Here's everything you need to open a restaurant in the UK in 2026 and 2027: every registration in the right order, for a big sit-down restaurant, a small restaurant or café, a takeaway and a dark kitchen. Companies House and HMRC, the planning use class, business rates, food business registration 28 days before trading, food safety and allergens, alcohol and late night licences, PAYE, right to work, the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour, fire safety, Simpler Recycling and VAT, with the rule changes coming in 2027.
What the film covers
- The lease is signed, the rent has started, and nobody has told the council
- Pick your format first
- Step 1: Set up the business and register with HMRC
- Step 2: Check the premises and the planning use class before you sign
- Step 3: Agree the lease and check what the premises will cost in rates
- Step 4: Register the food business with the council
- Step 5: Put a food safety system and allergen information in place
- Step 6: Get the licences the format needs
Questions the film answers
- How long does it take to open a restaurant in the UK?
No single duration is set by law. The fixed minimum in this guide is 28 days between food business registration and trading. Planning, building control and licence timetables are set by each council, so ask for them in writing. A 16-week working plan, shown above, gives room for the council answers.
- How do I register a food business, and is it free?
Register with the local authority where the premises sit, at least 28 days before you start trading. Registration is free and can't be refused. Use the online service linked from GOV.UK in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Food Standards Scotland's route in Scotland. Each site needs its own registration, and a takeover needs one too.
- Do I need planning permission to open a restaurant?
It depends on the current use of the unit. In England a restaurant or café is Class E(b), and a hot food takeaway is sui generis. A change between classes may need planning permission or prior approval, and building regulations apply to any change of use. Ask the council in writing before you sign a lease.
- Do I need a licence to open a takeaway?
A takeaway needs food business registration and a food safety system. It needs late night refreshment authorisation if hot food leaves the premises between 11pm and 5am, and a premises licence if it sells alcohol. Planning permission may also be needed for a hot food takeaway use, so ask the council first.
- What licences do I need to sell alcohol in a restaurant?
In England and Wales you need a premises licence naming a DPS, and the DPS needs a personal licence. Personal licence applicants must be 18 or over, normally hold an accredited qualification, and give a basic criminal record disclosure. Scotland and Northern Ireland use licensing boards and the county court, so follow your own nation's route.
- Can I run a dark kitchen from home or a unit?
The food registration guidance covers home-based and online businesses. Planning is the unsettled part for a unit. One Birmingham appeal treated a dark kitchen as sui generis with conditions on extraction and noise, but it turned on its own facts. Ask your council about your unit, and check late night refreshment if you deliver after 11pm.