Bookings, menus, online ordering, search. Written by the people building the product, between services.
Does a restaurant's fire risk assessment have to be written down? In England and Wales, since 1 October 2023 the assessment has to be recorded in full, whatever the headcount; the old limit tied to employing five or more people has gone. The assessment follows five steps, and it must be reviewed regularly and after a significant change such as a refit. Routes to emergency exits and the exits themselves must be kept clear at all times. Where there are fryers, the Home Office guide says a fire blanket and a Class F extinguisher should be provided. Starters are trained when first employed, during working hours, and at least one fire drill a year should be recorded. A summary of public law and official guidance, not legal advice.
Does a hot pasty carry VAT when a cold sandwich doesn't? Eating in is always standard-rated at 20%, whatever the temperature. Cold takeaway food is zero-rated, unless it is a type that is always standard-rated, such as crisps, sweets and bottled water. Food counts as hot when it is above the ambient air temperature and meets one of five tests, and HMRC's own example shows a pasty sold warm because it is freshly baked and cooling is zero-rated, while the same pasty kept under a heat lamp is standard-rated. An optional service charge is outside the scope of VAT; a compulsory one follows the meal. If a restaurant keeps a no-show deposit, VAT is due on the amount paid. VAT records are kept for at least 6 years. Rates as they stood on 23 October 2026.
What's the marketing plan that grows an independent UK restaurant in 2027? Five channels, each with its job and its first action: local and AI search, your own website for bookings and orders, loyalty, consented email, and reviews. Then the dated 2027 calendar, and the rule changes that put careless marketing at risk: higher PECR fines, the fake-review ban, and the CMA's rule on showing the full price.
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.
Can a free dessert for a five-star review break the law? Since 6 April 2025, fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews are banned in the UK, and the CMA's own guidance lists offering an existing customer a free or discounted product in exchange for a five-star review. Google bans incentives for reviews outright. Inviting only the happy tables is cherry picking, and on your own website, hiding or burying negative reviews while showing positive ones counts as misleading. If you publish reviews, the CMA says you should have a published policy that clearly prohibits fake reviews. The CMA can fine businesses directly, up to the higher of £300,000 or 10% of turnover.
If you're opening a restaurant in the UK, how much should you budget for software in your first year? Added up at typical UK market prices, excluding VAT: an agency website (£3,000), your own app (from about £10,000) and around £200 a month in subscriptions for hosting, bookings, ordering, rota, loyalty and email come to £15,400 in year one. Add delivery app commission and per-cover booking fees at industry-average rates (300 orders × £28 at 18%, 600 covers × £1.50, each month) and it is £44,344.
Does your takeaway need a licence to sell hot food after 11pm? In England and Wales, yes: supplying hot food or hot drink to the public between 11.00 p.m. and 5.00 a.m., on or from your premises, is a licensable activity called late night refreshment. Supply happens when the food is handed over, not when it is paid for. Cold food and cold drink are not licensable as late night refreshment. Trading without authorisation is an offence, with up to six months in prison or a fine, or both. For delivery after 11pm, plan as if a licence is needed and confirm with your licensing authority in writing.
Can a UK restaurant add a card fee to the bill? Not for an ordinary consumer debit or credit card. Since 13 January 2018, regulation 6A of the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012 has banned a payee from charging a payer any fee for paying by such a card. A fee charged anyway is unenforceable and repayable under regulation 10. Commercial cards are the exception, capped at cost.
What allergen information does a UK restaurant have to give? It must tell guests which of the 14 allergens each dish contains. The regulations allow any means the operator chooses, including orally, so at the table the answer can be spoken if a written sign says staff can be asked. Online and phone orders need it at two stages: before the purchase is completed and at delivery. Prepacked-for-direct-sale food has needed a full ingredients label, with allergens emphasised, since 1 October 2021; food made to order, or placed into packaging at the consumer's request, is not PPDS. Written information plus a conversation is Food Standards Agency best practice, not law.
How long does a UK restaurant have to keep its till records? If it is VAT-registered, at least six years: HMRC's VAT Notice 700/21 says that generally, you must keep all your business records for VAT purposes for at least 6 years, and that includes records of daily takings such as till rolls. HMRC's manual for its own officers adds that Z reports should be consecutively numbered, dated and timed. A limited company keeps its accounting records for 6 years from the end of the financial year they relate to, or longer in some cases; a sole trader keeps them for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline. Daily takings must not be reduced for till shortages from theft of cash, fraudulent refunds and voids, or poor cash handling by staff, and tips records are kept for three years.
How do UK restaurants have to share tips? Since October 2024, qualifying tips, gratuities and service charges go to workers without deductions, apart from very limited cases such as income tax. They must be allocated fairly and paid no later than the end of the month after the customer paid. Where tips are paid on more than an occasional and exceptional basis, the employer must have a written policy available to all workers, and every tip needs a record kept for three years. The duty to consult workers in the Employment Rights Act 2025 is not in force yet.
What must a restaurant's online menu show in the UK? Under the Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003, a price subject to VAT shall be inclusive of the tax, and restaurant food is standard-rated at 20%, so a dish costed at £10 before VAT is shown at £12. Any additional charge, like a cover charge or a minimum spend, must be shown at least as prominently as the price, and when a dish is no longer available its price must be withdrawn as soon as is reasonably practicable. For online orders, the CMA says the customer must get the total price: a £12 cheeseburger with a £2.49 delivery fee is £14.49. Sold online, allergen information on the 14 specified allergens must be given before the purchase is completed and when the food is delivered; the FSA's best practice, not law, is to put it on the main menu or no more than one click away.
