Restaurant Opening Checklist: Everything You Need Before Opening Day

Getting ready to open a restaurant, and wondering if you have actually covered everything? A lot has to be in place before you can open the doors, and it is easy to miss something when time is short. Here is a practical checklist of what to sort out before opening day, from company registration and licenses to food safety, HSE and staffing.

Company and registration

• Register the business with your national business registry and get an organisation number before you do anything else.
• Decide on a legal structure, sort out VAT and bookkeeping, and get a point-of-sale system that meets local requirements for recording sales.
• Register as an employer if you will have staff, and have occupational injury insurance in place before the first shift.

Licenses

• Apply for a serving license from your local authority. The general manager usually has to pass a competence test first.
• If you plan to serve alcohol, apply for an alcohol license as well. The designated manager and a deputy typically need to pass a knowledge test on the alcohol regulations. See the full process in our guide to applying for an alcohol serving licence.
• Apply early. Processing can easily take several weeks, sometimes longer.

Premises and building

• Confirm the premises are approved for food service, with proper ventilation, drainage and fire safety.
• Divide the kitchen into clean and dirty zones, and plan the workflow before you buy equipment.
• Sort out escape routes, fire extinguishers and fire alarms with the landlord or fire authority well before opening.

Food safety

• Register the business as a food establishment with your national food safety authority. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency requires registration at least 28 days before opening; other countries set similar notice periods.
• Have written routines for goods receipt, temperature control, cleaning, shelf life and allergen labelling ready before you open, following recognised food safety principles from the World Health Organization.
• Test the routines in practice, not just on paper, so the whole team knows them from day one.
• Consider digital logging of temperatures and checklists instead of paper binders, so documentation is ready from the first shift.

HSE and internal control

• Map out risks in the kitchen and front of house, and put measures in place before staff start.
• Write fire instructions everyone knows, and assign responsibility for first aid and protective equipment.
• Systematic health, safety and environment work is required as soon as you have employees. Get started early with a health and safety plan so you are not rushing it right before opening.

Staffing and training

• Hire people who fit the concept, and plan training before the first shift.
• Make sure everyone learns hygiene, allergen handling, checkout routines and how to report deviations.
• Standardise opening and closing checklists, so quality stays consistent no matter who is on shift.

Finances and insurance

• Build a budget that can absorb the first few months, with margin for unexpected costs.
• Take out the insurance you need, such as occupational injury, property and liability insurance.
• Confirm supplier agreements for ingredients, and check delivery times before opening day.

Marketing and opening day

• Set a realistic opening date, and tell your followers and local community well in advance.
• Consider a soft opening for friends and family a few days beforehand, so the team can test routines in practice.
• Have a plan for how you will handle feedback and any deviations in the first week.

Ready for opening day

The list is long, but most items come down to the same thing: routines that are written down, known by the team and easy to document. Many restaurants therefore gather licenses, food safety, HSE and training in one digital system instead of binders and loose spreadsheets. That way you keep the overview in one place, and you can pull up the documentation the moment an inspector arrives.

Want the full playbook from idea to opening, including your business plan and premises? Read our guide to starting a restaurant. If you want a system that brings compliance, HSE and training together from day one, Runwell's food safety solution is built for exactly that.