Restaurants

Owl of Minerva · Restaurants

Random question; how do you get permission to set up a restaurant? Do you have to apply to a council for a license to turn a building/house etc. into a restaurant? Or can you just run a restaurant out of anywhhere (i.e: could i, if i wanted to, just turn my house into a restaurant?)

And if you want to serve/sell alcohol are there restrictions or do you just have to pay a fee?

Thanks, Owl

Death n Taxes

You need to have the property designated to run a business from it. I think it is a form of planning permission.

I suspect you would also need some sort of health & saftey certificate

theGoingStick

I think YY's the restauranter of the forum but I'm pretty sure you have to buy a booze license and get your premises upto scratch so it passes a health and safety check to get a certificate to start trading.

westmeadhawk

I think the premises need to be classified by the council for A3 or A4 use...

Food Hygiene certificates required for catering staff

The license to serve alcohol unless it's BYOB

Public Liability Insurance

Basically, no you can't

Owl of Minerva

YAIYAM

You can do it but as others have said there are Issue's

1. One person would need at least a basic Hygiene certificate maybe even a Itermediate one.

2. A premises and a personal licence to sell alcohol, I think you need at least a Premises one even for BYO.

3. A food hygiene Inspection would need to take place first and because it would be a new premises all work surfaces, fridges, Microwaves etc etc would have to be Stainless steel.

4. All electrical equipment needs to be PAT tested.

5. All gas equipment needs a certificate

6. Public Liability Insurance

7. PRS licence if you are going to play any music

8. You would need 2 sperate WC's

and other little things like a private or council extra waste collection as you cannot put alot of commercial waste in your normal bin, you would also need a machine to take cards as i doubt everyone would want to pay cash.

Of course if you only wanted to do Takeaway then lots of these Issues do not apply

accajacca

it is amazing, because reading all the stuff you have to go through to get a restaurant open, people who open new places are obviously very determined and ambitious and driven, and yet there are so many places that you go into and think "why did these people go through all the trouble to open a restaurant if they are going to serve mediocre food with poor service - they are bound to be closed within the year" and as often as not they are.

there is nothing better than a great meal out with friends and really enjoying dinner, but i just get so annoyed when you are paying good money and the food is poor and the service is slow/disinterested/rude.

Death n Taxes

I agree Acca. I have a theory that the more remote the pub the better the food and that many pubs on mains roads serve crap food.

Reasoning that pubs on main roads get passing trade and don't need to build a reputation whereas remote pubs do. Some of the best pub food I have had is in remote pubs that you don't find by accident. I find the good pub guide invaluable.