Restaurant renovation shutdown checklist

The order matters more than the list. Done in order, the place closes for one night. Done out of order, it closes for three days and there is still equipment sitting on a building site.

Updated September 2026

A printed count sheet on a kitchen bench during the pack

The four most forgotten items

The ceiling lighting. It feels like part of the building, but the trades will take it down.
Fixings for the stainless shelving. Bag them per unit, not all in one bag.
Paperwork: the lease, the licences, the books. None of it belongs on a building site.
Signage and menu boards. Usually the most expensive and most fragile things in the room.

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Before the last day

Get the builders' start date in writing. Everything below counts backwards from it.
Book the pack for the night after your last service, not the morning the trades arrive.
Walk the room and sort into keep, sell, bin. Do this first, not while you are packing.
Photograph the space as it stands, including the empty shell from handover day if you still have those shots.
Deal with fresh and frozen stock. Nothing in that group can go into storage.

The night of the pack

Kitchen first: wash, drain, dry, then pack.
Machines: unplug, cool, strip the loose parts, dry, stretch-wrap.
Crockery on edge in small boxes, padded between each piece.
Table tops off their pedestals; fixings bagged per table set.
Ceiling and track lighting down, boxed separately, lamps well padded.
Signage and menu boards wrapped alone, stored upright, nothing stacked on them.
Paperwork in its own labelled box, and that is the box you want to know the location of.

Before the van leaves

Check the box count against the list. Count on site, not at the facility.
Photograph the empty space, for you and for the landlord.

What this order saves you

Sorting before packing is the biggest single difference. If you decide keep-or-bin while you are packing, every item costs an extra minute of thought, and across a restaurant that is several hours.

The second is working at night. The place closes after service and the crew starts straight after, so no trading day is lost. The job photographed on this site started at half past nine at night.

What cannot go into storage

We do not accept anything illegal, dangerous, perishable or alive. For a restaurant that means all food, including dry goods still in date, and gas cylinders. Those get dealt with on site before the pack.

Book 2 days ahead. Sooner carries a 400,000 VND rush fee. Collection anywhere in Districts 1 to 5, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan and Go Vap carries no travel charge.

Tủ Mây price list · standard / air-conditioned

Valet · Small · 12 boxes1,250,000 VND / 1,550,000 VND

Valet · Medium · 24 boxes2,450,000 VND / 3,050,000 VND

Valet · Large · 48 boxes4,900,000 VND / 6,150,000 VND

Self storage · Small1,550,000 VND / 1,950,000 VND

Self storage · Medium3,050,000 VND / 3,800,000 VND

Self storage · Large6,150,000 VND / 7,700,000 VND

Collection only, paid oncefrom 3,300,000 VND

Collection and return, paid oncefrom 5,100,000 VND

A delivery in between, per item100,000 VND, a box or a wardrobe alike

Frequently asked

Should the pack happen during the day or at night?

At night, straight after the last service. You lose no revenue day and the crew works in an empty room.

How far ahead of the builders should we book?

At least 2 days to avoid the rush fee, but book as soon as the builders confirm their start date.

Can paperwork and books go into storage?

Yes, and they should be in their own labelled box. Air-conditioned storage suits paper better.

What about dry goods still in date?

Not accepted. We do not hold anything illegal, dangerous, perishable or alive, and food falls in that group.

Store it, get it back when you need it

We come to you, pack, photograph every item and keep it on a secure shelf, standard or air-conditioned. One message brings any of it back.

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