Restaurant and pub admin: 30 questions on no-shows, deposits, rota cost, tips, allergens and business rates, answered

Question 1

Can a restaurant charge a no-show fee in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the customer was told the charge clearly before booking and it reflects the venue's actual loss, not a round number set to deter. The CMA's unfair contract terms guidance was updated on 22 July 2026 with new worked examples on cancelled bookings and deposits, so a policy written against the 2015 guidance should be re-read. A charge above the profit lost on the table is a penalty.

Question 2

What do no-shows cost a restaurant?

Accepted Answer

For a venue taking 180 bookings a week with an 8% no-show rate, parties of three spending £32 a head at 65% gross profit, and a quarter of empty tables re-filled by walk-ins, the lost gross profit is £35,044 a year. That is 10.8 tables a week at £62.40 of gross profit each.

Question 3

How big should a booking deposit be?

Accepted Answer

At or below the gross profit the venue would lose on the cover. At £32 a head and 65% gross profit that is £20.80, so a £10-a-head deposit covers 48% of the loss and is easy to defend; £30 a head is more than the loss and reads as a penalty. Return it if the table is re-filled.

Question 4

What does a rota cost on top of the hourly rate?

Accepted Answer

About a quarter more. A 310-hour week for nine people at the £12.71 National Living Wage costs £3,940 gross and £4,906 once employer National Insurance, pension contributions and holiday accrual are added: 24% on top. At 900 covers a week that is £5.45 a cover before anyone has cooked anything.

Question 5

What does the Tips Act require of a restaurant or pub?

Accepted Answer

Five things: pass on 100% of qualifying tips with no deductions but tax; pay them by the end of the month after the month they were received; keep a written policy if tips arrive more than occasionally; keep records for three years; and allocate tips fairly, having regard to the statutory code of practice. Card and service charges are covered.

Question 6

When does Natasha's Law apply to a restaurant or pub?

Accepted Answer

To food packed on the premises before the customer orders it, such as sandwiches in the chiller: each item needs a label with the name and a full ingredients list with the allergens emphasised. It does not apply to a plate cooked to order. For that, allergen information must be available in writing, or given verbally with a written sign saying where to ask.

Question 7

What are business rates for a pub in 2026/27?

Accepted Answer

A pub with a £40,000 rateable value pays £15,280 at the 38.2p small business hospitality multiplier, before any other relief. In 2025/26 the same pub paid 49.9p less 40% relief: £11,976. The end of the capped relief has raised its bill by £3,304 even though the multiplier fell.

Question 8

What does a restaurant booking system cost?

Accepted Answer

On 1 October 2026 UK comparison sites reported ResDiary at £109 to £295 a month by booking volume plus a £99 setup fee, and Dojo Bookings from £149 a month plus VAT on a 12-month minimum with Dojo card payments required. ResDiary's own page shows only add-ons and a 1% payment surcharge. Others quote on request or charge per cover.

Question 9

How should a restaurant reply to a bad review?

Accepted Answer

In under 120 words: thank the reviewer, name the specific problem, say what has changed, and invite them to contact the manager directly. Never offer a discount, a free meal or a voucher in return for editing or removing the review; incentivised reviews have been banned since 6 April 2025.

Question 10

What cancellation terms should a venue use for a private function?

Accepted Answer

Terms where every charge tracks a loss the venue can show: a deposit returned if the date is re-booked, numbers allowed to fall by 10% before the final-numbers date without charge, and a late cancellation charged at confirmed numbers less the food and drink not bought. A flat non-refundable deposit is the term most likely to be challenged.

Question 11

How do reminders affect no-shows?

Accepted Answer

They reduce them, but by how much depends on the venue; published figures vary and most come from booking-system vendors. On the example above, cutting no-shows by a quarter is worth about £8,761 a year and by half about £17,522. A reminder with a one-tap cancel link also frees tables early enough to re-fill.

Question 12

Can AI handle bookings and admin for a restaurant or pub?

Accepted Answer

The written side: booking and function enquiries by email, confirmations and reminders, review reply drafts, rota costing and supplier paperwork. It does not replace the person on the door or the phone at service. Overlyft can set up an AI assistant that drafts and files, and the manager approves anything that goes to a customer.

Question 13

How much does a premises licence cost for a pub or restaurant in England and Wales?

Accepted Answer

Between £100 and £635 to apply, then £70 to £350 a year, set by the rateable value of the building. A venue with a rateable value of £33,001 to £87,000 is in Band C and pays £315, then £295 a year. Large venues used mainly for drinking on the premises pay two or three times as much, up to £1,905 and £1,050 a year.

Question 14

What happens if a pub does not pay its premises licence annual fee on time?

Accepted Answer

The council must suspend the licence. The fee is due on the anniversary of the grant. If the pub disputed the fee in writing before that date, or the non-payment was an administrative error, there is a 21-day grace period. The suspension notice must give at least two working days, and the suspension ends on the day the fee is received.

Question 15

How much does a rota app cost for a pub with 14 staff?

Accepted Answer

On the prices published on 1 October 2026, £40 a month on RotaCloud Standard, which is a flat fee for 11 to 20 people, £41.86 on Planday Starter at £2.99 per user, and £50.40 on Deputy Lite paid monthly at £3.60 per user before tax. RotaCloud's clocking-in add-on is £18 more, which makes it £58.

Question 16

What should an allergen matrix for a restaurant or pub include?

Accepted Answer

One row for each dish and 14 columns, one for each allergen the law lists, with a mark wherever a dish contains one. Food Standards Agency guidance says the specific nut or cereal should be named, so write "almond" or "wheat, barley" in the cell. Add a version date and the chef's signature, and replace every copy when a recipe or supplier changes.

Question 17

How much is a Temporary Event Notice and how far ahead does a pub have to apply?

Accepted Answer

A Temporary Event Notice costs £21 and must reach the council at least 10 clear working days before the event. For an event on Saturday 12 December 2026 the last working day to give it is Friday 27 November 2026. One premises may have 15 notices covering no more than 21 days in a calendar year.

Question 18

How many hours must bar staff have off between closing the pub at night and opening the next day?

Accepted Answer

Eleven. An adult worker is entitled to 11 hours' rest between working days, so someone who finishes a close at 12:30am should not start again before 11:30am. A worker aged 16 or 17 gets 12 hours between shifts and cannot work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.

Question 19

How long do I have to appeal a food hygiene rating, and how long does the council take to decide?

Accepted Answer

You have 21 days from the day you are told the rating, weekends and public holidays included, and the appeal must be in writing. Told on Monday 5 October 2026, the last day is Monday 26 October. The council replies within 21 days of receiving it, through an officer who did not give the rating, and the rating is not published until then.

Question 20

How many Temporary Event Notices can a pub use in a year, and why do the days run out before the notices?

Accepted Answer

One premises can have 15 notices covering no more than 21 days in a calendar year. A day is 24 hours from midnight, so an event that runs past midnight uses two days. Ten late-night events use 20 days and an eleventh would make 22, so the year holds ten of them and one event that ends before midnight: 11 notices, not 15.

Question 21

Can a restaurant or pub use ChatGPT for menus, review replies and rotas, and what does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for drafts that a person checks. On 1 October 2026 ChatGPT Business cost £15 a seat a month billed annually or £18 billed monthly, from two users, and is not trained on your content by default. Keep allergen information out of it: the Food Standards Agency says that information must be accurate and recorded from specification sheets and ingredient labels.

Question 22

Is Boxing Day 2026 a bank holiday, and do pub staff get extra pay for working it?

Accepted Answer

Boxing Day 2026 is a Saturday, so the bank holiday in England and Wales is Monday 28 December 2026. Neither GOV.UK nor Acas sets a higher rate for a bank holiday shift, and bank holidays need not be given as paid leave. Extra pay depends on the contract: on a plain reading, a clause about bank holidays covers the Monday and one naming Boxing Day covers the Saturday.

Question 23

How long does a personal licence to sell alcohol last, and how much does it cost to get one?

Accepted Answer

In England and Wales a personal licence lasts indefinitely; renewal ended on 1 April 2015. The application fee is £37 and the basic DBS check is £21.50, so £58.50 before the Level 2 course. The DBS certificate must have been issued no more than one calendar month before the application reaches the council where you live.

Question 24

What happens if the designated premises supervisor leaves a pub?

Accepted Answer

No alcohol may be sold under the premises licence while there is no designated premises supervisor. The licence holder applies to vary the licence to name a new one, which costs £23, and can ask for immediate effect so the change works from the moment the council receives the application. The new supervisor must already hold a personal licence.

Question 25

How much does a music licence cost for a pub in 2026?

Accepted Answer

On the tariffs in force on 1 October 2026, a pub playing a radio in a bar of up to 120 square metres pays £364.62 a year plus VAT for TheMusicLicence: £204.19 to PPL and £160.43 to PRS for Music. A television adds £128.34. Each music quiz adds £20.82, so a weekly quiz for 50 weeks costs £1,041 a year.

Question 26

Do pubs need a TV licence, and how much is it?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the pub shows or records live TV on any channel or service, or uses BBC iPlayer. A TV Licence costs £180 a year and one covers a single premises. On-demand programmes on services other than iPlayer need no licence. Using a television without one is an offence with a fine of up to £1,000.

Question 27

How many TV licences does a small hotel or a pub with letting rooms need?

Accepted Answer

One hotel licence fee of £180 covers up to 15 accommodation units where a set is installed or used. Above 15, TV Licensing charges another £180 for every extra five units or fewer, so 22 rooms cost £540. Most of the accommodation must be let for fewer than 28 consecutive nights. Ask TV Licensing to confirm the bar is covered.

Question 28

How long does it take to transfer a premises licence when I buy a pub?

Accepted Answer

In England and Wales the transfer can take effect the day the council receives the application, if it asks for immediate effect and the current holder consents. The fee is £23. The police have 14 days from being notified to object, and if they do not, the council must transfer the licence. Naming a new designated premises supervisor is a separate £23 application.

Question 29

What happens to a pub's premises licence if the company that holds it goes into administration?

Accepted Answer

The licence lapses when its holder becomes insolvent, which for a company includes the appointment of an administrator. It is reinstated if a buyer applies for a transfer with immediate effect no later than 28 days after the lapse, or if an interim authority notice is given within 28 days. After that, a new licence has to be applied for.

Question 30

When do I have to check a new bar or kitchen worker's right to work, and how long do I keep the copies?

Accepted Answer

Check before the person is employed, from original documents with the person present or from a share code. Keep the copies during the employment and for 2 years after it ends. The civil penalty is up to £60,000 for each illegal worker, and an employer who can show the correct checks were made does not have to pay it.