Are you planning to open a restaurant? Be aware that if you want to sell alcoholic beverages, you'll need to apply for a specific license. Not all establishments that serve food necessarily serve alcohol and are not required to do so, but in most cases, it's essential! Let's take a closer look at what this means for each category of restaurant and drinking establishment.
🍷 How are alcohols categorized for licenses?
Depending on what you're going to sell in your restaurant, you need to know the different categories of drinks by group (from 1 to 5, but excluding category 2, which has been repealed), according to their alcohol content, and the corresponding licenses.
The subtle difference between two licenses lies in the terms of service. Thus, a License IV is required to serve alcohol outside of meals, while the dedicated Small Restaurant License is sufficient for consumption during meals.
- To avoid any problems outside their core business, most restaurants choose the license dedicated to them: the restaurant license.
- Restaurants that do not serve alcoholic beverages no longer need to acquire a license.
- Furthermore, a Small Restaurant License is sufficient for consumption of Group 3 beverages on-site and during meals.
This means that if, for example, you open a tea room that offers meals at lunchtime, you have the choice of a less expensive license and a faster process to open your establishment according to the rules.
📌 Licenses by beverage category
Summary of licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages
Group 1
- Alcohol-free, 0°
Group 2
- ⚠️ No longer exists
Group 3
Less than or equal to 18°
- Small restaurant license, only on site and during meals
- License 3 to sell these alcohols and natural sweet wines and liqueur wines
- License IV at all hours
- Restaurant license during meals
- License to sell liquor: for sale outside of meals or to take away
Group 4
Above 18°: rums, tafias, spirits from the distillation of wines, ciders, perries or fruits
- License IV for the sale of alcohol at all hours (mandatory in bars)
- Restaurant license during meals
- License to sell liquor: for sale outside of meals or to take away
Group 5
All other drinks alcoholics
- License IV for the sale of alcohol at all hours (mandatory in bars)
- Restaurant license during meals
- License to sell drinks: for sales outside of meals or to take away
📍What are the conditions for obtaining a license for your restaurant?
Before obtaining your license, it is important to know the steps and prerequisites. It requires two steps: an operating license and a declaration at the town hall.
👉 Legal requirements
Any license to open a restaurant, and even more so a bar, requires you to be an adult or an emancipated minor and not be under guardianship.
A clean criminal record is not required. However, common law crimes and pimping permanently prevent you from obtaining a license. On the other hand, offenses such as theft, fraud, or breach of trust deprive you of your license for 5 years, after which this ban is erased if there has been no repeat offense.
👉 The operating license
To serve alcohol in your restaurant, you must undergo around twenty hours of training from an approved organization in order to obtain a 10-year operating license (renewable with 6 hours of training) which will lead you to the license. This training allows you to integrate all your public health and safety obligations regarding the dangers of alcohol, but also noise pollution.
👉 Declaration at the town hall or prefecture
At least 15 days before opening your restaurant, make your declaration with:
- Your operating license
- The Cerfa form n°11542*05
- An identity document
Your license is official by receiving a receipt required for your registration in the Commercial Register with the court.
🍺 Your license obligations
You must display your license number and the category of alcohol, as well as the price of the drinks. Not forgetting an announcement about the dangers of alcohol and the repression of public drunkenness.
You must also offer a list of at least 10 non-alcoholic drinks, which will also have the advantage of addressing everyone, whether or not you drink alcohol.
Obtaining a license to sell alcohol in your restaurant is mandatory. Plan ahead to be compliant on opening day!
