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Inside 50+ QSR Renovations: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Design at Scale
- Chris Rouse
- 23 hours ago
- 8 min read
Every general contractor bidding QSR renovation work eventually runs into the same question: how does the design and construction partner actually perform when the brand standards are strict, the timelines are aggressive, and the same drawing package has to hold up across dozens of locations?
For Imperio Construction and its sister engineering firm Ingesuelos Group, the answer sits inside a portfolio of more than 50 Tim Hortons AMEP design projects delivered across Canada, from Owen Sound to Hamilton to Oakville to Guelph. That portfolio is a proof point, not the whole story. This article pulls back the curtain on how QSR renovation projects actually get done at scale, from the first site visit through construction support, and what that process looks like from the general contractor's side of the table.
If you have read our companion piece on why QSR renovations need coordinated AMEP design, think of this as the practical follow-up: what coordinated AMEP actually looks like on the ground, on a real brand, at real scale.
Two Companies, One Roof
Before getting into the process, it is worth clarifying how the work is actually delivered.
Ingesuelos Group is the engineering and design firm that produces the stamped architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (AMEP) drawings on QSR renovation projects. Imperio Construction is the sister construction company that handles construction and general contracting work, though in many cases, other general contractors will engage Ingesuelos and do the construction and project management themselves.
Both companies are led by Professional Engineer Juan Zapata and operate under one roof, which is what makes the coordinated AMEP workflow possible. The engineering team and the construction team are not separate consultants introduced to each other on a project. They are one integrated group with a common leadership, a shared office, and years of built-up joint process.
For general contractors bidding QSR work, that distinction matters:
Design and stamping: Ingesuelos, on all four AMEP disciplines
Construction support and coordination: Imperio and Ingesuelos, working together
Throughout this article, references to the design team refer to Ingesuelos, and references to construction support refer to either the combined Imperio and Ingesuelos team, or an external construction partner.
The Rollout Reality: Aggressive Timelines, Zero Room for Error
QSR renovations are not typical commercial projects. They are executed through rollout programs where the general contractor delivers a full turnkey remodel in a compressed window, sometimes as short as two to three weeks of dark time per location. That kind of schedule only works if two things are true:
The general contractor has a repeatable execution playbook
The design package is watertight before construction ever starts
Ingesuelos's role in these projects is the second half of that equation. As the coordinated AMEP design partner, Ingesuelos delivers the architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings that let the general contractor and their trades hit the ground running with no discipline coordination gaps to sort out in the field.
For general contractors bidding this type of work, understanding how that design package gets built is worth the read.
The Starting Point: Every Location Is Its Own Puzzle
There is a common misconception about multi-location QSR work: that once you have designed one store, you have designed them all. In reality, the opposite is closer to the truth.
Every existing QSR location has its own combination of variables:
Building era and construction type, ranging from purpose-built freestanding stores to converted retail spaces
Existing mechanical systems with varying capacity, age, and code compliance
Site constraints, including drive-thru geometry, parking layouts, and municipal setback rules
Local building code interpretations, which can vary meaningfully between municipalities in Ontario
The brand prototype gives you the target. The existing building tells you what it will actually take to get there. Reconciling those two things is where the design work really lives.
For general contractors, this is important context. When Ingesuelos issues a drawing package for a QSR renovation, the sheets have already accounted for the specific building being renovated, not just the corporate prototype. That reduces the number of surprises that show up in the field.
Step 1: Site Documentation and Existing Conditions
Every QSR renovation begins with a thorough documentation of the existing location. This typically includes:
On-site field verification of dimensions, ceiling heights, and structural elements
Documentation of existing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
Facade photography to capture exterior conditions and finishes
Confirmation of the location's address, municipal jurisdiction, and any recent permits or renovations on file
This step is not glamorous, but it is where fragmented design teams often stumble. When the architect visits the site but the mechanical engineer never does, the mechanical drawings are effectively guessing at existing conditions. With all four AMEP disciplines under one roof at Ingesuelos, the site documentation feeds a single coordinated model that every discipline works from.
Step 2: Concept Design and 3D Modelling
Once existing conditions are documented, the concept design phase begins. This is where the brand prototype meets the building reality.
For QSR renovations, concept design typically addresses:
Front-of-house layout adjustments aligned with current brand standards, including seating, order counter geometry, and self-serve station placement
Kitchen equipment reconfigurations to accommodate menu changes, new equipment specifications, or updated workflow
Drive-thru order point and pickup window modifications, which frequently drive the exterior work
Accessibility upgrades to meet current AODA or provincial accessibility code requirements
Facade and signage updates aligned with the current brand identity
Ingesuelos develops these concepts in a coordinated 3D model. For general contractors, that means the concept package you eventually see reflects clash-checked geometry, not just a floor plan overlay. Rooftop unit placement, structural framing, ceiling grid, and lighting layouts have already been reconciled before drawings are issued.
Step 3: Detailed Design and Coordinated AMEP Development
The detailed design phase is where the majority of the drawing work happens, and where the value of an integrated AMEP team is most visible.
On a typical QSR renovation, this phase produces:
Architectural drawings covering demolition, new construction, finish schedules, door and window schedules, and reflected ceiling plans
Mechanical drawings covering HVAC, exhaust ventilation, make-up air, gas piping, and equipment schedules
Electrical drawings covering power, lighting, panel schedules, drive-thru and menu board power, POS and low-voltage rough-in
Plumbing drawings covering domestic water, sanitary, grease waste, and fixture connections
All four discipline sets are developed against the same model at Ingesuelos and issued as a coordinated package, stamped by the licensed professionals in each discipline. For GCs, that eliminates the discipline-to-discipline coordination burden that fragmented packages push onto the field.
Step 4: Permit Submission and Approval Support
Permit processes vary by municipality, and on a multi-location rollout program, Ingesuelos's drawings frequently need to move through building departments across a wide range of Ontario cities and towns, from urban centres like Hamilton to smaller municipalities like Owen Sound, Tottenham, and Caledon Village.
Reviewers in every jurisdiction want the same thing: a clean, coordinated drawing set that is easy to review against local code. Ingesuelos manages permit submissions on QSR projects and supports the resolution of any reviewer comments through to approval. Because the same firm produced all four discipline drawings, questions from the building department can be addressed without coordinating across multiple consultants.
For general contractors, this means fewer delays waiting on discipline-specific responses during permit review, and fewer redraws driven by inter-discipline conflicts flagged by the reviewer.
Step 5: Construction Administration and RFI Support
Once construction begins, the design team's job is not finished. Ingesuelos provides construction administration support on every QSR renovation, including:
RFI responses to field questions from the general contractor and trades
Shop drawing review for coordinated equipment and specialty items
Site visits where warranted to review conditions or resolve unforeseen issues
Change directive support when existing conditions require design adjustments
On rollout programs where dark time is measured in days rather than months, responsiveness during construction is where design partners either earn their keep or become the reason a project slips. The value of an integrated AMEP team here is straightforward: when a question comes up in the field, the answer comes from the same team that produced the original drawings. There is no delay while a mechanical engineer at a separate firm gets up to speed on a project they were only tangentially involved in.
Step 6: Resolving Unforeseen Site Conditions
Renovations reveal surprises. On QSR projects, common ones include:
Existing structural members that do not match record drawings
Undocumented mechanical or plumbing runs concealed in walls or ceilings
Slab conditions that complicate new plumbing rough-ins
Existing electrical service capacity that does not support new equipment loads
When these come up mid-renovation, the Ingesuelos design team can develop a coordinated response quickly because all disciplines are in the same office. That is often the difference between a two-day pause and a two-week schedule impact, which on a fast-track QSR remodel can be the difference between hitting the reopening date or missing it.
According to research summarized by CalcStack, change orders on typical commercial projects run 8 to 14 percent of original contract value, with renovation projects often trending higher. Resolving unforeseen conditions efficiently is one of the most controllable factors in keeping that number down.
The Portfolio: A Cross-Section of Ontario
The Imperio and Ingesuelos QSR portfolio now spans a broad cross-section of Ontario municipalities, including:
Owen Sound
Tottenham
Hamilton
Guelph
Oakville
Brantford
Caledon Village
And many more across the province
Each location brought its own combination of site constraints, code interpretations, and existing conditions. What has remained consistent is the design approach: coordinated AMEP drawings, developed in-house at Ingesuelos, issued as a single stamped package, backed by construction administration support from the same team that produced them.
On rollout programs where the general contractor is delivering complete turnkey remodels in as little as two to three weeks of dark time per location, that consistency is exactly what makes the schedule achievable.
What This Means for General Contractors Bidding QSR Rollout Work
Fifty-plus QSR renovations, including a portfolio of Tim Hortons stores across Canada, is not just a project count. For GCs evaluating design partners on rollout programs, it represents:
Familiarity with QSR brand prototype manuals, current design standards, and evolving specifications
Working knowledge of the code interpretations used by building departments across dozens of Ontario municipalities
A refined process for documentation, design, permitting, and construction support that has been iterated across a large project count
Institutional knowledge of the equipment packages, vendor specifications, and common site conditions typical of Quick Service Restaurant buildings
For GCs bidding a single QSR renovation or a multi-location program, working with a coordinated design and construction group that has already delivered at this scale means fewer unknowns on both sides of the drawing package.
Beyond a Single Brand: One Approach, Many QSR Programs
The process outlined above is not brand-specific. The same coordinated AMEP workflow applies to any QSR renovation, whether coffee chains, fast-casual concepts, franchise operators, or corporate rollout programs. The Imperio and Ingesuelos team has also delivered QSR design work outside Canada, including a QDOBA project in Rhode Island, extending the same approach across the Canada–US border.
If you are a general contractor evaluating design partners for QSR work, whether for a single location, a regional program, or a national rollout, the depth of this QSR portfolio is worth studying. Not because your project will look like any one store, but because the process discipline required to deliver at that scale is transferable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many QSR renovations has the Imperio and Ingesuelos team designed?
The team has delivered coordinated AMEP renovation design for more than 50 QSR locations, including a portfolio of Tim Hortons stores across Canada spanning Ontario municipalities such as Owen Sound, Tottenham, Hamilton, Guelph, Oakville, Brantford, and Caledon Village, among many others.
What is the difference between Imperio Construction and Ingesuelos Group?
Ingesuelos Group is the sister engineering and design firm that produces the stamped architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings on QSR projects. Imperio Construction is the construction and general contracting side of the business. Both companies are led by Professional Engineer Juan Zapata and operate under one roof.
Which QSR brands has the team worked with?
The team has completed a large portfolio of Tim Hortons renovations across Canada, as well as QSR design work outside the country, including a QDOBA restaurant project in Rhode Island. The coordinated AMEP process applies to any QSR renovation, regardless of brand.
Can the team support multi-location QSR rollout programs?
Yes. The Imperio and Ingesuelos QSR portfolio reflects extensive experience with multi-location design programs, including brand prototype management, permit coordination across multiple municipalities, and construction support at scale.
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