Restaurants and catering
New business advice
Advice for new businesses is available on the Food Standards Agency Website.
New business checklist
The following questions will help you work out whether you've done all the things you need to do when setting up a catering business.
Some of these are general requirements and some of them relate specifically to food hygiene:
- Have you registered your premises?
- Do the design and construction of your premises meet legal requirements?
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- Do you and your staff understand the principles of good food hygiene?
- Have you and your staff undertaken food hygiene training?
- Have you considered what food safety problems there could be at each stage of your business?
- Have you put the necessary food safety controls in place and are you making regular checks to make sure they are working?
- Have you registered as self-employed?
- Have you considered health and safety and fire safety arrangements?
- Do you need to register for VAT?
- Are you keeping records of all your business income and expenses?
- Are you keeping records of your employees' pay and do you know how to pay their tax and National Insurance contributions?
- Do you describe food and drink accurately?
- Do you need to apply for a licence to sell alcohol?
Publication of Food Hygiene Score
The food hygiene score for restaurants, takeaways and other catering premises is published on the internet as a star rating. This encourages food businesses to have a high standard for food hygiene to maximise their star rating as a positive advertisement for their business. You can view the Scores on Doors database.
Trade bodies - hospitality and leisure
Key trade bodies and other useful organisations for restaurants, cafes, take-aways and caterers are listed below:
Academy of Food and Wine Service - industry body promoting high standards of education and training throughout the catering industry.
British Hospitality Association (BHA) - trade association representing all aspects of the catering and hospitality industries.
British Sandwich Association (BSA) - trade body representing the sandwich industry.
Catering Managers Association of Great Britain and the Channel Islands (CMA) - professional association for catering managers. Contact the CMA on Tel 020 8894 9103.
European Catering Association (Great Britain) (ECA GB) - trade association for all aspects of the catering industry.
Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs - trade association representing Bangladeshi food business including restaurants, take-aways and home delivery outlets.
Hospital Caterers Association - trade association for caterers in hospitals and healthcare establishments in the UK.
Local Authorities Caterers Association (LACA) - trade association for businesses that provide catering to local authorities throughout the UK. Membership includes schools, residential homes, meals-on-wheels and leisure centre caterers.
Mobile Outside Caterers Association (MOCA) - trade body for outdoor catering specialists.
National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) - trade association representing fish friers and the fish and chip shop industry.
The Pizza and Pasta Association (PAPA) - trade association for the pizza and pasta catering industry.
Restaurant Association (RA) - trade association representing all those involved in the restaurant business.
Springboard UK Ltd - industry body promoting careers and training in the hospitality sector.
Trade media
Caterer & Hotelkeeper - trade journal for the hospitality industry.
Catering in Scotland - trade magazine for catering businesses in Scotland.
Catering and Licensing Review - trade journal for hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland. The official journal of the Retail Licensed Trade in Northern Ireland (RLTNI).
Catering Update - trade magazine for the UK hospitality industry, covering all aspects of the catering sector.
Dine Out - the magazine of the Restaurant Association. The Association also publishes a newsletter called Digest.
Hospital Caterer - official journal of the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA).
Hospitality Magazine - official HCIMA journal.
Oursource - online trade journal and one-stop-shop/resource service for the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry.
Sandwich & Snack News - journal of the British Sandwich Association.
Speciality Food - magazine for businesses involved in Britain's food industry, including restaurants and cafes.
The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has a list of useful publications, including hospitality magazines and periodicals, on its website.
See a list of useful publications for hospitality businesses on the BHA website.