What licence do you need to run a café, takeaway or restaurant in the UK?

UK food and hospitality businesses are covered by several different licences and registrations, and sellers/buyers often mix them up. This isn't legal advice — always confirm with your local council — but here's the landscape.

Food business registration (free, required for everyone)

Any business preparing or selling food must register with the local council's environmental health team, at least 28 days before opening. It's free and gives the business a food hygiene rating (the number 0–5 you see in windows and on Scores on the Doors / FHRS).

Premises licence

Needed if the business sells alcohol, or provides "late-night refreshment" (hot food/drink between 11pm–5am in England and Wales). Applied for through the local council under the Licensing Act 2003. If a listing mentions "A5 hot food", that usually refers to the planning use class allowing hot food takeaway — separate from the premises licence itself.

Personal licence

If the business sells alcohol, at least one person (the Designated Premises Supervisor) needs a personal licence, gained by passing an accredited course and a DBS check. This is attached to a person, not the business — a buyer will usually need to get their own.

Planning use class

Shops and food businesses sit under specific planning use classes (e.g. Class E for shops/cafés/restaurants, sui generis for some takeaways and drinking establishments). Changing what a unit is used for can need planning permission — worth checking before you commit to a change of use.

Street trading / mobile catering

Catering vans and market stalls usually need a street trading licence or a pitch agreement from the council or site owner, separate from food registration.

What this means if you're buying or selling

• Licences and registrations are usually tied to the operator, not automatically transferred — buyers should budget time to apply
• Sellers: list exactly what licences the premises already holds — it's one of the first things serious buyers ask
• When in doubt, the local council's licensing team will confirm what a specific unit is currently licensed for