When opening a new restaurant there is so much to consider, menu, staffing, suppliers, branding, design, social media! Before looking at any of these however, it is vital you are legally compliant. Here is a very brief summary of the legalities you will need in place prior to opening:
1. Local council- you need to register as a food business AT LEAST 28 days prior to opening so that they can come out and check your premises. (note: this is not the same as registering as a business with HMRC) https://www.gov.uk/food-business-registration
2. Serving Alcohol? You will need an alcohol licence from your local council
3. . An environmental health office has inspected and approved your premises.
4. Ensure you have brushed up on the General Food Laws, https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/general-food-law and you and any staff have a minimum of Level 2 food safety qualifications.
5.. Have all Insurances in place - public liability, buildings and so on.
6. Business registration- whether Ltd or sole trader you need to inform HMRC ASAP. https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/register-your-company/setting-up-new-limited-company
7. Staff- if you're employing staff you need payroll, relevant contracts and training in place.
8. Vet suppliers- Get contracts and pre agreed prices set- it'll help with your costing and making sure that you don't get taken for a ride. Be selective with suppliers too- a lot of them offer cash incentives to get you to go with them. If you are thinking about running to food markets yourself think about the cost vs time implication!
9. Record keeping- Good record keeping is a LEGAL obligation- the extent of which is determined by the business structure you choose to set up, you will need to keep detailed records of all your food and ingredients suppliers
10. Ensure you have the necessary fire-fighting equipment on-site and have certification in place prior to opening
11. Signage - Once you design and decide on your signage, this will need to bee submitted for building control approval from your local council.
Many of these items can take a fair fews weeks to approve and allocate, so it is worth ensuring you have everything in place, well in advance to your opening date.