Opening a Restaurant in Finland

A commercial unit previously used as a shop or office is not automatically suitable for restaurant operation. Permitted use, ventilation, grease/wastewater arrangements, toilets, customer capacity, fire safety, accessibility and possible building-control changes should be checked before opening.

Signing a long and expensive lease before confirming that food or alcohol operations can lawfully run on the premises creates substantial risk. In appropriate cases, consider making the lease commitment conditional on obtaining required approvals.

Under current Finnish Food Authority guidance, a professional restaurant or café submits its food-premises registration notification to the local food-control authority at least four weeks before operations start. The Ilppa e-service can be used for many notifications, while municipalities can also provide their own forms.

A material change in activity, closure or change of operator can also require notification. A registered food business does not normally need to wait for a pre-opening inspection decision before starting, but it becomes subject to regular food controls and municipal registration/control fees.

The own-check system is the practical control plan for managing food-safety risks. Temperatures, cold chain, cleaning, cross-contamination, allergens, traceability, staff hygiene and corrective action should be planned according to the restaurant's actual menu and workflows.

A generic online template is not enough if it does not match real operations. Before opening, define which records staff keep, how often and who is responsible.

Staff handling unpackaged perishable foods require a hygiene passport. The Finnish Food Authority also highlights the required health-status statement concerning salmonella and suitable work clothing for relevant staff.

Do not assume identical requirements for every cashier, worker handling only packaged products or person entering the premises. Classify the actual duties and verify required documentation before work begins.

If the restaurant will serve alcohol, food-business registration alone is insufficient. In 2026 alcohol-serving licence matters are handled through the new Finnish Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto). Licensing is assessed separately for the operator and serving area and includes alcohol own-check and supervisory responsibilities.

Do not start serving alcohol before the required licence is in force. Build the opening timetable around the real processing of the food notification, any alcohol licence, building-control matters and other local permits.

In 2026 restaurant/catering food can generally fall under the 13.5% reduced VAT rate, while alcohol uses the standard 25.5% rate. Configure menu items, takeaway/service models and alcohol correctly in the POS and accounting system.

Separate rules require accurate food and allergen information for customers. Keeping menu descriptions, kitchen recipes and staff information aligned reduces the risk of misleading or unsafe information.

Applicable collective-agreement terms, evening/night/Sunday supplements, overtime, holidays, TyEL, employer insurance, occupational healthcare and payroll administration all affect restaurant labour cost. Budgeting only the advertised hourly wage understates cash needs.