Government Cuts Red Tape

Many people dream of opening their own restaurant. They don’t presume that they will have a vast chain of restaurants or to expand into other countries, they simply want a small family-run establishment that will offer excellent cuisine, second to none service and a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Setting up a restaurant is hard work.  From sorting out the finances for getting up and running and indeed to tide you over through those first few tricky years and locating the perfect premises to researching the appropriate equipment from preparation counters to cold rooms and creating a menu that will attract the customers, there's plenty to keep you occupied. That's all before making contact with suppliers, hiring staff and approaching the promotion and advertising situation. This vast chasm of information, arrangements and deals is made so much more difficult by the sheer volume of red tape that surrounds the opening of a new restaurant. This, on top of all the other pressures, can have devastating consequences for any potential business plans and can, in fact, prevent many businesses from ever even getting past the initial planning stage.

Making It Easier for Small Businesses

At the beginning of 2014, David Cameron announced that he was planning to drop 3000 pieces of ‘unnecessary bureaucracy’ in order to make it easier for small businesses to get off the ground rather than making it harder for them. Cameron acknowledged that small businesses are central to the continuation and growth of the economy and so set about consulting with both business owners and consumers on the usefulness of the regulations in place at the moment, finely honing which were necessary and which weren’t.

A few of the regulations which were pointed out as dated or simply pointless were highlighted as;

• If you sell an oven cleaner you must hold a poisons licence.
• If a childminder is to serve food to a child they must have a food licence.
• If a customer is rude or insulting to a member of staff, the employee can sue their employer.

The restaurant and catering sector in the UK is one of the highest employment areas for young people and by adding obstacles in the way of developing businesses, the possibility of jobs for those willing to work is dramatically decreased. By introducing rules to strip back the amount of red tape that a restaurant must pass through to reach their opening day increases the employment possibilities for the population in the future. The money saved through the new and improved easier route for restaurants will allow the owner to put more money into the training and in house incentives that it can offer its employees.

Concentrating on the Essentials

These new measures proposed by the government will be music to the ears of new start-ups, not only making it easier for smaller businesses to find their way through the legalities and actually open their doors to the public, but allowing them to concentrate on the essentials of good quality food and a great customer experience. It's not only beneficial on a customer level. This act also means that restaurants can focus on offering improved employment possibilities and heading the growth of the local and national economy.

If you are thinking of opening a restaurant, the time has never been more perfect and you can be assured that you have the backing of the government to urge you on your way.