The Big Apple, one of the world’s largest cities is also one of the planet’s gastronomic capitals. Its various restaurants represent the city’s diverse flavors and people, and the buildings that hold these places mirror that diversity in their interior designs as well as their exteriors.
While architects and interior designers create the style and appearance of the restaurant, it is the contractors that solidify and make these plans a reality. The following is a list of the top restaurant contractors working in New York City—these are the builders that bring the city’s cosmopolitan culinary culture to life.
Shawmut Design and Construction
3 East 54th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10022
Shawmut Design and Construction has been a leading construction manager in New York for over 30 years, with a diverse and dedicated team committed to providing clients with a better building experience. With a proven track record of completing extremely complex and logistically challenging projects throughout the city, the team’s portfolio and expertise spans Michelin-starred restaurants, prestigious higher education institutions, commercial and tenant interiors, world-renowned museums, prominent life sciences and healthcare systems, award-winning hotels, and global retail brands.
One of the firm’s notable restaurant projects is Le Pavillon, located in One Vanderbilt across from Grand Central Station. Shawmut completed the 11,000 square-foot restaurant creating a garden oasis—including a winding garden path and live olive trees—that accommodates up to 120 guests. The restaurant features 55-foot high ceilings, a hand-blown glass chandelier, and includes an 8,000-square foot kitchen with an elevated office that allows the chef an all-encompassing view of the food preparation area.
JRM Construction Management
242 West 36th Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10018
JRM Construction Management was created in 2007 as a construction management and general contracting enterprise. The firm specializes in commercial interior projects and offers contracting services as a construction manager, general contractor, and design-build firm. It is located in New York City and serves clients internationally. JRM’s knowledge and unique building approach have been sought after by prominent architects, developers, and Fortune 1000 corporations. The firm established an extra East and West Coast office and a Core and Shell division that concentrates on the construction of base buildings for property developers.
With over 35 years of industry experience, CEO David G. McWilliams has successfully overseen the construction of various building kinds, including commercial, residential, and high-end retail, earning a reputation as a practical and competent construction expert. Mr. McWilliams has had hands-on involvement in practically every aspect of the business, from the Director of Field Operations to his current post at JRM.
C&A Seneca Construction
1412 Broadway, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10018
C&A Seneca Construction is a family-owned company specializing in design-build developments such as hotels, restaurants, and bars. Carlo Seneca started the firm in 1945 and has since worked on some of New York’s most renowned restaurants, including the Buddha Bar and the Stay Hotel, where the firm used cutting-edge technology to construct a projection wall. The company has built a foundation of competence based on more than simply words but on a firm commitment to building stable structures and connections. The firm’s staff believes that today’s work is tomorrow’s legacy.
C&A Seneca Construction has been named a Contract Design Network, Commercial Interior Design Magazine 2020 Interiors Awards Bar/Restaurant Winner for its work on The Fleur Room and Feroce Ristorante/Caffè at Moxy NYC Chelsea. NewsWires, Commercial Interior Design Magazine, Peer 2 Peer Real Estate, Supper Magazine, Metropolis Magazine, and The New York Times have also featured its work.
Mc Gowan Builders
160 East Union Avenue, East Rutherford, NJ 07073
Mc Gowan Builders, established in 2001, is a premier construction firm of over 60 experts that offers general contracting and construction management services to private and institutional clients. Mc Gowan has been building office interiors, retail establishments, financial spaces, and cultural and educational institutions for the past 15 years.
The firm’s building quality is unequaled, with all work done from the ground up under the leadership of Patrick J. Mc Gowan. Its projects in the greater New York City area include new residential units, condominiums, hotel complexes, and major conversion and rehabilitation. Patrick has been in the construction sector for 30 years, serving as a laborer, foreman, superintendent, estimator, project manager, vice president of marketing, and president of a large regional construction company. Patrick earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and Engineering Technology and an Associate civil engineering degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Reidy Contracting Group
58 W 40th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10018
Reidy Contracting Group works with some of New York’s most well-known names to provide exceptional general contracting and construction management services and it has been doing so since 2010. The firm successfully handles a wide range of client needs through its extensive renovation, new construction, construction infrastructure, and refurbishment solutions. The firm is staffed by highly competent and qualified experts to execute in-house budgeting and estimation, purchasing, pre-construction, construction phase scheduling, quality control, value engineering, and strong partnerships with experienced subcontractors.
The firm’s expansive portfolio includes numerous residential, corporate, infrastructural, and mission-critical, media, health and fitness, retail, and hotel buildings. The firm has also received several awards for its work, including the 2021 Project of the Year Award in the 25,000 to 50,000 RSF Category from CoreNet Global New York, the 2020 Award of Merit from ENR New York for the LMCC Arts Center at Governor’s Island, and 2019 Best of Year Award: Best Small Corporate Office for Soros Capital Management from Interior Design Magazine.
Vanguard Construction & Co.
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite #5500, New York, NY 10118
Vanguard Construction & Development Co. Inc. was founded in 1986 by Michael Strauss, a New York-based builder that specializes in pre-construction, construction management, and general contracting. Since 1986, the firm has grown to over 100 people and expanded its services to include any form of construction project. Vanguard recognizes that projects that balance value and quality are critical to its success. The firm’s team is a cross-section of talent with decades of experience in architecture, engineering, construction management, and estimating.
Mr. Strauss graduated from the City University of New York Hunter College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and holds an architecture degree from the City College of New York. Michael founded Vanguard Construction & Co. in 1986 to offer his clients a different type of service; he has more than 40 years of experience overseeing complex construction projects from high-end interiors to ground-up construction.
Structure NYC
215 West 95th Street, New York, NY 10025
Structure NYC is a full-service general contracting and bespoke millwork design and fabrication company situated in Manhattan. It was established in 2010 and specializes in high-end luxury homes, townhouses, boutique business extensions, renovations, and new construction. It boasts over 20 years of combined experience and maintains long-standing ties with the most sought-after designers and architects in New York. Structure NYC is committed to realizing goals via meticulous attention to detail and open communication channels.
The firm was established by brothers Gino Capolino and Eric Capolino, who have plenty of experience in the industry. Gino earned his degree in genetics and engineering from Syracuse University and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity in New York City. Eric studied at the Empire State College at the State University of New York, where he earned his electrical and electronics engineering degree. He has been gaining experience and honing his skills in the construction and custom millwork fields since 1995.
Under Gino and Eric’s leadership, Structure NYC has been recognized in a number of press features, including Eater New York, Grub Street, Inc. 5000, Curbed New York, and Sprudge.
New World Design Builders
261 Madison Avenue, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10016
New World Design Builders, founded in 1995, offers inventive interior design and construction through a single point of contact for complete accountability. Its purpose is to avoid the conventional construction industry finger-pointing and ensure seamless integration of all aspects of design and construction. For over 25 years, New World has taken delight in its exceptional team of highly trained and artistically minded specialists who work and communicate to bring each project to completion on schedule. Since its founding nearly three decades ago, it has provided design-build, architecture, construction, and interior design services to clients in New York.
New World Design Builders is currently led by Chris Kofitsas, who has over 20 years of training and experience. His awareness and background of the industry enabled Mr. Kofitsas to turn the practice of architecture, interior, furniture, and lighting design into one immersive experience. He is an awardee of Architectural Digest’s 40 Under 40 and is an architecture graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Plaza Construction
360 Lexington Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017
Plaza Construction is a leading construction management and general contracting company operating in the United States. Since its inception in 1986, the firm has evolved into a multidisciplinary practice with a national presence in the industry and regional offices in New Jersey, Washington, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Los Angeles, and San Jose.
Peter Wu, a construction industry expert with over 30 years of experience overseeing innovative building and civil construction projects worldwide—including in the United States, Asia, and the Middle East—leads the company. Peter has been involved in the growth of the heavy civil construction sector in the United States during the last 12 years, and he has led the company as it executed several major projects.
Plaza has a background in building, real estate, investment, and development management. The firm’s collective knowledge spans multiple industries, and its originality stems from knowing what it means to be an owner, developer, and builder — a trifecta reflected in Plaza’s core portfolio of prominent properties. With over three decades of experience, the firm remains an important player in constructing company offices, commercial establishments, health centers, universities, infrastructure, transit facilities, museums, retail spaces, hotels, and residential structures. It is still at the forefront of developing the most exciting, sought-after, and renowned luxury residential condominiums, hotels, restaurants, and retail spaces in the country.
Blueberry Builders
299 Broadway, Suite #1320, New York, NY 10007
Blueberry Builders is a general contracting, construction management, and design-build firm dedicated to great artistry, customer satisfaction, and a streamlined building process. Blueberry’s staff comprises specialists with diverse skill sets and vivid personalities. The company’s founder is a registered architect and contractor. The company launched in 2010 and has completed countless recognizable restaurants in NYC (including Rosa Mexicano, Cava Grill, Maison Kayser, etc).
Blueberry Builders’ work has received recognition in a number of various press features in the pages of Wall Street Journal, Brick Underground, Architectural Digest and NYCXDesign Awards.
Omnibuild Construction
141 W 36th Street, Suite #14, South New York, NY 10018
Omnibuild Construction has garnered attention in the business since its inception in 2007 due to its distinctive ground-up high-rise construction and large renovations around the metropolitan area. The firm specializes in creating facilities for the hospitality, residential, and educational sectors as one of the city’s major mid-sized construction management and general contracting businesses. In 2017, the company was included on Engineering News-list Record’s top 400 contractors in the United States and Inc. Magazine’s top 500 fastest growing privately held enterprises in the United States.
As a member of the United States Green Building Council, the company has completed several LEED projects. It has completed more than 20,000 vertical feet of building space in New York, representing nearly 6,200 hotel guest rooms and almost four million square feet. The firm also ranked 19th among the Top Contractors according to ENR New York (2018). It also placed 21st among the Fast 50 of CRAIN’S New York Business.
MG & Company
350 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
MG & Company stands out in the construction business due to its dependability, experience, and long-term connections with clients and architects. It began as Bronx Builders, a construction firm founded in 1916 to serve New York’s restaurant industry. It has since grown into a boutique-sized firm of 25 seasoned workers. It has a proven track record of completing projects across different industries as construction managers and general contractors and specializes in time and budget-sensitive work.
The company is fast-paced and hands-on, working directly with NYC’s top chefs, accomplished architects, and a wide array of clientele. Over the past 20 years, it has effectively established itself in the NYC market, accomplishing projects in the highly competitive hospitality, commercial, and residential sectors. Schools, residences, offices, retail businesses, and restaurants are among the projects completed by the firm.
MG & Company has been featured by The Architectural Digest, American Luxury, 6sqft, New York Post, Curbed NY, and Elle Decor for its exemplary work.
KCC
41-12 24th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
KCC Design + Build, LLC is a small group of experts with extensive knowledge and proven experience serving New York City and The Hamptons. It is a trusted full-service design-build firm that designed over 5 million square feet and built over $1 billion. Its partners have over 30 years of combined architecture, engineering, and contracting experience in the world’s most demanding markets.
Erik Kopplin—co-founder and CEO of KCC Design + Build—supervises all departments to guarantee that the team provides excellence to every customer. Mr. Kopplin has worked on complex projects such as rebuilding the world’s busiest land port of entry, executing three national award-winning airport projects, constructing the largest K-12 school ever built at $600 million, and finishing four LEED Gold certified buildings. As a fourth-generation builder, his previous work with top national builders in commercial and residential industries has given him professional conflict-resolution abilities.
Quest Builders Group
49 West 45th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036
Quest Builders Group, founded in 2000, is a general contractor and construction manager serving the New York Metropolitan area. It provides construction services for all types of projects to the commercial and residential industries. Clients include major national corporations, developers, law firms, healthcare providers, technology and media companies, and financial institutions.
Quest’s objective is to deliver a high-quality project on time or earlier than scheduled and within its prescribed budget. In its pursuit of achieving this goal, the company is guided by principals Patrick Fitzpatrick and Eric Derector. Mr. Fitzpatrick has a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-architecture from the University of New Haven. Mr. Derector holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of Maryland. Under their leadership, the firm has been featured by press members like citybiz, Construct America, Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal, citybizlist New York, New York Real Estate Journal, and Mann Report.
Certified of New York
623 W 51st Street, New York, NY 10019
Established in 1987, Certified of New York is a full-service general contracting firm based in New York City that builds high-quality residential and commercial projects for its clients. Small interior renovations, restorations, major additions, and new construction are all part of the firm’s portfolio. Apartment and townhouse projects have been completed in Central Park, Tribeca, Soho, the Upper Eastside, and Madison Avenue. Aside from residential work, the company also works on restaurant and hotel projects.
Michael Borrico, the company’s owner, has completed projects totaling $300 million. He credits the firm’s success to two key assets: its personnel and its integrity. Certified Construction’s talented workforce is what makes the company a must-hire. The organization specializes in completing projects on schedule and within the client’s budget.
