deals in your submarket specifically. The national alliance matters mainly if you are looking at more than one market.
Verified Aug 9, 2026 · number checked against 1 source
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DiFranco Commercial Real Estate
Boutique Beachwood commercial real estate firm handling leasing, sales, and strategic consulting for both landlord and tenant clients, with a deliberately selective, relationship-led practice.
Services: Leasing · Sales · Tenant and landlord representation · Strategic consulting
Serves: Cuyahoga, Lake, Summit, Medina counties
A small practice that takes on fewer clients, which can mean more attention than a large brokerage gives a single-unit deal. They do not publish a restaurant specialization, so ask directly how many restaurant transactions they have closed in your submarket and whether they know which nearby spaces have existing hood and grease infrastructure. Contact Michael Anthony DiFranco, michael@difrancocre.com.
3201 Enterprise Parkway, Suite 150A, Beachwood, OH 44122
216-736-8000Verified Aug 8, 2026 · number checked against 3 sources
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Trinity Commercial Realty
Westlake-based commercial brokerage covering Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, handling retail, office, industrial, multifamily and land, plus property management.
Services: Retail leasing · Property sales · Tenant representation · Property management
Serves: Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage, Geauga counties
West side base, which is useful if you are looking in Westlake, Rocky River, Avon or Lakewood — submarket familiarity is most of what a broker is actually selling you. Also publishes 216-402-8000.
Verified Aug 9, 2026 · number checked against 1 source
Related guides
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What drives the cost of a commercial kitchen build-out
Nobody can quote your kitchen from a square footage. What they can tell you is which decisions move the number by tens of thousands — and what the health district requires your drawings to show before anyone is allowed to build.
Listings are free and unpaid. We verify contact details before publishing and re-check periodically, but businesses change — if something here is wrong, tell us. Inclusion is not an endorsement, and this site does not accept commissions or referral fees from listed vendors. Dean Supply publishes this site and appears in the directory on the same terms as everyone else.