There is no separate "restaurant licence" in England and Wales. To serve wine, beer or spirits in a restaurant or café you need a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 authorising the sale of alcohol, and one member of your team must hold a personal licence to act as the designated premises supervisor. If you serve hot food or hot drinks after 11pm, the same licence must also cover late night refreshment. Food business registration is a separate, free step every restaurant and café must take whether or not it sells alcohol.
This guide covers whether your café or restaurant needs an alcohol licence, licensed versus unlicensed restaurants, bring-your-own, what the licence must cover, the fees and how to apply. For the general rules, read our guide to what a premises licence is.
What is a restaurant licence?
A restaurant licence, an alcohol licence for a restaurant and a restaurant bar licence all describe the same document: a premises licence. The Act lists four licensable activities, and a restaurant typically needs one or two: the sale of alcohol by retail, and late night refreshment (hot food or hot drink supplied to the public between 11pm and 5am). Regulated entertainment only matters for music, dancing or films outside the exemptions below. The rules here apply to England and Wales only.
Food business registration
Compulsory for every restaurant, café, takeaway and pub, at least 28 days before trading. Free and cannot be refused.
Premises licence
Needed only to sell alcohol, serve hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am, or put on licensable entertainment. This is what people call a restaurant licence.
Personal licence
Held by an individual. A restaurant selling alcohol must name a designated premises supervisor who holds one.
Do you need an alcohol licence for a restaurant or café?
The Act licenses the sale of alcohol, so the test is always whether you are selling it, not whether it is being drunk on your premises.
Will you sell any alcohol, even a glass of wine with a meal?
Yes: you need a premises licence for the sale of alcohol. There is no small-quantity or food-only exemption.
Will customers bring their own bottle, with no charge for the alcohol?
No alcohol licence needed for that. The customer's own wine is not sold by you.
Will you serve hot food or drinks to the public between 11pm and 5am?
Yes: you need late night refreshment on a premises licence, even with no alcohol. Cold food and drink are not licensable.
Is it a one-off supper club or launch night for fewer than 500 people?
A Temporary Event Notice can cover alcohol and late food for that event.
Opening a restaurant or café that sells alcohol?
Tell Barnab what you plan to serve and when. We prepare the operating schedule, plan checklist, blue notice and newspaper advert and submit to your council. £300 + VAT, with a 100% approval record.
Start my premises licenceLicensed vs unlicensed restaurant: what is the difference?
Licensed here refers only to alcohol. A licensed restaurant holds a premises licence authorising alcohol sales; an unlicensed restaurant does not and cannot sell alcohol in any form, although it may let customers bring their own. Both must be registered food businesses.
| Licensed restaurant | Unlicensed restaurant | |
|---|---|---|
| Premises licence for alcohol | Yes | No |
| Can sell wine, beer, spirits | Yes, within licensed hours | No |
| Customers bring their own | If the licence holder permits | Yes, with no charge for the alcohol |
| Designated premises supervisor | Required, with a personal licence | Not required |
| Hot food after 11pm | Late night refreshment on the licence | Premises licence for late night refreshment |
Bring your own bottle (BYOB) and corkage
The Act makes the sale by retail of alcohol the licensable activity. When a customer drinks a bottle bought elsewhere, you have sold them nothing, so an unlicensed restaurant can run as BYOB without a premises licence. Many BYOB restaurants charge corkage for glasses and service. The statutory guidance under section 182 of the Act does not deal with corkage, so if you plan to charge it, confirm the position with your council's licensing team and keep the charge clearly for service, not for the drink.
Do you have to serve food if you serve alcohol?
No. Nothing in the Licensing Act 2003 requires a licence holder to serve food with alcohol; pubs and bars do not. Nor is there a separate pub food licence: a pub kitchen registers as a food business and, if it serves hot food after 11pm, adds late night refreshment to the premises licence.
Food does matter in your operating schedule. Councils and the police look more favourably on alcohol sales tied to dining, especially in a cumulative impact area, so many restaurants volunteer a condition that alcohol is only sold to seated customers taking a meal. That condition is binding once on the licence. Our guide to cumulative impact zones explains how this plays out at a hearing.
What the premises licence must cover for a restaurant, café or bar
Sale of alcohol
Ask for on-sales (drinks at your tables) and, if you want to sell bottles to take home or deliver with food, off-sales too. The council controls when you may sell, not when your doors are open.
- Name a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence.
- Give written authorisations to floor staff, because every sale must be made or authorised by a personal licence holder.
Late night refreshment
Hot food or hot drink supplied to the public between 11pm and 5am is licensable, eaten in or taken away. Cold food and drink are not.
- Not licensable when supplied free of charge, to overnight hotel guests, to staff, or to members of a recognised club.
Music and entertainment
Background music incidental to eating and drinking is not licensable, and most other music is deregulated during the day.
- Unamplified live music between 8am and 11pm is not licensable anywhere.
- Amplified live and recorded music between 8am and 11pm is not licensable on premises licensed for on-sales, for audiences up to 500.
- Music after 11pm, or for larger audiences, needs regulated entertainment on the licence.
For worked examples of alcohol hours, late food and music, read our guide to how a premises licence works for alcohol, food and music.
Mandatory conditions every licensed restaurant must follow
Every premises licence that authorises alcohol sales carries these conditions fixed by law:
- An age verification policy: anyone who appears under 18, or under a higher age such as 25 if your policy says so, must show photo ID with their date of birth and a holographic or ultraviolet feature. Approved digital ID can be accepted since 15 September 2026.
- Free potable water on request where reasonably available.
- Small measures available and shown on the menu or price list: half pints of beer and cider, 25ml or 35ml of gin, rum, vodka and whisky, and 125ml of still wine.
- No irresponsible promotions, such as drinking games or unlimited drinks for a fixed price, and no sales below the cost of duty plus VAT.
- A designated premises supervisor in place at all times, with a personal licence in force.
How much does a restaurant alcohol licence cost?
Council fees are set nationally by the non-domestic rateable value of the premises. Restaurants and cafés pay the standard rate; the doubled and tripled fees in bands D and E apply only to premises used exclusively or primarily for drinking, such as pubs and bars.
| Band | Rateable value | Application fee | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | None to £4,300 | £100 | £70 |
| B | £4,301 to £33,000 | £190 | £180 |
| C | £33,001 to £87,000 | £315 | £295 |
| D | £87,001 to £125,000 | £450 | £320 |
| E | £125,001 and above | £635 | £350 |
Also budget for the statutory newspaper advertisement, a scale plan, the course and council fee for your supervisor's personal licence, and any professional help. A Temporary Event Notice costs £21. Barnab's fixed fees are on the premises licence service page, and the combined alcohol licence package covers the personal licence too.
How to apply for a restaurant premises licence
- 1
Sort the personal licence first
Your designated premises supervisor needs a personal licence from the council where they live, which requires an accredited licensing qualification.
- 2
Write the operating schedule
Choose your activities (on-sales, off-sales if needed, late night refreshment if open past 11pm), the hours for each, your opening hours, and the steps you will take on the licensing objectives: CCTV, staff training, Challenge 25, noise and dispersal.
- 3
Prepare the plan
A plan of the premises, normally at 1:100, showing the licensed area, entrances and exits, kitchen, bar, fixed seating and fire safety equipment, including any outdoor area.
- 4
Submit, pay and advertise
Apply to the council for the area where the restaurant is, display the notice outside for 28 consecutive days and publish a newspaper notice within 10 working days.
- 5
Grant or hearing
With no representations the council must grant the licence as applied for. If the police, environmental health or residents object, agree conditions with them or go to a hearing.
We have separate guides on what happens after you submit a premises licence application, on what to expect at a licensing hearing, and on Temporary Event Notices if you need to trade before the licence is granted.
Outdoor tables and pavement seating
Tables on the public pavement need a pavement licence under the Business and Planning Act 2020: councils can charge up to £500 for a first application and £350 for a renewal, there is a 14-day consultation then a 14-day decision period, and a licence lasts up to two years. It only permits furniture on the highway; to serve alcohol outside, the area must be covered by your premises licence. See our pavement licence service and guide to getting a pavement licence.
Frequently asked questions
What is a licensed restaurant?
A licensed restaurant holds a premises licence authorising the sale of alcohol, issued by its council under the Licensing Act 2003. It can sell wine, beer and spirits within the licensed hours and must have a designated premises supervisor with a personal licence.
What is the difference between a licensed and unlicensed restaurant in the UK?
The only difference is alcohol. A licensed restaurant can sell it; an unlicensed restaurant cannot, although it may let diners bring their own. Both must be registered food businesses, and both need late night refreshment on a premises licence for hot food or drink after 11pm.
Do you have to serve food if you serve alcohol?
No. The Licensing Act 2003 does not tie alcohol sales to meals. Some restaurants offer a condition that alcohol is only served with a meal because it reassures the police and residents, but it is a choice, and binding once on the licence.
Does a pub need a food licence?
There is no food licence as such. A pub serving food registers as a food business, free of charge, at least 28 days before it starts. Hot food before 11pm is not licensable; hot food or drink served to the public between 11pm and 5am is late night refreshment and must be on the premises licence.
Can a café get an alcohol licence?
Yes. A café alcohol licence is the same premises licence a restaurant applies for, often for on-sales in the afternoon and evening with off-sales for bottles to take home. The café must name a designated premises supervisor with a personal licence and follow the mandatory conditions.
How long does a restaurant alcohol licence take?
The statutory consultation lasts 28 days and the council must grant the licence if there are no representations, so most uncontested restaurant and café applications are granted in around four to six weeks. Objections mean a hearing, typically eight to twelve weeks in all.
Ready to get your restaurant or café licensed?
Barnab prepares the operating schedule, checks your plan, drafts the blue notice and newspaper advert and submits to your council. £300 + VAT, most licences granted in four to five weeks. Add your supervisor's personal licence in the combined package at £450 + VAT.
Apply for a premises licence
