What Should You Actually Negotiate in a Restaurant Lease? (It's Not the Rent)

What Should You Actually Negotiate in a Restaurant Lease? (It's Not the Rent)

From Closed Monday by Kyle Inserra

May 26, 2026 · 17 min

About this episode

Kyle Inserra discusses key terms to negotiate in a restaurant lease beyond just the rent.

Everyone fights over the rent. And every operator moves it about five percent. Meanwhile, the other 30 pages of the lease go untouched. In this episode, Kyle breaks down the five terms that actually determine whether your restaurant location is profitable.If you're about to sign a lease, or you already signed one without negotiating these, this is the episode Questions This Episode Answers What should a restaurant operator negotiate in a lease besides the rent? How does a tenant improvement allowance work for restaurants? When should rent commencement start on a restaurant lease? What is an exclusive use clause and how do I protect my restaurant concept? Can I assign my restaurant lease if I want to sell? What is a personal guarantee burn-off in a commercial lease? How do I negotiate a restaurant lease as a first-time operator? Kyle Inserra is a commercial real estate broker and founder of 10Rep, where he serves as a fractional Director of Real Estate for restaurant brands across the country. With 15 years as a chef and restaurant owner and a decade in CRE, Kyle helps operators and franchisees make smarter real estate decisions. Free Tools Restaurant Real Estate Profitability…

People in this episode

Host: Kyle Inserra

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 10Rep

Products: Restaurant Real Estate Profitability Calculator, Lease Review, LOI / Pre-Signing Review

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