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Open a Restaurant in Gibraltar

Open a Restaurant in Gibraltar

Gibraltar is one of the most appreciated touristic destinations because of its beautiful landscapes and its cuisine which is a mix between the European and the Mediterranean ones. The cuisine which has become traditional here is a mix of cooking influences coming from the United Kingdom, Malta, Spain and Morocco. If you are interested in opening a restaurant in Gibraltar, you should know that the local restaurants can prepare all types of foods. Tourists visiting Gibraltar also appreciate the more unusual range of what is now traditional food of GibraltarOur company formation agents can provide all the necessary information you need for opening a restaurant here. 

Special approvals for opening a restaurant in Gibraltar 

If you want to open a restaurant in Gibraltar, you will need a trading license, issued by the Trade Licensing Authority. The cost of a trading license varies between GIP 20,00 and GIP 40,00, according to the period of time for which the license was issued. 

Any restaurant in Gibraltar must respect the rules specified in the Food Hygiene Regulations, which gives clear guidelines on how a business in this field should be carried out. Also, the restaurant must be inspected by the Building Control Authority, which will verify if the settlement respects the regulations imposed by the Public Health Act

Requirements for handling food in restaurants in Gibraltar

Once the company registration process of the Gibraltar restaurant is completed, the licensing requirements must be met. Considering restaurants in the Rock are subject to the Food Hygiene Act, it must respect certain regulations and apply for a food license which is issued in accordance with the nature of the products to be served and processes used to prepare the products.

Apart from the food license, extreme caution must be taken by the individuals handling the food products to be served in a restaurant in GibraltarForeign investors opening food businesses in Gibraltar must also bear in mind that the personnel must have certain qualifications. The employees must also wear special equipment, such as overclothing and gloves when handling the products.

The video below shows the main requirements for opening a restaurant in Gibraltar:

Sanitary requirements in Gibraltar  

When opening a restaurant in Gibraltar, the investor should know the legislation on the sanitary requirements the settlement has to respect. The Food Hygiene Regulations specifies the following: 

  • – the settlements acceptable for food businesses;
  • – the hygiene of the equipment used in the kitchen;
  • – hygiene requirements for the staff of the restaurant;
  • – obligatory facilities a kitchen must have in terms of ventilation, temperature, water access and many others;
  • – requirements for the transportation of the food supply, according to its nature (fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products);

As a manager of a restaurant in Gibraltar, you will have to make the proof of the fact that you know and respect the Gibraltarian legislation in terms of hygiene procedures; our company formation specialists can present to you the laws applicable here. 

Importing foodstuff for restaurants in Gibraltar

Most restaurants in Gibraltar will import a large amount of the products used to prepare the dishes. These products must be properly verified and when brought to the premises they must be accompanied by import licenses. These licenses must be issued separately for meat products and dairy. Also, upon importation, samples of the products must be taken by the Environmental Agency for verification. The same authority will inspect the restaurant before opening.

If you need further information necessary for the opening of a restaurant in Gibraltar, please contact our company formation agents, who can offer you assistance in this matter.