Glad to hear you didn't have any issues, doing that research really pays off lol. Also nice to hear people are customising my builds to suit their game, thank you for subscribing and commenting :)

Speaking as someone who has most of the DLC and research:

Thank you! I didn't come across any issues! I did change the tables to booths to accommodate more people but that was it and it was super simple to do so.

Sorry, forgot to mention that before. I was able to place it in sandbox mode with research turned off. I'll try those ideas too. Thanks again!

Did you try placing the BP in Sandbox mode as I suggested? If you can't place it in Sandbox mode with research turned OFF then your problem lies elsewhere, if you Can place it in Sandbox mode then make sure you have all food and drink researched in Franchise mode, not sure this is needed but it's all I can think of, and don't forget that verifying file integrity on Steam can also fix random bugs.

Hmm, thanks for the info, but I researched new world twice and classic once and it still isn't unlocked. I have this issue with every restaurant that I've gotten from workshop. No sure what mechanic research I'm missing.

You will need level 1 of New World research for sure and possibly lvl 1 of Classic (I can't remember if I used any of those items)
First make sure it is the RESEARCH that is locking the item for you though, go into Sandbox mode and create a zoo, once in click on SETTINGS (cog wheel icon at top right of screen) then select STAFF SETTINGS tab from the new window and remove the check mark in the ENABLE RESEARCH box, save and exit then try to place the BP as you won't need to research anything.
If it doesn't work there then your issue is not research, in that case verify your file integrity on Steam and try again to load it in. Good luck and sorry you're having issues.

For some reason in my scenarios this item is locked, I'm assuming because I need to do mechanics research. Does anyone know what research is needed to unlock?

Thank you for subscribing dana.nadeau, I am also retired so I know how easily you can sink hours into this game without realising lol

I have taken a screenshot of your restaurant in situ in my zoo and made it 'public'. I don't know how to make it 'visible' to you, but I hope you can find it.

I bought Planet Zoo about 3 weeks ago and have played 150 hours so far (yes - over 9 hours a day! I am retired!). This is perfect for what I need. I really, really appreciate the time you have spent on this. You deserve to be very proud.

Thank you very much - I thought the base game needed some pre-built restaurants as you only get Frontier BPs for DLC content

Nice restaurant!