A crucial part of your business is location, as we have discussed in earlier blog posts.
But even more crucial is the premises you choose to open your café within. You will need to consider the rent, business rates, service charges, water and power rates, plus the number of covers you can fit in, layout of the kitchen, access (disabled, fire, emergency), storage and toilet facilities.
First however, check that your premises has the correct license from the local council which gives you permission to serve the food and drink you will be serving.
Check that your premises has the correct license from the local council
Here is a rough guide to the permitted usages that high street buildings tend to have:
- A1 - General retail (can also include retail of packaged food).
- A2 - Financial and professional services (e.g. offices). Some councils will allow premises with A2 usage to trade as shops (under A1) too, but check beforehand.
- A3 - The permitted use for cafes serving food to be consumed on the premises. There can be certain restrictions on some premises depending on the location (for example, with serving hot food), so watch out for this.
- A4 - Bar or pub licenses allowing the premises to serve alcohol.
- A5 - For the sale of hot food off the premises (such as takeaways).
If your proposed premises do not already have A3 permission, you will need to apply for permission from the council to change the use. There can be certain restrictions on the number of properties allocated A3 usage in high street locations, so bear this in mind when consulting the council.
It is often worth sending a letter of enquiry to the relevant planning officer before applying for full planning permission
It is often worth sending a letter of enquiry to the relevant planning officer before applying for full planning permission, as a letter is free, and saves you wasting time over a property which they can immediately tell you would not be given adequate planning.
There often can be certain exceptions to the general planning rules, for example, in areas of regeneration, where the council can be more supportive of change of use applications to ensure properties are filled. But bear in mind, you are not always guaranteed permission, and rejected applications can be time consuming, expensive, and often disappointing.
In some conditions, councils will allow cafes to trade under and A1 license, especially where the predominate business is takeaway rather than sit down. Always check before signing on the dotted line however, as the last thing you want is for the council to deny the use once trading if you have not got full permission.
Also, bear in mind these are the current planning rules which apply to properties in England, for Wales, Scotland and Ireland you should consult your relevant planning authority.
