Does the pizza oven stay with the building when I sell my pizzeria?

A heavy deck or brick oven feels like part of the building, and buyers often assume it comes with the shop. That assumption is worth testing early. Some ovens were installed by the owner, some were left by a previous tenant, and some are still financed. Sorting out who owns what before a buyer asks keeps the conversation calm and the sale moving.

Start with the lease

Read the part of the lease that covers fixtures, alterations and what happens to improvements when the tenancy ends. Check whether your lease treats anything bolted down as the landlord’s or lets the tenant remove its own equipment. Ask your lawyer to read that section with you, and ask whether the landlord must consent to the sale. BDC’s guide to lease terms is a useful primer.

Make a list of every big piece

Walk the kitchen with a notepad. Note the oven, the exhaust hood, the walk-in cooler, the dough mixer, the prep tables and the make-line fridge. Beside each one, write who owns it, whether anything is owed on it, and whether it is staying. A buyer’s oven check will start from a list like this one.

Check for loans and leased equipment

Equipment on a lease or tied to a loan may not simply change hands. The lender or lessor may need to approve the buyer, or be paid out at closing. Pull those agreements now and read what they say about a sale. Your accountant and lawyer can tell you how to handle each one at closing.

Name each item in the agreement

Put a schedule of included equipment in the purchase agreement, with makes, models and serial numbers where you can find them. List anything excluded just as plainly. For the wider picture, see how to sell an independent pizzeria.