# Opening a Restaurant



## dow jones (6 Aug 2008)

Got full planning permission for a bar/restaurant in a building i own a while back but am now going to take the plunge in partnership with a chief i know. i must apply for a restaurant licence to serve wine/beer, anyone know how i go about this? also before i open must i notify any state agency? any other things i need to be aware of woukd be much appreciated? if anyone knows a good place to get second hand kitchen eq and chairs etc.. thanks


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## Purple (7 Aug 2008)

You apply to the district court for an intoxication liquor license. If sucessful the license is issued by the Revenue Commissioners.


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## mercman (7 Aug 2008)

Be very careful entering a new venture with a Chef. Without knowing the person concerned and it is unfair to cast aspersions, I have heard horrid stories in the past, where persons have a falling out with the partner and Chef and its Goodnight for the business.


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## yob (7 Aug 2008)

I agree with mercman,you dont say how well you know this chef,theres a huge differance working in a kitchen,to working for yourself,and i mean no disrespect,what do you know about food,have you done any coarses,tryed working in this area,again no disrespect intended,just be sure you know what your getting involved with.
check out auction houses in your area,you'd have a wide choice in dublin,look in the buy and sell,its a buyers market as far as equipment is concered.yob


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## WaterSprite (7 Aug 2008)

Also agree with Yob and Mercman - the questions you've posted are fairly basic ones about running a restaurant and, while it's great that you want to branch out into something different, if you aren't familiar with the industry you are entering, things may become difficult for you.  Your business partner will be more experienced than you are in this industry and you may find yourself in a very imbalanced relationship from the get-go.  I'd suggest doing a Start Your Own Business course and, if it's available, focus on the hospitality industry before you even think about embarking on this project.

Sprite


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## Ancutza (7 Aug 2008)

Be careful who you go into business with.  Know the person well, very well indeed! Success is no guarantee of 'happy families'.  A bistro in Ballsbridge could well fall apart for that very reason.


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## mercman (7 Aug 2008)

The largest Bistro in Ballsridge did fall apart for those reasons. That's why the person whose name the business bears its name no longer is there


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## Pollyanna (7 Aug 2008)

In addition to whats already been mentioned you would also need to liaise with the Environmental Health Dept with regard to food safety requirements etc. They can be contacted through your Local Health Office of the Health Service Executive. You also need a safety statement. Have a look at the Health & safety Authority website.

Hope this helps


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## yob (7 Aug 2008)

Good point pollyanna,
you would also need to pay a visit to food safety authority of ireland(FSAI)great web site,go into industry info',buisness start ups,you'll find all info you need,you can also get an EHOto visit your premises and give you advise on preparing the building before you start spending money,,this is quite common these days,as it saves alot of hearth ache and money in the long run.


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## dow jones (7 Aug 2008)

thanks for all the help there, i'm not going to be involved in the business too much once the restaurant is fitted out, my contribution is the fitted out restaurant, the chief takes over then and we split any profits/losses. he has worked for many years as a chief so hopefully it will be a success. we are meeting with someone from the health board next week to discuss the kitchen layout before we start work.


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## Protocol (8 Aug 2008)

So the chief will be the chef?

Or will the chef be the chief?

Sorry, I just had to, couldn't resist it.


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## dow jones (11 Aug 2008)

Protocol said:


> So the chief will be the chef?
> 
> Or will the chef be the chief?
> 
> Sorry, I just had to, couldn't resist it.


 

ha ha is there an edit button anywhere?


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## simplyjoe (12 Aug 2008)

Just to expand on what has already been said. A good chef rarely makes a good businessman. The skills involved are very diverse from each other. This has been proven time and again. A person that knows food and is a good manager may not always make a good business owner. The pressures and responsibilities are often too much for a lot of people. Partnerships need to be tightly controlled. A good partnership agreement needs to be drawn up with an exit mechanism devised. Examples of things that causes splits in partnerships are: 1. One partner putting more efford in than an other. 2. Husbands/wifes/partners becoming over involved. 3. Weak accounting structures leading to mistrust as regards money. 4. Differing attitudes to staff and other cost controls. 5. Drink. 6. Personal matters interfering. 7. Arguments over wages and/or rent paid to partners.
8. Childminding arrangements. 9. Strategic decisions over expansion or not.
I have rarely experienced any partnership working well in the catering/hospitality industry. 
However I wish you the best of luck. Hope you make buckets of it and that you achieve your dreams.


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## Bronte (12 Aug 2008)

From memory a fire safety cert, a health board cert, licence to sell liquor.  You are going to trust the chef to declare the real profit - don't think so.  Most restaurants keep two sets of books........ but maybe that's only a old wives tale.


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## Towger (12 Aug 2008)

Bronte said:


> Most restaurants keep two sets of books........ but maybe that's only a old wives tale.


 
Revenue know that, and long ago have developed a model for restaurant turnover. If you inputs don't meet your outputs with acceptable loses/gains in the middle, they will screw you. eg Buy cheep booze off the back of a lorry, they will spot the missing input into the model etc etc. Or in one case I know, they made the mistake of using note pads with numbered pages . Revenue wanted to know where the missing orders/pages where. They closed with a huge tax bill.


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## Bronte (14 Aug 2008)

Towger said:


> Revenue know that, and long ago have developed a model for restaurant turnover. If you inputs don't meet your outputs with acceptable loses/gains in the middle, they will screw you. eg Buy cheep booze off the back of a lorry, they will spot the missing input into the model etc etc. Or in one case I know, they made the mistake of using note pads with numbered pages . Revenue wanted to know where the missing orders/pages where. They closed with a huge tax bill.


 I know revenue knows that, but maybe OP doesn't.  For everyone revenue catches there is another getting away with it, I'm not advocating tax evasion, but some industries (cash) are well known for doing it.  Also the guy who opens up for a couple of years and burns (bankrupt) just starts again etc.  There was another thread on here recently about the fact that revenue chase the good guys, those who declare their income and they leave the guys that go out of business alone, paying no VAT, income tax, prsi etc in their wake.


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## ubiquitous (14 Aug 2008)

Bronte said:


> I know revenue knows that, but maybe OP doesn't.  For everyone revenue catches there is another getting away with it, I'm not advocating tax evasion, but some industries (cash) are well known for doing it.  Also the guy who opens up for a couple of years and burns (bankrupt) just starts again etc.  There was another thread on here recently about the fact that revenue chase the good guys, those who declare their income and they leave the guys that go out of business alone, paying no VAT, income tax, prsi etc in their wake.



There are a number of very dangerous assumptions here.  Many restauranteurs have gone out of business owing large sums to Revenue. Revenue can be extremely hard-headed (some might say cruel) in extracting tax arrears from evaders. Many of those concerned have been ruined by the consequences of tax evasion, many others are facing donkeys years of debt. This was a hidden problem during the Tiger boom years as anyone facing a large Revenue judgment could normally remortgage their home to raise the funds to pay the Revenue and stave off the judgment. In recent times the volume of such judgments has accelerated. Expect this problem to get a lot worse before it gets better. As far as the Revenue are concerned in relation to evaders, there is no rope as long as time...


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## simplyjoe (14 Aug 2008)

Facts
Revenue have a policy of persuing broadly compliant taxpayers for every penny including interest on short periods of non payment whilst in general not attacking very un-compliant taxpayers -  generally agreeing to settle for lesser amounts. This includes people being audited and in special targeted audits - bogus non-resident, etc. I have people being thretened for non submission of 2006 returns whilst other clients may have returns 4 or 5 years old. 
Tax Clearance Certs are provided to some people who have arrears whilst others cannot get them even if they have minor issues. Why? Connections. Sob stories.
CRO allow non compliant companies to be struck off whilst not persuing directors while at the same time compliant directors are forced into huge expense in properly disposing of their companies. Directors who allow their companies to be struck off for non submission of returns should all be persued to the final degree. The penalties should be eased but then fully enforced.


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## Bronte (14 Aug 2008)

ubiquitous said:


> As far as the Revenue are concerned in relation to evaders, there is no rope as long as time...


 
Very good ubi, I for sure agree with you there but there are still those who have gotton away with it for forever and a day....... I still see plenty of them and they don't exist.......... maybe their day will come, maybe not.....


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