What You Need Before Opening a Restaurant: Licenses, Food Safety and HSE

Wondering what actually needs to be in place before you can open the doors to your restaurant? Here is a practical walkthrough of the company setup, licenses, food safety controls and HSE you need, so you are ready both for opening day and for your first inspection.

1. Register the company and sort out the formalities

First, the business itself has to be registered. You set up the company in the business register and receive an organisation number. This is the number you use when you apply for licenses and when you notify the food safety authority. If you have employees, you also need to be registered as an employer and have occupational injury insurance in place before the first shift.

2. Serving license from the municipality

Anyone who plans to serve food and drink needs a serving license. You apply for it from the municipality where the restaurant is located, and the general manager usually has to pass a competence test. Applications take time to process, so submit yours well before your planned opening. Remember that the premises also have to be approved for the purpose, including fire safety and ventilation.

3. Alcohol license if you serve alcohol

If you plan to serve beer, wine or spirits, you also need an alcohol license. The designated manager and a deputy typically have to pass a knowledge test on the alcohol regulations. The license applies to a specific venue and specific types of alcohol, and the municipality sets internal control requirements for alcohol that you must follow in daily operations.

4. Register with the food safety authority and set up food safety controls

Before you open, you must register the restaurant as a food establishment with your national food safety authority, usually a set period before start. At the same time, you need a system for food safety internal control. That means routines for temperature control, cleaning, goods receipt, shelf life and allergens, plus documentation showing the routines are actually followed. These routines should follow recognised food safety principles such as those promoted by the World Health Organization and the HACCP approach. A solid food safety system is the first thing an inspector asks to see. See how you can handle this digitally with Runwell's food safety solution.

5. HSE and internal control for your staff

As soon as you have employees, you need systematic health, safety and environment work in place. In practice this includes risk assessment, fire instructions, routines for handling deviations and training of staff. In a kitchen with heat, knives and slippery floors, this is not just a requirement but something that genuinely keeps people safe.

6. Keep everything in one place

There is a lot to get in place, and most of it has to be documented for inspections. Many restaurants therefore gather licenses, food safety, HSE, checklists and routines in one digital system instead of binders and loose spreadsheets. With an all-in-one solution like Runwell you keep the overview in one place, your staff know what to do, and you can pull up the documentation the moment an inspector arrives. If you run several restaurants, you also get the same control across every location.

Get these six things in place before opening and you avoid the most common mistakes that delay a launch, and you meet your first inspection with confidence.