QD Design is a HUB-certified architecture and MEP engineering firm based in Cypress, Texas that delivers complete commercial permit sets — architecture plus sealed mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering under one contract — across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, led by a Texas-licensed Professional Engineer. Our DFW portfolio includes a national Korean BBQ restaurant in the Dallas metro and a repeatable franchise beauty-studio prototype in Euless.
Dallas–Fort Worth Project Experience
- KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — full MEP design for a national K-BBQ brand in the Dallas metro (Mesquite). Korean BBQ and hot pot concepts put a cooking appliance on every table, a ventilation problem most engineers see rarely. We designed the specialized per-table exhaust and makeup-air approach, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing in a fast-track tenant improvement, and cleared city review with responses on UMC, NEC, and UPC comments.
- Leah Lash Studio Prototype — architecture + MEP together for a repeatable 1,040 SF beauty-studio prototype at the brand’s Heritage Towne location in Euless. The space plan, salon ventilation for treatment off-gassing, color-critical lighting, and multi-station sink plumbing were documented so the next location can permit faster. The Euless package went through city review to approval with architect and MEP drawings from one author.
Dedicated DFW city pages: Euless — architecture + MEP with a completed franchise prototype — and Mesquite, home of our KPot restaurant project. Both list every project-type service we offer locally.
The Franchise Prototype Advantage
DFW is a franchise expansion market, and prototype design is where a one-firm model earns its keep. When the architect and the MEP engineer are the same company, every prototype decision — equipment schedule, ventilation strategy, panel sizing, fixture counts — is documented once and replicated cleanly, instead of being re-coordinated between two firms at every new address. That’s how we built the Leah Lash Studio prototype, and it’s the same approach we bring to multi-unit restaurant, fitness, and wellness brands: we’ve adapted franchisor equipment packages to local jurisdictions for concepts including KPot, Golden Chick, F45/FS8, Hand & Stone, and Paris Baguette across Texas and beyond.
Permitting Across the Metroplex
Dallas–Fort Worth is not one jurisdiction — it’s a patchwork of suburban cities, each with its own adopted codes and local amendments. Our DFW work has been reviewed under IBC 2021, UMC 2015, UPC 2021, IPC/IMC/IFC 2021, NEC 2020/2023, and TAS, depending on the city. We read each city’s amendment package before drawing, and answering plan-review comments through permit issuance is included in our standard scope. TDLR accessibility registration applies statewide to projects over the $50,000 statutory threshold; we file and coordinate it as part of the package.
What We Design in DFW
Restaurants and commercial kitchens (per-table cooking, Type I hoods, grease waste), franchise prototypes and multi-unit rollouts, retail and beauty-studio TIs, fitness studios, medical and wellness spaces, and office/warehouse buildouts. Scope can be MEP-only in support of your architect, or full architecture + MEP under one contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which DFW cities does QD Design work in?
We serve the full metroplex. Completed DFW projects include a KPot Korean BBQ restaurant in the Dallas metro (Mesquite) and a franchise lash-studio prototype in Euless, each permitted through its own city’s plan review. Our Texas PE licensure applies statewide, so any DFW jurisdiction is in scope.
Can you design a franchise prototype we can reuse in multiple cities?
Yes — that’s exactly what the 1,040 SF Leah Lash Studio prototype in Euless was: architecture and MEP documented together so the space plan, ventilation, lighting, and plumbing decisions replicate across future jurisdictions and permit faster each time. We also adapt existing franchisor equipment packages to local amendments, as we did for KPot and Golden Chick.
Do you handle restaurant ventilation for Korean BBQ and hot pot concepts?
Yes. Per-table cooking is a specialty ventilation problem: every table needs exhaust and makeup air balanced against dining comfort and energy code limits. We engineered that approach for a KPot location in the Dallas metro, and the design cleared city review with responses on UMC, NEC, and UPC comments.
Do we need separate architecture and engineering firms for a DFW tenant improvement?
No. Most DFW cities require architectural drawings plus sealed MEP plans for commercial permits, but they don’t require separate firms. QD Design provides both under one contract — one author for the whole set, which removes the coordination errors between firms that commonly trigger extra review rounds.
Start Your DFW Project
Whether it’s one location or a prototype meant for ten, start with a coordinated permit set. Send us your floor plan — fee proposal within one business day.