What licences does a UK café need?

Every food business must register with the local authority at least 28 days before opening. Alcohol, pavement tables, and recorded music each need their own permissions. Your hygiene practices will be inspected and rated.

How much does it cost to open a café?

Most UK café openings land between £30,000 and £150,000 once premises, fit-out, and equipment are counted. The brand layer is a rounding error against that. Secure it first, not last.

Should a café be a limited company?

With a lease, staff, and suppliers involved, most owners incorporate. The company shields personal finances if the site fails, and locks the name at Companies House before the signage is paid for.

The no nonsense guide

Start a Café in the UK

A café is the most expensive business in this guide and the most loved. Premises, fit-out, and equipment eat the budget before the first flat white. So get the cheap decisions perfect early. The name, the company, and the website cost pounds. Everything expensive gets printed with them.

The short version

1.Secure the name first: domain, Companies House, and the fascia board all carry it. Checking costs nothing.
2.Get lease and fit-out quotes before committing to anything else. Fit-out is where budgets break.
3.Register the food business with your local authority at least 28 days before opening. It is free and it is the law.
4.Form a limited company before signing the lease. About £63 all in. It shields your personal finances.
5.Sort food hygiene training and your safety management system before the inspection, not after.

What it costs to start

Premises deposit, rent, and fit-outcommonly £20,000 to £100,000 or more
Coffee machine and kitchen equipmentroughly £5,000 to £25,000
Limited company registrationfrom about £13 plus the £50 Companies House fee
Domain and launch websiteabout £305 all in through the NameGenie package
Licences, signage, and opening stockbudget £2,000 to £10,000

Fit-out is where café budgets break. Quote it before you commit to anything else. Register the brand assets while they cost pounds rather than thousands.

Naming a café

Café names live on a fascia board, a takeaway cup, and a map search. Short and warm wins. Place names help local search.
Check Companies House even if you start as a sole trader. If the café works, you will incorporate. Have the name waiting.
A .coffee or .cafe domain rescues a great name whose .com is gone. It reads naturally on a shopfront.

NameGenie checks the domain and Companies House on every generated name, so the café name you fall for is one you can register today. Generate names for your café, then follow the start a business journey to register the domain, form the company, and get a website live in 7 days.

The paperwork that matters

Register the food business with your local authority at least 28 days before opening. Free, and legally required.
Food hygiene training and a safety management system based on HACCP principles. Expect a hygiene rating inspection.
Depending on the offer: alcohol licensing, pavement seating permits, music licensing, business rates.

Questions founders ask

What licences does a UK café need?: Every food business must register with the local authority at least 28 days before opening. Alcohol, pavement tables, and recorded music each need their own permissions. Your hygiene practices will be inspected and rated.
How much does it cost to open a café?: Most UK café openings land between £30,000 and £150,000 once premises, fit-out, and equipment are counted. The brand layer is a rounding error against that. Secure it first, not last.
Should a café be a limited company?: With a lease, staff, and suppliers involved, most owners incorporate. The company shields personal finances if the site fails, and locks the name at Companies House before the signage is paid for.

Starting something else? Start a cleaning business, Start a consultancy, Start a online shop. Costs are typical ranges, not quotes, and this page is a general guide, not legal, tax, or financial advice.