“Irshad and his team installed potlights throughout our main floor, hooked up our new appliances and added under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen. Clean, precise work and the ceiling patch lines are invisible. Everything was left spotless at the end of each day.”
Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Electrical
A commercial kitchen concentrates more electrical load per square metre than almost any other occupancy. Convection ovens, combis, fryers, griddles, dish machines, walk-in coolers and freezers, make-up air units, exhaust controls — each a serious load, often 240-volt three-phase, all in an environment where water, steam and grease attack everything. Getting this right means an electrician who understands both the code and the kitchen.
Heavy Equipment Circuits
Cooking and refrigeration equipment defines the electrical scope of every restaurant job we take:
- Cooking line — convection and combi ovens, fryers, ranges, griddles and charbroilers on properly sized 208/240V circuits, three-phase where the equipment demands it, with correct overcurrent protection and disconnecting means within sight of the equipment.
- Refrigeration — walk-in coolers and freezers on dedicated circuits, compressor racks accounted for in the load calculation, and GFI protection where required. We coordinate with refrigeration contractors on startup so warranties stay intact.
- Dish pit — commercial dishwashers and booster heaters are among the heaviest single loads in the building; they get their own circuits and proper phase balancing.
- Hood and make-up air — exhaust fan interlocks (so the hood runs before the gas or electric cooking line can operate) are a life-safety function we wire carefully, per municipal mechanical and fire requirements.
Equipment swaps mid-tenancy are our bread and butter: the new combi oven draws 30 amps more than the old one, and suddenly the panel needs work. We assess capacity, upgrade circuits and have you cooking again fast.
GFCI in Wet Areas
Commercial kitchens are wet environments, and Ontario code requires GFCI protection on receptacles serving countertops and any area subject to water — which in a kitchen is nearly everywhere. We specify industrial-grade GFCI devices and breakers rated for the duty cycle, because residential-grade units nuisance-trip under commercial load and end up taped over — a dangerous and citable condition. Where equipment must run uninterrupted (cash systems, some refrigeration), we apply the code's permitted exceptions correctly rather than bypassing protection.
Grease, Heat & Harsh-Area Considerations
Everything within a commercial kitchen's airspace collects grease — and grease plus heat plus dust is hard on wiring devices. We specify appropriate enclosure ratings, keep wiring out of grease-laden duct and hood zones per code, use corrosion-resistant materials in dish pits and wet storage, and place disconnects and panels where staff can reach them without climbing over equipment. These details pass health and fire inspections and survive the kitchen's atmosphere for years instead of months.
Inspection Requirements: Health, Fire & ESA
Restaurants answer to three inspection regimes, and electrical touches all three. The ESA permits and inspects the electrical work itself. The fire marshal cares about emergency lighting, exit signs and hood interlocks. The health department cares about equipment operation and — indirectly — that wiring doesn't create cleaning or sanitation hazards. We keep GTA kitchens ready for all three: permitted work, documented inspections, and emergency and exit lighting on a testing program. If you're taking over an existing space, a pre-lease electrical assessment often saves painful surprises after the lease is signed.
Front of House & Dining Area
The dining room electrical matters more to revenue than most owners expect: lighting that flatters the room, dedicated circuits for POS terminals and payment systems (a rebooted terminal mid-dinner-rush is lost money), dimmable scenes that shift from lunch to evening, and service outlets where servers actually need them. For full dining-room builds we also wire signage, patio heaters and seasonal lighting.
Gas vs. Electric: The Electrification Question
More GTA restaurants are adding electric cooking as gas decisions evolve — induction ranges, electric combis and conveyor ovens arriving alongside traditional gas lines. Electric equipment changes the electrical picture substantially: larger services, three-phase where available, and load management between cooking and cooling. If your kitchen is planning any electric conversion, involve us early — a service upgrade takes weeks to schedule through the utility, and it's the kind of surprise that should never arrive after the equipment does.
Panel Capacity, Service Upgrades & Three-Phase
The question that decides most restaurant electrical projects is capacity. A full cooking line, walk-ins, dish pit and front of house can pull 150–400 amps — and many GTA restaurant spaces were built when 100–200 amps was plenty. Before quoting any equipment work we measure the real load: panel capacity, service size, single- versus three-phase supply, and how the previous tenant's equipment compared to yours. Where capacity falls short we complete any needed panel or service upgrade — and we start utility coordination early, because service changes take weeks of lead time with Toronto Hydro, Alectra or Milton Hydro. Restaurants that involve us before signing the lease get this answer in writing, with real negotiating power on the space.
Three-phase deserves its own note: larger ovens, combis and booster heaters increasingly expect 208V three-phase, and not every plaza has it at the unit. We verify supply before your equipment arrives — the worst time to discover a phase requirement is at the delivery dock — and where a building genuinely lacks three-phase, we help you select and configure single-phase equipment that performs.
Health-Inspection Readiness: The Details Inspectors See
Health-readiness is a mindset as much as a checklist. Inspectors and fire officials respond to what they see — exposed wiring, taped-over GFCI devices and extension cords powering permanent equipment are citations and closures waiting to happen. Our kitchen clients pass because the fundamentals are invisible: everything hardwired, protected and documented, with testing records in a binder at the door. The same discipline extends to neighbouring occupancies — if your plaza is also improving its medical or dental units or retail fronts, we scope multi-tenant work together and share the mobilization cost.
Why Restaurant Owners Choose Bano Electrical Services Ltd
- Commercial kitchen experience — cooking-line, refrigeration and dish-pit circuits sized right the first time.
- After-hours and emergency scheduling — repairs and upgrades between close and prep.
- Three-inspector fluency — ESA, fire marshal and health department requirements handled together.
- Licensed and insured — ESA/ECRA #7004060, COI and WSIB for your landlord and insurer.
Opening, renovating or troubleshooting a kitchen? Call 416-903-7166 — we answer, we show up, and we work around your service schedule across Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto and the entire GTA.