APPLICATION FOR A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP LIQUOR LICENCE
Choose below to read all the Basic Liquor Licence Information (A) you need to know OR More Liquor Licence Information (B) for a more in depth look about a restaurant or coffee shop liquor licence.
A. BASIC LIQUOR LICENCE INFORMATION ABOUT A RESTAURANT & COFFEE SHOP
- HOW TO APPLY FOR A RESTAURANT & COFFEE SHOP LIQUOR LICENCE = LIQUOR LICENCE APPLICATION
- HOW TO RENEW A RESTAURANT & COFFEE SHOP LICENCE = KEEP GENERATING INCOME
- HOW TO BUY OR SELL A RESTAURANT & COFFEE SHOP LICENCE = LIQUOR LICENCE TRANSFER
- COST OF A RESTAURANT & COFFEE SHOP LICENCE
- LIQUOR TRADING HOURS OF A RESTAURANT & COFFEE SHOP
- Information
- Zoning Documents
- Photos
- Detailed Floor Plans
- Liquor Board
- Liquor Officer
- Liquor Authority (Municipality)
- Confirming what you have in mind.
- Show that there is a demand from the public in your chosen.
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You need to do everything you can to keep your liquor licence valid, once it has been approved.
- Every 12 Months
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Please go to the “Licence RenewalSection” HERE for all the informationyou’ll need to ensure your licenceremains valid and will keep ongenerating a profit.
HOW TO BUY OR SELL A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP LICENCE = LIQUOR LICENCE TRANSFER
Buying or selling a licensed restaurant or coffee shop shows the real value of a liquor licence. For the buyer, it allows him/her to use the existing liquor licence to continue to sell liquor without any interruption. Therefore, you don’t have to apply for a temporary liquor licence while you wait for the restaurant or coffee shop’s liquor licence to be transferred to you. For the seller, it allows him/her to generate cash ("cash in the investment in the liquor licence").
Buyer or Seller - Your investment in a restaurant or coffee shop is only safe if you remember to check that the licence documents are valid and up to date. Don't run the risk of being stopped by liquor authorities for trading with an invalid liquor licence. Do a licence compliance check - it's like having your dentist fix the small holes - so that you avoid the root canal treatment (Fines!). The most important items to check are :
- Agreement of Sale – The correct wording of the liquor licence clause is very important
- Licence documents – Is the original liquor licence, conditions and floor plan available?
- Licence renewal – Is the proof of payment of the yearly liquor licence renewal fee on file?
- Premises - Does the premises comply to liquor laws and regulation?
FREE Liquor licence compliance check :
- Has this been done? Are you sure all licensing documents are complete, available on file and up to date? If you take a chance, you may lose your investment.
- Upload any of the abovementioned documents and we will do a compliance check - free of charge (Normal value = R3000).
GET replacement licence documents :
- You can order any licensing documents you need to replace from us, such as a original licence replacement or floor plan.
- Place your order and we'll start the process.
COST TO APPLY FOR A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP LICENCE
The cost structure of a restaurant or coffee shop licence is described below. The costs can be described as follows :
- Cost to apply for a restaurant or coffee shop licence
- Liquor Board Fees - You'll have to pay them the following fees :
- Application Fee - to accept your application
- Licence issuing fee - to issue your licence
- Liquor licence consultant's fee
- Liquor Board Fees - You'll have to pay them the following fees :
- Cost to keep a restaurant or coffee shop licence valid
- Licence renewal fee - payable every 12 months,
- Penalties / Fines - payable if you paid late or failed to enforce the licence conditions
LIQUOR TRADING HOURS OF A RESTAURANT & COFFEE SHOP
Liquor trading hours for a Restaurant or coffee shop differs for each province and even Municipality. They decide on their own liquor trading hours. For example - A restaurant or coffee shop in Sun City (North West province) may trade until 20h00, but in Mbombela (Mpumalanga province) only until 19h00. The points below show why you need the help of a licensing specialist such as LiquorWise :
- Liquor trading hours may even differ for different suburbs in the same Municipality!
- Extended liquor trading hours. You can apply to have a restaurant or coffee shop’s trading hours extended in some areas. So - 2 restaurant or coffee shops can be next to each other, but have different trading hours - if one of them successfully applied to extend its liquor trading hours.
NB - You need to know the liquor trading hours of your restaurant or coffee shop at all times - to avoid fines & penalties or even losing your business.
Contact Us if you want to know the liquor trading hours for your area. Even better – subscribe to our free newsletter and you’ll be updated on any changes in liquor trading hours and import liquor licensing matters.
B. EVEN MORE INFO ABOUT LICENSED RESTAURANTS OR COFFEE SHOPS? READ MORE BELOW...
- WHY IS A LIQUOR LICENCE IMPORTANT FOR A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP?
- WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP LIQUOR LICENCE?
- DIFFERENT KINDS OF RESTAURANTS OR COFFEE SHOPS
- TARGET MARKET?
- INCOME GENERATOR
- RUNNING COST OF A LIQUOR STORE
- COST OF BUYING A LIQUOR STORE LICENCE
- LICENCE COMPLIANCE AUDIT – NON NEGOTIABLE
WHY IS A LIQUOR LICENCE IMPORTANT FOR A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP?
It’s obvious, isn’t it? No liquor licence = FEWER customers = LESS profit! That’s why a liquor licence is one of the main and most important assets of a restaurant or coffee shop.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP LIQUOR LICENCE?
You can sell -
- all kinds of liquor in a restaurant or coffee shop
- directly to the public.
All liquor sold on the premises must be consumed on the premises.
LIQUOR FACT - Your customers are not allowed to take any liquor away from the licensed premises - not even half bottles - even though it's been paid for!
DIFFERENT KINDS OF RESTAURANTS OR COFFEE SHOPS - HOW TO CHOOSE ONE FOR YOU?
There's a restaurant or coffee shop around every corner. You want to start one, but how do you choose? One easy way is to look at the -
- Ownership type and
- Location :
What kind of owner would you like to be?
- Franchise restaurant or coffee shop. You can buy a franchise such as Mugg ‘n Bean, Wimpy, Spur, Ocean Basket or Panarotti’s. The main advantages are that you get -
- a proven, successful business model and
- better discounts due to the buying power of the franchise group.
- Independently owned restaurant or coffee shop. Main advantages :
- You are your own boss, so you decide when to relax and when to work, and
- You negotiate all prices for what you buy
- No marketing & franchise fees for stuff you don't want or need
Location - where do you see your restaurant of coffee shop?
- Stand alone – your restaurant or coffee shop is contained in its own property, not connected to other shops.
- Boats, trains & Aeroplanes – You can apply for a liquor licence to sell liquor as long as the liquor is consumed on the vehicle, boat or plane.
- Shopping centre – the restaurant or coffee shop shares parking, toilets, security and other services with a large mix of other businesses
- Drive through? No, never. You have to consume the liquor on the premises!
A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP TARGET MARKET
The broad target market of a restaurant or coffee shop is anyone over the legal drinking age. However, restaurants may focus on attracting any number of age groups. For instance, pensioners may get a discount on a specific day of the week or a younger crowd may be attracted with a happy hour special cocktail between 5pm and 7pm daily. The number of target markets is only limited by the licence holder's imagination!
A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP LIQUOR LICENCE AS AN INCOME GENERATOR
A restaurant or coffee shop liquor licence can be an excellent income generator. It is versatile and allows you to sell liquor to almost anyone, in a number of ways -
- Liquor can be paired with certain kinds of menu items. For instance, white wine usually goes well with fish and red wine with red meat. Promotions can run featuring special dishes, attracting new customers.
- Different kinds of liquor can be offered to enjoy before (cocktail), during (wine, beer) and after (liqueur) a meal.
- Tastings can be hosted on the licensed premises. This offers liquor manufacturers the chance to market their liquor to the customers of the restaurant or coffee shop - a mutually beneficial arrangement.
To discuss these or any other options, don’t hesitate to Contact Us
RUNNING COST OF A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP
A restaurant or coffee shop’s running cost is relatively inflexible and stable. Rent, staff salaries, insurance, food cost, advertising, security covers most of overheads. The great thing therefore is that overheads costs are very predictable with little or no unpleasant surprises, making planning quite easy, as well as keeping to a budget.
LOW COST - A liquor licence for a restaurant or coffee shop owner has very little extra to do except to pour the liquor or to present the customer with an open bottle. This keeps the operational cost of liquor very low compared to the cost of food preparation.
COST OF BUYING A RESTAURANT OR COFFEE SHOP LIQUOR LICENCE
Good news. There’s a restaurant or coffee shop to be found for everyone’s budget. The asking price is usually directly related to its –
- turnover (total value of all sales), and/or
- nett profit (what you take home)
Depending on your personal circumstances and budget, you may want to buy a small specialist coffee shop or a large, franchise restaurant. Contact Us – we’ll refer you to reputable business broker in your area.
LICENCE COMPLIANCE AUDIT – NON NEGOTIABLE
All licence holders – those with a licence or those thinking about applying for a liquor licence – must have a Licence Compliance Audit done. Why? Apart from being very convenient, it gives -
- a clear picture of the requirements to get a liquor licence and
- clear guidelines on how to keep a liquor licence valid.
More importantly – getting up to date licensing information is the best way of ensuring you won’t be fined or face legal action. Talk to Us about checking if a licence is valid and compliant. You cannot afford not to! – customized for your business and premises.
“SECRET LICENCE” – Did you know that you can apply for an on & off consumption liquor license for a liquor licence for a restaurant or coffee shop? This liquor licence type allows liquor to be consumed ON the licensed premises and OFF (away from) the licensed premises.
The licence holder therefore enjoys the benefits of both licences in one - making it very valuable and increasing the value of the business. It is important to note that the licence application must show that special circumstances are present.
LIQUOR TRADING HOURS
These very from province to province, as well as being different for different municipalities. A liquor licence for a restaurant or coffee shop owner must at all times know what the current liquor licence for a restaurant or coffee shop liquor trading hours are. Failure will lead to fines and/or penalties. Contact Us if you want to know the liquor trading hours for your area.
LIQUOR LAWS & REGULATION
Liquor Acts are different for each province – as prescribed by the constitution. So each province uses its own Liquor Act and Regulations. Many municipalities also use their own liquor bylaws to regulate the consumption of liquor in their areas. This can be very confusing and often presents a barrier for someone without any legal training. Ignorance of Liquor Laws is not an excuse accepted by licensing officials. The profit a restaurant or coffee shop owner may lose due to a fine or even temporary closure, will usually be more than a consultant’s fee. Therefore, it is strongly advised to use an experienced consultant who will be able to ensure a restaurant or coffee shop owner knows exactly what to do and not to do.
Contact Us for anything to do with Liquor Laws, such as any recent changes or application by liquor inspectors.
LICENCE CONDITIONS
Liquor Boards institute a set of licence conditions which applies to the kind of business to which the liquor licence is granted, such as a restaurant or coffee shop. If a licence holder doesn’t apply a licence condition, it opens up to business to fines and penalties. This is why it is non-negotiable to conduct a License Compliance Check / Audit at least once every year. Don't delay! Contact Us for your licence compliance check if you need us to help.