Free tool · Before you open
Free pre-opening checklist for restaurants, pubs, bars, and cafés
Fifty things to get right before your first service, in ten areas, each with a date worked back from the day you open. It shows you what is due, what is overdue, and the fifteen you cannot open without.
What should be on a restaurant pre-opening checklist?
Ten areas: the concept, and whether your area wants it; licences, registration, the lease, and insurance; the opening budget, and the cash to get through the first months; the menu, costed before the kitchen is built; the team and their training; the till, bookings, and stock systems; the premises and fit-out; suppliers and stock; service and atmosphere; and the launch. In England and Wales, register as a food business at least 28 days before you trade, and allow time for a premises licence if you sell alcohol.
The list I wish I had had
Opening a venue is exciting, and it is frightening. In my experience, most of the mistakes that sink a restaurant in its first year are made months before, during the planning, not during service.
I have opened seven venues of my own, and several more for the people I worked for, in the UK and Spain. I have seen where the traps are, and I have stepped in a few myself. This is the list I wish I had had the first time.
Why it exists
Nobody hands you a manual when you decide to open a bar or a café. You usually find out what you did not know by hitting a wall. Some walls are cheap; others cost you the business. The checklist will not replace experience, but it tells you which questions to ask, which numbers to work out, and when each one needs to be done.
The ten areas
- 01 Concept and story: does it work for the people who live and walk past here, or only for you?
- 02 The legal maze: licences, registration, the lease, insurance, and HMRC.
- 03 Money and flow: an opening budget built from quotes, a contingency, and the cash to survive a quiet start.
- 04 Menu and margin: every dish costed before the kitchen equipment is ordered.
- 05 People and culture: roles, contracts, hygiene training, and paid training days.
- 06 Systems and tech: the till, bookings, stock, and the books.
- 07 Premises and fit-out: the schedule, fire safety, gas and electrics, and outside seating.
- 08 Suppliers and stock: quotes, payment terms, deliveries, and a back-up for what matters most.
- 09 Service and atmosphere: service steps, the music licence, and practice services with real guests.
- 10 Launch and visibility: your Google profile, the website, and the opening plan.
How it works
- Set up your venue. Create a free account and tell us about your venue, including the date you plan to open. Every free tool uses the same details, so you only enter them once.
- Work through the fifty items. Each has a due date, worked back from your opening day. Fifteen are marked Essential: the things you cannot legally or safely open without, or that decide whether the money lasts. Tick an item only when it is done, not when it is planned.
- Keep an eye on the panel. It shows how far along you are, what is overdue, and one thing to do this week. Move your opening date and every due date moves with it. Download the whole list as a PDF to share with a business partner or your accountant.
The licensing items are written for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own licensing systems, so check those items with your council before you rely on them.
Who is it for?
- The first-timer: you have the idea; this gives you the order to build it in.
- The operator opening another site: you have done it before, and want nothing missed while the first site keeps trading.
- The person about to sign: you are close to committing serious money and want to know you are ready.
What happens next?
If you are on track, keep going in order; the last four weeks always take longer than you think.
If you are behind, or the money does not add up, the Pre-Opening Diagnostic is the next step. We go through your concept, your numbers, your premises, and your plan to find the problems before they are built in, and you get a written plan within five working days, with a 30-minute debrief. £695. If you start Plan within 30 days, the fee comes off your first month.
Or book a free 30-minute call to talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
Is the checklist really free?
Yes. It is free with an account, and it stays free: there is no paid version and no trial.
Does it work in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Most of it does: the concept, the money, the menu, the team, and the launch are the same everywhere. The licensing items are written for England and Wales, and Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own systems, so check those with your council before you rely on them.
Who sees my checklist?
You, and me if you book a call or a Pre-Opening Diagnostic. It is kept in your account, stored in the EU, and never sold or shared. You can delete it, and your account, at any time.