Ireland
Opening in Ireland, in order.
The sequence matters. Several of these depend on each other and doing them out of order costs weeks.
In short
Opening a food business in Ireland involves choosing a business structure and registering it, registering for tax, registering the food business with the local authority, ensuring planning permission covers the intended use, putting a HACCP-based food safety system in place, and meeting employment obligations before you hire. This is an outline, not professional advice.
Updated 28 August 2026
The order to do things in
Several steps depend on others, and doing them out of sequence is the main cause of delayed openings. Planning use class in particular is worth confirming before signing anything, because discovering a premises is not permitted for your intended use after committing is an expensive mistake.
- Confirm planning permission covers the intended use
- Choose and register a business structure
- Register for the relevant taxes
- Register the food business with the local authority
- Put the food safety system in place before trading
- Sort employment documentation before hiring
Premises before paperwork
Whether the premises can be used as you intend, whether the extraction and drainage are adequate, and what a fit-out actually costs will determine most of your budget. Get a professional view before signing a lease. Restaurants regularly discover extraction requirements after committing to a unit.
Register the food business early
Food business registration with the local authority is required before trading and is straightforward, but leaving it late compresses the timeline when everything else is also late. Do it as soon as the premises is confirmed.
Employment obligations start before day one
Written terms, working time records, payroll registration and a tips policy all need to exist before your first staff member starts, not after. Setting these up while also opening is why they get skipped, and skipped documentation is what causes disputes months later.
Budget for the quiet start
New restaurants take time to build trade, and the cash plan should assume a slow first few months rather than the numbers in the business plan. Under-capitalising the opening period is one of the most common reasons otherwise viable restaurants fail early.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Sole trader or limited company?
It depends on liability, tax position and financing, and it is worth an hour with an accountant before deciding rather than after.
How long does it take to open?
The variable is almost always the premises: planning, fit-out and extraction. The registrations are comparatively quick.
Do I need a licence to sell alcohol?
Yes, and licensing is a separate process with its own timeline and requirements. Start it early if alcohol is part of the plan.
Is this professional advice?
No. It is a sequence to orient by. Take accounting, legal and food safety advice for your specific situation.
See it run your restaurant.
Twenty minutes on your menu and your numbers. We'll show you what actually changes in the first month and exactly what it costs. If it's not right for your restaurant, we'll tell you that instead.
- Live in days, not months
- We build your menu and train your staff
- No contract, and thirty days to change your mind
Rather just ring us? +353 87 438 8032
Tell us about your restaurant
We reply the same day, usually inside a couple of hours.