For those passionate about cooking and sharing their culinary creations, opening a restaurant remains a lifelong dream. After all, what could be more exciting than designing a beautiful space, crafting inventive menus, and delighting guests with exceptional dishes every day? And if you strike the perfect balance between great food, atmosphere, and service, your restaurant could also serve up some seriously impressive profits.
Even for those with culinary experience, launching a restaurant from the ground up is no small feat. A brilliant concept is just the beginning—you’ll also need to navigate complex legal requirements and licensing regulations, while making crucial decisions about venue design, equipment, and marketing. It’s a challenging journey, but with careful planning, it can be an incredibly rewarding one.
To give you the best possible chances of achieving your dream, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide that will cover:
- How to research and create a brilliant concept
- The legal requirements of opening a restaurant
- How much does it cost to open a restaurant in the UK?
- How to set up and run your kitchen: what equipment do you need?
- Setting up your dining area
How to create a restaurant concept
Even the most skilled chef or ambitious entrepreneur will find it tough to attract diners without a distinctive restaurant concept. This is what sets your establishment apart and draws people in, so investing time in crafting a unique and compelling idea is essential for success.
While your dishes will be at the heart of your restaurant, a good concept is about much more than just food. Your concept should cover every aspect of restaurant design, including:
- The type of cuisine: What sort of food will you serve? What price point are you aiming for?
- The atmosphere and styling: Will it be a casual dining restaurant concept, or will it be a fine dining haute cuisine experience? How will the venue, décor and setting inform this? For example, a white-tablecloth, high-end restaurant will have very different décor and atmosphere to a casual tapas bar.
- The service style: What sort of service will you provide? Will customers order at the bar, or will there be a full waiter service? Will this be reflected in the staff uniforms?
- Your intended audience: What sort of clientele will your concept attract? What styles of food and service are they interested in, and what sort of resources do they have to spend on dining out? This will dictate how much you can expect to charge for your dishes, so research this carefully.
While every aspect of your restaurant concept is important, the foundation should always be the food. Your concept may draw people in, but it’s the quality of your dishes that will keep them coming back. Start by choosing a cuisine or style of food you’re truly passionate about—something you believe you can execute better than the competition. Then, build the atmosphere, service style, and target audience around that core vision.
Research the competition
With your concept in mind, it’s time to research your competitors and determine how to set yourself apart. One of the easiest ways to do this is by dining at other local restaurants. This hands-on approach allows you to assess the competition, identify trends, and spot any gaps in the market that could give your restaurant a competitive edge.
This also gives you a valuable chance to observe what works well in other restaurants—and what doesn’t. For example, if a local competitor offers excellent food but falls short with a dated atmosphere or lacklustre service, that’s your opportunity to create a more inviting and modern dining experience that sets you apart.
Perhaps the atmosphere is lively and the service welcoming, but the menu is overly complicated and uninspiring. By identifying what competitors do well—and where they fall short—you can refine your own approach. Incorporate the elements that work, improve on the weaknesses, and create a dining experience that keeps customers coming back. This strategic edge will help you stand out and build a loyal customer base.
Consider a fusion concept (but only if you know both cuisines well)
Diners are always drawn to fresh and original experiences, which is why fusion restaurants have thrived in recent years. These eateries blend different culinary traditions to put a unique spin on classic dishes, creating something both familiar and exciting. When done well, fusion cuisine can be a winning concept, appealing to adventurous food lovers in search of something new.
Fusion restaurants often thrive in areas where traditional cuisines are already well-established, offering a fresh alternative in a crowded market. If, for example, your area has plenty of Chinese restaurants, a fusion concept could help you stand out. South-East Asian and South Asian cuisines are particularly popular choices, as their bold flavours and cooking techniques naturally complement each other, making for an exciting and cohesive menu.
If you’re considering opening a fusion restaurant, it’s essential to strike the right balance between different culinary influences. Your menu should feel cohesive rather than overly complicated, ensuring that creativity doesn’t come at the expense of quality. A deep understanding of both cuisines is also crucial, allowing you to maintain high standards and create dishes that truly do each tradition justice.
Will your restaurant be profitable?
Running a restaurant is more than just a labour of love — for long-term success, it must also be financially viable. As you develop your concept, it’s essential to critically assess whether your vision can be realised within your budget and, more importantly, whether it has the potential to generate a sustainable profit. In 2025, with rising operational costs and shifting consumer behaviours, this balance is crucial. Your concept must not only reflect your passion but also meet the market’s demands while ensuring financial growth.
It’s essential to develop a comprehensive financial plan that outlines key factors affecting your restaurant’s profitability. Start by estimating your overhead costs, including rent, utilities, and staff wages. You’ll also need to determine how you plan to source and purchase ingredients, taking into account any supply chain fluctuations. In addition, carefully calculate the mark-up on each dish to ensure it covers costs while delivering a competitive price point.
Staffing is another critical financial consideration when planning your restaurant. If your goal is to offer a luxury fine dining experience, for example, you’ll need to invest significantly in skilled professionals. This includes hiring an experienced head chef and a talented team of chefs, all of whom will require competitive salaries and specialised training to deliver the exceptional service your concept demands. In today’s competitive hospitality market, attracting and retaining top-tier talent often involves higher wage expectations and substantial investment in development programmes.
The legal requirements of opening a restaurant in the UK
So, you’ve dreamed up a brilliant restaurant concept that you’re passionate about, you’ve done some market research, and you’re certain your idea is going to be a hit with diners. Your next step is to start work on the various legal requirements that all restauranteurs must satisfy before they can open for business.
In this section, we’ll run through the legal requirements of opening a restaurant in the UK, including the various licences and permits you’ll need before you can open your doors to customers. We’ll also talk about what you’ll need to do to stay on the right side of the law in terms of hygiene and food safety.
Planning permission
Firstly, you’ll need to make sure that you have the right planning consent for your dream venue. Under UK planning permission laws, buildings are categorised based on their intended use, so if you buy or let a building that is not currently being used as a restaurant or café, then you may need to apply for planning permission to change it. You can find out which buildings will require planning permission for a change of use on the government planning portal.
Get a restaurant license
Almost every type of business needs a licensee to operate, and a restaurant is no exception. Any company that plans to take part in ‘food operations’ (defined as selling, cooking, storing, preparing or distributing food) will need to register with their local council authority at least 28 days before they open for business. It’s free, and it’s very unlikely that your application will refused, so register your restaurant using the online government portal as soon as you can.
If you’ll be preparing and serving any dishes that use meat, eggs or fish, then you’ll also need to apply for a food premises license from your local council.
Make sure your kitchen meets food safety standards
By far the most demanding and comprehensive set of regulations that restauranteurs must contend with are food safety and hygiene standards. These laws dictate how you buy, store, cook and serve your food, as well as the hygiene regime your kitchen and waiting staff must follow.
Every restaurant is inspected and given a hygiene rating by the Food Standards Agency. You’re legally obliged to display your rating where your customers can see it, so getting a poor rating from the FSA can be a major turn-off for potential customers. At worst, you could even lose your restaurant licence or be temporarily suspended until you clean up your act.
So, you’ll need to do everything you can to make sure that your restaurant meets kitchen hygiene rules. That means you’ll need to have separate sinks for hand-washing and dish-washing, as well as separate areas for prepping raw and cooked foods. You’ll also need to display clear information on good hygiene practices where your staff can see it: take a look at our range of food hygiene signage to find signs that meet industry standards.
If you need to learn more about keeping your kitchen spotless, then brush up on your knowledge with our guide to maintaining a clean commercial kitchen.
Alcohol licensing
For many people, dining out just isn’t the same without a glass of wine or beer to enjoy with their meal. If you plan to serve any kind of alcohol to your customers, then you’ll need to apply for a premises licence with the local council authority.
Your application will need to include your details (including a plan of your venue) and an operating schedule of the hours when alcohol will be sold. One submitted, you’ll need to display your application somewhere on your premises for 28 days, so member of the public will have a chance to see it.
You’ll also need to appoint a designated premises supervisor (DPS), who will need to hold a personal alcohol licence. It’s up to the DPS to make sure that alcohol is sold in a professional, responsible way, and they will also be the first point of contact should the police or local council have any concerns about your restaurant.
The DPS doesn’t need to be on the premises at all times, but they should be familiar enough with the day-to-day business operations to act as a legal representative. To get a personal licence, your DPS must first get an accredited qualification, which will make them aware of licensing laws and teach them how to oversee the sale of alcohol in a professional manner. You can find a list of providers who are accredited to carry out the qualification on the government’s licensing portal.
Once you have a DPS, and your premises licence has been approved, the final step is to display your licence somewhere inside your restaurant where it can easily be seen. You’re now all set to start serving alcohol to your guests.
Health and safety
As with any with business, it’s the legal obligation of the owner to do everything within their power to keep both staff and customers safe while on the premises. The health and safety requirements for running a restaurant can be extensive, so take a look at this comprehensive guide from the Health and Safety Executive to learn more about your legal duties, including how to carry out a risk assessment and minimise the risk of an accident occurring.
Minor burns and cuts are especially common accidents in professional kitchens, so you will need to make sure your staff have access to a first aid kit to treat any minor injuries, including detectable plasters and burn dressings. There should also be a plan in place for reporting and recording all injuries that happen on site, no matter how minor.
Music licences
If you want to play background music in your restaurant (either for your customers, or in back-of-house areas for your staff) then you’ll need to apply for a music licence. These are issued by PPL PRS and ensure that the owners and performers of copyrighted music are reimbursed for the use of their tracks. The cost varies depending on the size of your venue and the number of people you employ, so to learn more and obtain a music licence, visit the PPL PRS website.
If you’d rather not pay for a licence, then you can still play royalty free music. There are a number of royalty free recordings available specifically to be used as background music in restaurants: just make sure it fits with the overall theme you want to create.
How much does it cost to open a restaurant in the UK?
When it comes to the cost of starting a restaurant, the exact figure you need to spend will vary between different businesses. As with any business, restaurant start-up costs can vary from a few thousand pounds, to well into six figures, depending on how ambitious your concept is and how much money you have access to.
Here, we’ve shared a few of the major expenses that new restauranteurs are likely to encounter on their road to success, so you can get an idea of how much funding you’ll need and what to include in your financial plan.
Expect the venue to be your biggest expense
Without a doubt, your venue will be your single biggest expense. A leasehold property will almost always be cheaper than a freehold and, depending on the location and the size of the venue, you could expect tor pay anywhere from £40,000 to in excess of £200,000.
It’s not just the cost of the rent or mortgage, either. If you’re buying or letting through an agent, then you’ll also have agency fees to pay, and you’ll also need a conveyancer to handle the legal side of the transaction. If you’re buying a leasehold property, then you’ll definitely need to hire a solicitor to help negotiate the terms of the lease and ensure you get a fair deal.
Set aside money for professional advice
You won’t just need professional guidance when buying or leasing your venue. Instructing a solicitor will also help you to deal with the other legal aspects of starting a restaurant, like planning permission or change of use consent. If you’ll be buying with a partner or co-founder, then a solicitor can also draw up a contract or partnership agreement to give your greater security and control.
It’s also a good idea consult a professional accountant, too. They will be able to advise you on how to pay tax, and how to set up a business account. As your business grows, you may find that you need to employ an accountant to help with general bookkeeping and payroll management: you can expect to pay anywhere between a few hundred to a few thousand pounds a year for this, depending on the number of services you need.
Don’t count on making huge profits right away
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when creating a financial plan is that it’s going to be a while before your restaurant turns a healthy profit. Even in the best-case scenario, building a successful restaurant is going to be a long-term process, and your financial plan will need to reflect this.
Given the number of outgoing costs you can expect to pay in your first year of trading, it’s unlikely that you’ll even make enough money to recover the cost of your investment. It’s a smart move to factor this into your financial plan and start with enough funding to keep things going for a year or two until business picks up.
If your dream of becoming a restauranteur doesn’t seem financially feasible right now, then there are still ways to start a professional catering business on a smaller budget. Street food and pop-up restaurants have enjoyed great success in recent years, and if your idea takes off, then you might even grow your business to a point where you’re able to afford a permanent venue.
If this sounds like the option for you, then take a look at our guide to starting a street-food business to learn how to get started.
How to set up a restaurant kitchen
Behind every successful restaurant lies a well-organised, efficient kitchen. This compact yet essential space is the heart of your operation, where every detail influences the success of your business. To stay ahead in 2025’s competitive hospitality industry, ensuring your kitchen is fully equipped with the right tools and technology is more important than ever.
In this section, we’ll explore how a modern restaurant kitchen operates and the essential equipment needed to get yours up and running. We’ll also cover how to choose the right tools to complement your menu and culinary style, as well as best practices for designing and organising your kitchen to maximise efficiency in 2025’s fast-paced hospitality industry.
The basic equipment you need in a commercial kitchen
For your commercial kitchen to run smoothly, you’ll need to make sure it’s equipped in five basic areas. Here, we’ll talk you through what each area is used for, and the catering appliances and equipment you’ll need to install before you can start serving customers.
Food storage areas: Your kitchen will need a way to store fresh produce, dry foodstuffs, and ready cooked food in a safe and hygienic manner. This will need to include chilled storage solutions for raw fish, meat, eggs, and other fresh produce, such as refrigerator cabinets or cold storage rooms.
Pantries and cupboards should be fitted with shelving units, so that different types of food can be stored on separate shelves — our selection of shelving solutions includes adjustable products, so you can tailor them to suit the space you have available.
Secure, clearly labelled food storage is a vital part of good kitchen hygiene, so you’ll need to decant your ingredients into securely sealed transparent food storage boxes, and clearly indicate the use-by date with a label gun.
Many kitchens use a first-in, first-out (FIFO) system for ingredient storage, as this both helps to prevent spoilage and contamination, and also helps to prevent food waste. You will also need to ensure that you store raw and frozen foods at the correct temperatures in fridges and freezers: to learn more about this, take a look at our guide to food safety and storage.
Cooking areas: The ‘cookline’ is the area where oven and stovetop cooking take place. Depending on the size of your restaurant, there may be separate stations for different line cooks, who will each handle different types of dishes, or there may just be one cooking station. This is the part of the kitchen where you’ll have commercial ovens and ranges installed. All of the cookware — including pots, pans, and roasting trays — will usually be stored in this area, so it can be easily accessed when needed.
Food prep areas: This is the area where the majority of cutting, chopping, and filleting of raw foods takes place prior to cooking. For maximum efficiency, food preparation areas are usually positioned between the storage area and the cooking area, as this allows the process to happen in one uninterrupted chain.
Keeping raw and cooked foods separate during prep is one of the most important aspects of good kitchen hygiene, so you’ll need to ensure that you’ve got a well-organised system for prepping raw meat and fish, vegetables, and cooked food in a sanitary way. Colour-coordinating your chopping boards and other prep equipment is a clear, straightforward solution that will help to prevent accidental cross-contamination during busy shifts — you can learn more about this in our guide to colour-coding your equipment.
A full set of chef’s knives and any other food preparation tools will usually be kept in this area. Your cutting tools should be carefully chosen to suit the type of food being prepared, so if you’re not sure what you’ll need, take a look at our guide to kitchen knives to learn which tools are right for your business.
Food collection area: Sometimes called the ‘pass’, this is where your service staff will collect the finished dishes before serving them to customers. Depending on the layout of your venue, this can be accessed via a door or through a hatch in the kitchen. Many restaurants will install a heated gantry here to keep food hot while waiting for service.
Dish washing and waste disposal area: This section is where dishes, glasses and kitchen equipment are washed, and any waste food from customer’s plates is disposed of. Whether you use a dishwasher or industrial basin will depend on your budget and the space available in your kitchen: take a look at our warewashing range to get an idea of the cost and sizes of various commercial dishwashers.
If possible, it’s also a good idea to position your dishwashing area close to the area where your clean crockery is stored, as this will make it easier and faster to re-stock clean dishes. You’ll also need a well-organised waste disposal system in this area, including separate bins to allow you to sort waste and recycling.
Match your equipment to your cuisine
While all professional kitchens will need the basic essentials we’ve outlined above, you should also think about whether you’ll need any additional equipment.
Your equipment should suit the style and volume of food you’ll be cooking on a daily basis, so it’s well worth considering whether there’s any specialist equipment that could make your kitchen more efficient. For instance, if your speciality is burgers or barbeque food, then you’re probably going to need a large griddle or chargrill, so you can cook multiple orders at once.
If your menu includes lots of sauté dishes, sauces, and other stove top recipes, then you’ll need a commercial hob with enough burners to accommodate this.
Restaurant dining room design
While your food will always take centre stage, the design of your dining space plays a crucial role in shaping the overall experience. In 2025, creating the right atmosphere is more important than ever, as diners seek immersive and memorable meals. This is where your guests unwind and socialise while anticipating their food, so your front-of-house areas must be visually appealing, welcoming, and perfectly suited to the style of cuisine you serve.
In fact, almost every aspect of dining room design — from the paint colours on the walls, to background sounds — can influence how your guests order and enjoy their food, according to Modern Restaurant Management. So, it’s important to choose your décor, furniture, and tableware with the utmost care. In this section, we’ll talk about planning the layout of your dining room, choosing furniture, and creating a tabletop design to suit your concept.
Keep your concept in mind
When designing your dining room, the most important thing is to try to be true to your original concept. Everything about your dining room — from the wallpaper to the style of furniture — should reinforce your chosen theme. So, when choosing any element of your dining room, make sure you ask yourself whether it’s going to serve your theme, or be at odds with it.
Be flexible
From time to time, it’s likely that you’ll need to adapt your table arrangements to suit larger bookings, so it’s a good idea to invest in smaller tables which can be pushed together to accommodate big groups. This way, you can adapt your layout to suit the demands of your booking list, effectively making the most of the space you have.
It also helps to have a good understanding of the needs and preferences of your diners. If your restaurant will be family-friendly, then it’s likely you’ll need bigger tables to accommodate large family groups, and an ample supply of highchairs for families with young children. If you’re going for a fine dining experience, then it’s likely that you’ll want more two-person tables to suit couples, as this is more in line your target demographic.
Allow plenty of room
When planning the layout of your dining room, remember that you’ll need to allow plenty of space between tables. There’s no legal recommendation for this, so you’ll need to use your judgement, but as a rule of thumb you should allow at least 24 inches between the corner of each table.
This will give your guests a bit more privacy to relax and enjoy their meal and allows them to stand up and sit down without disturbing other guests. It will also ensure that there’s enough space for your staff to move safely when carrying plates to and from the kitchen.
Consider your guest’s comfort
Your guests are going to spend at least an hour or two in your dining room, so you want them to feel at home. Be considerate of their comfort when choosing seating, and if possible try out any tables and chairs before you buy them, so you can be sure they’re comfortable. If you plan to buy chairs and tables from mismatching sets or different suppliers, then you’ll need to check that they’ll be a compatible size when used together.
To an extent, the level of comfort you choose should be tailored to suit your theme. Of course, you want your guests to feel at home, but in casual eateries with a quicker turnaround of customers, it’s perfectly acceptable to go for more minimal seating if it suits the ambience you want to create. In fine dining establishments, you’ll want to create a more luxurious atmosphere where guests can settle in for a few hours, so go for some cushioned, upholstered seating.
Create a table setting to suit your theme
Once you’ve chosen your tables and chairs and created a floor plan, you’ll need to create a tabletop design for every place setting. This will greet guests as they arrive at their tables, so you want to make sure their first impression is a good one.
Diners expect the table setting to match the food and style of service, so make sure that your tableware and any decorative accents are appropriate to your concept. For example, tablecloths, place mats, and a floral arrangement will impress in a formal, high-end setting, but might seem rather out of place in a casual eatery, where a simple tea light or candle holder might be more appropriate.
If you need some more inspiration, take a look at our full range of tabletop accessories, including menu holders, condiment and seasoning sets, and decorative accessories, to find more tableware ideas.
Choose mood-enhancing lighting
Good lighting is an important aspect of any dining room. The right sort of lighting will help to set the atmosphere and can even influence the mood of your guests. Casual eateries with modern, minimal décor will look great with bright, cheerful lighting, while fine dining restaurants tend to suit lower, more ambient lighting, as this creates an atmosphere of luxury and relaxation.
When selecting lighting, you’ll also need to consider how much natural daylight your restaurant receives, and what your opening hours will be. Diners tend to find dimly lit restaurants off-putting during daylight hours, so if you don’t have many windows in your space, then it’s essential to find some brighter lighting for breakfast or lunch shifts.
During the evening, it’s acceptable to switch to dim the lights to create a more intimate, relaxed ambience. Just make sure that it’s not too dark — your guests still need enough light to read a menu and eat their food, after all. You’ll also want to avoid any direct overhead lighting that will cast shadows on your guests faces, as unflattering lighting can make people feel uncomfortable.
Create an ordering system
Once you’ve got your kitchen and dining room fully equipped, you’ll need to create an ordering system to relay customer orders to the kitchen. This needs to be fast, accurate, and well-organised, so that no orders are missed, and dishes are served as quickly as possible.
In 2025, most restaurants depend on advanced electronic POS (point-of-sale) systems to streamline ordering and payment processes. These sophisticated software solutions can be customised with your entire menu, including pricing, allowing staff to take orders and generate bills with greater speed, accuracy, and efficiency. As technology continues to evolve, POS systems have become an essential tool—especially for larger establishments that need to handle high volumes of orders seamlessly during peak hours.
If your restaurant can only host a limited number of covers, it may be more cost-effective to start by taking and relaying orders manually using a duplicate check book, and then switching to a POS system as your business grows. Remember to fit a tab or check grabber in the kitchen near the pass, so kitchen staff can organise and prioritise order slips during busy shifts.
Here at Alliance Online, we stock a huge collection of professional catering equipment, so when the time comes to stock up your dream restaurant, you’ll find everything you need in our extensive range of restaurant supplies. To learn more about the restaurant industry, and to stay on top of new developments in the world of catering please feel free to call us on 01270 252333 or you can email us at hello@allianceonline.co.uk.