Guide · opening

Opening a restaurant in the UK: the registrations, licences and systems checklist

Most of what a new restaurant has to register or license is simple on its own. The trouble is timing: a premises licence is an application your council has to process, food registration has to be in 28 days before you open, and the first employee needs insurance from day one. Here is the paperwork in the order it falls due, and the systems after it.

Published 4 November 2026 · Written for England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland differ on licensing and fire safety. Not legal advice: your council and your accountant have the last word.

Three months out: the premises and the licences

Start with what takes longest. If you will sell alcohol, put on regulated entertainment, or sell hot food or drink to the public between 11pm and 5am — late night refreshment — you need a premises licence from your local authority under the Licensing Act 2003, because you will be doing those things on a permanent basis. If you are taking over a site that already has a licence, read its conditions before you sign, and ask the licensing team what has to change hands.

The licensing guidance also describes a designated premises supervisor: the person with day-to-day responsibility for running the business, who must hold a personal licence. Every sale of alcohol under the premises licence has to be made or authorised by a personal licence holder (section 19 of the Act), so a waiter or bartender without one can serve drinks that a licence holder has authorised; your staff do not each need a licence to work there. These rules cover England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own applications.

Then the smaller licences that are easy to forget. Playing recorded music in public, background music and the radio included, usually needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, unless the music is royalty-free. And whoever controls the premises is the responsible person for fire safety and has to carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date — before the first guest, not after the first inspection.

Two months out: becoming an employer

Employers' liability insurance from the first employee
You need it as soon as you become an employer, with at least the minimum cover the law sets, and the certificate displayed where staff can see it. Fines apply for every day without it.
Register with HMRC as an employer
Register before the first payday, which is when you need your employer PAYE reference — but not more than two months before you start paying people.
Check the right to work
Check that every new employee has the right to work in the UK before they start; GOV.UK's food business guidance lists it among the checks to make.
Write the tips policy now
Tips and service charges belong to your staff under the Tips Act, shared by a written policy. Writing it before you open is easier than after the first busy month.

Guide: the Tips Act for restaurants · Guide: a rota that survives a busy week

At least 28 days before you open: register the food business

Every food business registers with its local authority at least 28 days before it starts trading. Registration is free and cannot be refused, and the council's food safety team is told automatically. Registering is not a permission to open, and it is not an inspection; it puts you on the list for one. The guidance advises against registering too early, so time it for the month before opening.

Behind the registration sits the food safety work. Food businesses must use procedures based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles, and the Food Standards Agency's Safer Food, Better Business pack is one way to do it. A food hygiene certificate is not compulsory, but a hygiene qualification for whoever runs the kitchen is recommended. Waste must be disposed of securely and properly.

Allergen information is a legal requirement for every dish containing one of the 14 allergens. Build the allergen matrix with the menu, not after it; our guide to the allergen matrix shows how.

The first months: the inspection and the rating

Higher-risk businesses are inspected first, so your first food hygiene inspection may come several months after you open. The officer looks at the premises, how food is handled and your food safety management, and the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme gives a rating from 5 at the top to 0 at the bottom. It rates hygiene, not the quality of the food or the service.

In Wales you must display the rating in a prominent place, and in Northern Ireland at or near each customer entrance. In England display is encouraged but not required — though a 5 in the window is one of the cheapest pieces of marketing a new restaurant has.

Money and data: VAT and the ICO fee

VAT registration

You must register for VAT once your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over the threshold, or if you expect it to go over in the next 30 days. Check the current threshold on GOV.UK when you plan your first year; you can also register voluntarily below it. Our guide to restaurant VAT explains eat-in and takeaway.

The data protection fee

A restaurant that takes bookings holds personal information, and organisations that use personal information pay the ICO's data protection fee unless exempt. Pay it before the first booking, and publish a privacy notice your guests can read. Our guide to guest data and UK GDPR covers the rest.

The systems: choose them before the opening rush

The week before opening is the worst time to learn a booking system. Choose the systems a month ahead, load the menu and the floor plan, and run a friends-and-family evening through them so the first real service is the second time the team has used them.

Bookings: Slotina gives the restaurant its own booking page, where a guest picks the party size, the day and the time, and gets a link to change or cancel without an account.
The room: each room is drawn to its real size, with the tables placed on it, so the bookings land on tables that exist.
The menu: dishes, sizes and options with prices, the 14 allergens and a VAT class on each, imported from a spreadsheet if you already have one.
Orders and the bill: the waiter sends each round by seat and course to the kitchen, and the bill splits by dish, by seat or evenly, with the service charge and the tips ledger.
The team: a weekly rota, clocking in and out, and an hours page with CSV exports for whoever runs your payroll. Each member of staff has their own login.

Join the early-access list

Opening a restaurant: short answers

When do I need to register my restaurant as a food business?

At least 28 days before you start trading, with your local authority. Registration is free and cannot be refused.

Do I need a licence to open a restaurant in England?

There is no general restaurant licence, but you need a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 to sell alcohol, put on regulated entertainment, or sell hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am.

Do I need a food hygiene certificate to open a restaurant?

It is not compulsory, but a food hygiene qualification is recommended, and you must have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles.

Do I have to display my food hygiene rating?

In Wales and Northern Ireland, yes. In England it is encouraged but not required.

When should I register as an employer?

Before your first payday, and not more than two months before you start paying people. Employers' liability insurance is needed from the day you become an employer.

Sources (GOV.UK, the FSA and the ICO, checked 4 November 2026; not legal advice)

An online booking page that belongs to your restaurant · The rota and the time clock · Pricing

Choosing a restaurant EPOS · Running a restaurant stock take · All guides