A license is a legal requirement for food service establishments wishing to serve alcohol and should not be overlooked. However, there are different types of licenses with varying requirements and costs. Find out which license to choose for your restaurant and how to obtain it with this complete guide!
The principle of restaurant licenses
Even if there are different licenses in the restaurant business, their principle remains the same: they are official authorizations that the restaurant must hold in order to carry out its activity. They ensure that the safety rules for the sale of alcohol are respected. Restaurant licenses concern both traditional establishments and those selling alcohol to go. We are talking about traditional restaurants, fast-food restaurants, food-trucks and dark kitchens.
In fact, anyone opening an establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, either as a primary or secondary activity, must have a license:
- The establishment on the spot: restaurant, café, hotel-restaurant, bar-restaurant, dark kitchen, bed and breakfast, discotheque, pub, bar.
- The takeaway: wine shop, grocery store, distance selling, supermarket.
Here, for example, the bar makes its sale of alcohol its main activity, while the hotel-restaurant makes it an accessory activity.
On the other hand, temporary bars (e.g. during a fair) are not required to have a license. An authorization from the town hall is sufficient.
What are the different categories of restaurant licenses?
In order to increase your turnover, it is better to sell alcohol to your guests. Indeed, customers are always fond of establishments offering alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, cocktails, etc.). In order to sell alcohol, you must obtain a license 3 or a license 4, respectively called restricted license and full license.
The sale of alcoholic beverages in your restaurant
As a restaurant manager, if you wish to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises, you must have a license 3, also known as a restricted license. It will allow you to sell alcoholic beverages of categories 1 and 3.
The first one concerns non-alcoholic drinks. The third: wines, liquors and beers. However, the alcohol must not exceed 18°. With this license, you will not be able to offer category 4 and 5 alcohols (strong alcohols) to your customers.
The sale of alcoholic beverages to take away
To have the right to sell alcoholic beverages to take away, you will need the license 4 or full license. This license must be purchased or operated, it cannot be created. You can ask your town hall or the prefecture to help you to buy it.
The license 4 will allow you, in addition to the other categories, to propose to your customers drinks of categories 4 and 5. These are strong alcohols such as vodka, rum and other distilled spirits. Thanks to this license, you can also offer the sale of alcohol to take away.
However, a rule applies to food trucks: in order for them to sell alcoholic beverages, they must have a 3rd group takeaway license (for alcoholic beverages under 18°). Whiskies, rums and other drinks belonging to categories 4 and 5 are banned from sale.
What are the steps to follow to apply for a license for your restaurant?
What are the prerogatives to obtain a restaurant license?
Here are the three requirements for obtaining a restaurant license:
- Be of age (or an emancipated minor)
- Not to be under guardianship
- Not to have been sentenced to certain penalties (in the case of criminal offences or pimping, the ban is definitive, whereas in the case of penalties for theft, fraud or breach of trust, the incapacity can be lifted after 5 years).
Namely, since January 27, 2017, having French nationality is no longer a mandatory condition for obtaining a restaurant license.
The operating permit
After a mandatory 20-hour training session, you will receive your business license. It is imperative to have it to be able to sell alcohol in your restaurant (and is optional for the sale of alcohol for take-out only). Once received, your business license will be valid for 10 years, renewable after a new shortened training (only 6 hours).
This training aims to raise awareness among restaurant managers about the dangers of alcohol and the laws in force. It can be taken remotely or in person.
👉 To go further: apply for your business license by viewing the form here.
The declaration at the town hall
You will also have to make the declaration at the town hall at least 15 days before the opening date of your restaurant.
👉 To go further: prior declaration form at the town hall
Registration with the RCS
Once all the previous steps have been completed, you must now register your opening at the business formality center (CFE), located closest to your establishment. Finally, you will need to register the legal status of your business with the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés (RCS).
What is the price for a restaurant license?
Did you know? Restaurant licenses themselves are actually free! It is the mandatory training courses that are not free.
The price of the license 3
It is necessary to count between 200€ and 495€ for a 6 hours training (that of the renewal).
The price of the license 4
Count on 299€ to 820€ for the 20-hour training. Rates vary greatly depending on the training structure and region.
Find out more from a training organization approved by the Ministry of the Interior. For example, the CCI Paris Ile-de-France offers to obtain a liquor license for 470€.
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You will have understood, the legal aspect is an element not to be neglected when opening or taking over a restaurant. Find out in advance about the legislation in force and applicable to any restaurant owner to avoid any unpleasant surprises!
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