Permits and Licenses Required for Establishing a Bistro in Melbourne

This report reviews a number of permits and licenses that are necessary for establishing a bistro in Melbourne known as the Green Cafe and states whether each of these licenses or permits are worth acquiring or not, in order to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the business.

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Risk Management
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................3
2. Review of Permits...............................................................................................................3
2.1. On Premises License Victoria.....................................................................................3
2.2. Permit to Establish an Outdoor Eating Facility...........................................................3
2.3. Registration/Notification of Fixed Food Premises......................................................3
2.4. Notification of Mobile Food Premises........................................................................4
2.5. Restaurant and Café License.......................................................................................4
2.6. Outdoor Café Permit....................................................................................................4
2.7. Operate Food Business Permit....................................................................................4
2.8. BYO Permit.................................................................................................................4
2.9. Occupancy Permit.......................................................................................................5
2.10. Building Permit........................................................................................................5
2.11. Fair Work Registration............................................................................................5
2.12. General License.......................................................................................................5
2.13. Planning Permit........................................................................................................5
2.14. Vehicle Registration................................................................................................6
2.15. Permit to Distribute Hand Bills...............................................................................6
2.16. Permit to erect to remove an Advertising Sign on a Footpath.................................6
2.17. Permit to Place a Storage Container on the Road....................................................6
2.18. Permit to Replace or Remove Street Furniture or Goods on a Road.......................6

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2.19. Registration of Cooling Tower System...................................................................7
2.20. Registration of Training Contract............................................................................7
2.21. Fire Services Property Levy....................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................8

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1. Introduction
Opening a hospitality business in Melbourne can be done easily and quickly but it also
requires complying with all the rules and regulations prevalent in the city and in the locality
where the business is being set up. There are compliance and legislative issues and concerns
that need to be taken into consideration before a business is formally planned, organized and
established for operations. This report reviews a number of permits and licenses that are
necessary for establishing a bistro in Melbourne known as the Green Cafe and states whether
each of these licenses or permits are worth acquiring or not, in order to ensure the smooth and
efficient running of the business.
2. Review of Permits
2.1. On Premises License Victoria
The On Premises License Victoria ($450) needs to be obtained if alcohol is to be served
at the business premises (Harris et al., 2014). Since the new hospitality business or bistro, the
Green Café, is to be setup in Melbourne will entail provision of beer and expensive wine for
guests, the On Premises License Victoria will have to be acquired.
2.2. Permit to Establish an Outdoor Eating Facility
A permit for establishing an outdoor eating facility ($300) will have to be obtained for the
efficient running of the new business, the Green Café, as most of its operations will be
conducted in outdoor spaces and there will be limited indoor seating for guests.

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2.3. Registration/Notification of Fixed Food Premises
Since the Green Cafe that is being opened in Melbourne is one that intends on carrying
out business operations permanently in the city, the registration of fixed food premises ($200)
shall have to be obtained.
2.4. Notification of Mobile Food Premises
The Notification of Mobile Food Premises ($ 250) is necessary for temporary businesses
only (Metaxas et al., 2017). Since the Green Cafe is going to be opened for permanent
operations, this license will not have to be acquired.
2.5. Restaurant and Café License
A bistro is not a conventional restaurant since it specializes in very casual dining
(Reynolds et al., 2014). Yet it is not completely a café either since it does serve gourmet
cuisine. Yet as far as licensing goes, since the Green Cafe has elements of both a
restaurant and a café, it will have to obtain the restaurant and café license ($ 900) to
operate legally in the part of Melbourne where it is being set up.
2.6. Outdoor Café Permit
As the Green Cafe is going to be serving food and drinks in outdoor open spaces, the
outdoor café permit ($ 600) has to be acquired.
2.7. Operate Food Business Permit
Since the Green Cafe is going to carry out its operations under the purview of the food
industry in Melbourne, it will have to acquire the operate food business permit ($ 300) to
operate legally.

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2.8. BYO Permit
The BYO Permit ($ 250) does not have to be acquired to start up the Green Cafe in
Melbourne as this permit is only necessary for food businesses that allow customers to bring
their own liquor or alcohol with them for consumption.
2.9. Occupancy Permit
The occupancy permit ($ 250) needs to be obtained if business operations are being
carried out in a building or house that has been approved by a building surveyor for
occupation. Since the Green Cafe will carry out some of its food serving operations indoors,
the occupancy permit will have to be acquired to ensure safety of the customers or guests
who visit the bistro in the first place.
2.10. Building Permit
Since the occupancy permit is being obtained for the food business already, it is not
necessary to go ahead and also procure a building permit ($ 300).
2.11. Fair Work Registration
Since this is a business that is just starting out its operations for the very first time in
Melbourne it does not have to comply with fair work rules or obtain the Fair Work
Registration permit ($ 50) at such an early stage of its operations.
2.12. General License
The General License ($ 900) has to be acquired only for export operations. The new
bistro, the Green Cafe being opened in a locality in Melbourne will not engage in export and
import operations. As a result, it will not have to go out of its way to obtain a general license.

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2.13. Planning Permit
The land on which the new business is being set up does not make the acquisition of a
planning permit ($ 250) necessary for the smooth running of the business.
2.14. Vehicle Registration
The vehicle registration ($ 650) will have to be undertaken for the running of the
Green Café in Melbourne, as the enterprise will make use of two or more vehicles for pickup
and delivery services.
2.15. Permit to Distribute Hand Bills
The Permit to distribute hand bills ($ 120) in Victoria has to be obtained only if the business
operations will involve handing out leaflets or pamphlets or notices from time to time. This
will not be necessary for the Green Cafe in Melbourne hence this permit will not have to be
acquired (Hall et al., 2015).
2.16. Permit to erect to remove an Advertising Sign on a Footpath
The Green Cafe in Melbourne will have to acquire the permit for erecting and removing
advertising signs on a footpath ($ 120). It may feel the need to put up such a sign to guide
customers to its business venue and to remove any sign that may be placed in the same place
by a rival business (Bruwer & Campusano, 2018).
2.17. Permit to Place a Storage Container on the Road
This permit to place a storage container on a road ($ 150)will not have to be obtained by
the Green Café business in Melbourne as all of its storage will be restricted to indoor spaces.
2.18. Permit to Replace or Remove Street Furniture or Goods on a Road
This permit to replace or remove street furniture or goods on a road ($ 150) will not
have to be acquired either as the business operations for the Green Cafe in Melbourne will be

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carried out in the confines of the venue that it has legally acquired for this purpose (Wang,
2014).
2.19. Registration of Cooling Tower System
The registration of cooling tower system ($ 100) will not have to be undertaken by the
Green Cafe in Melbourne as it will serving mineral water to its guests for consumption and
will not require the use of any water filtration plant to keep the business going.
2.20. Registration of Training Contract
Since the Green Cafe in Melbourne will not be providing its employees with on job
training, it will not have to register for a training contract ($ 50).
2.21. Fire Services Property Levy
The Fire Services Property Levy ($ 50) must be obtained as it will be necessary to acquire
fire services in Victoria should an accident occur and there is an outbreak of fire (Bowie et
al., 2016).
Conclusion
Thus, while some of the permits and licenses mentioned by the investor in the new
business may not have to be procured, most of them do have to be obtained to ensure the
quick and efficient running of the new hospitality business in Melbourne. The budget for
acquiring such permits will cross $ 2000 so more investment will be needed in this respect.
There is no way this can be avoided else the safety and security of both the business owners
and the customers will be compromised.

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Bibliography
Bowie, D., Buttle, F., Brookes, M., & Mariussen, A. (2016). Hospitality marketing.
Routledge.
Bruwer, J., & Campusano, P. (2018). Restaurants and the bring-your-own-bottle of wine
paradox: involvement influences, consumption occasions, and risk
perception. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 21(2), 121-138.
Hall, C. M., Gossling, S., & Scott, D. (Eds.). (2015). The Routledge handbook of tourism and
sustainability. Routledge.
Harris, K. J., DiPietro, R. B., Murphy, K. S., & Rivera, G. (2014). Critical food safety
violations in Florida: Relationship to location and chain vs. non-chain
restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 38, 57-64.
Metaxas, I. N., Chatzoglou, P. D., & Koulouriotis, D. E. (2017). Proposing a new modus
operandi for sustainable business excellence: the case of Greek hospitality
industry. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 1-26.
Reynolds, P., Balan, P., Metcalfe, M., & Balan-Vnuk, E. (2014). Investigating innovative
business models of general hotels in South Australia. CAUTHE 2014: Tourism and
Hospitality in the Contemporary World: Trends, Changes and Complexity, 1075.
Wang, C. J. (2014). Do ethical and sustainable practices matter? Effects of corporate
citizenship on business performance in the hospitality industry. International Journal
of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(6), 930-947.

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