How to open a restaurant in Poland?

If you are here, you’re probably planning to open a restaurant in the near future. I assume you already have an idea for your business and have done all the analysis about the advantages and opportunities for your company 🙂

This is a step by step guide to help you make it easier and effortless. I will show you what you need to do I’ll walk you through the whole sanitary process.

No matter if you want to open a restaurant, pizzeria, kebab house, food truck, coffeehouse, ice cream parlour or pâtisserie, there are some common rules to follow.

How to open a restaurant in Poland?

1. Choose the premises

What are the general conditions and requirements of the Sanitary Inspection that must meet the premises to start a catering business in Poland?

First of all, the premises must comply with legal norms in the field of business activity, construction law, Sanitary and hygienic requirements and requirements regarding work safety.
Building surroundings – pay attention to the roads and commercial squares – at least paved surface!
Water – there must be cold and hot water in the premises.
Two separate entrances (It’s not required, but it’s better to have them 😉 )
All rooms must have adequate ventilation.
A place for waste and rubbish:
The best scenario is to have a minimum of 15 m from the premises to the garbage.
 Changing room – check whether you can have a space for employees, where they can change, eat and rest.
 A toilet for staff
A toilet for customers with a vestibule – This is not required if you serve only take-away!
If you’re planning to open a restaurant where meals will be consumed on reusable plates you need to ensure that there is a separate room for a dish washing station
The height of the rooms should be a minimum 3.3 meters in the production part, and at least 2.5 meters in the storage, utility and sanitary rooms

2. Once you’ve registered your company:

Sign a rental contract.
Start working with State Sanitary Inspection (SANEPID).
Unfortunately, many people forget that they will not get a decision from SANEPID overnight 🙁
If you have a registered company, you can submit an application to SANEPID. The application should be submitted at least 14 days before openning. Don’t forget about all the required documents, including establishment registration certificate.

You should plan all the steps in advance, because the procedures can take up to 30 days (it does not mean that it will last this long, although this is the maximum time it might take).

Summarizing:

How long doeas the procedure take?

It takes about 30 days, but of course it can be much shorter. It all depends on the kindness and the workload of the State Sanitary Inspection employees.

What documents you should prepare for the visit of the State Sanitary Inspection:

Ownership certificate or a rental agreement – the contract must be signed with the landlord
Judgment for sanitary and epidemiological purposes – the tests take some time to complete. Research is also a bit ongoing, we will not do it „on the spot. Firstly you need to collect stool samples  for three consecutive days, using a clear container put each of them in a clean container and store in a fridge. Then you need to take them to the lab and wait for the test results. After that you are going to have an doctor appoitnment, where you receive the results and medical certificate.
It takes a while and it’s mandatory – don’t leave it until the last minute!
Water testing is an important task to follow in any HACCP program – the best way is to do it when all the renovations are almost completed
Residential Garbage, Recycling & Yard Waste Collection & Disposal Agreement
Contract for proper transfer and disposal of waste cooking oil (if you’re going to use it)
Documentation GMP and GHP (Good Manufacturing and Hygienic Practices for Gastronomy) – we can create it for you, you can also use the documentation wizard.
The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Handbook (HACCP) – we can create it for you or you can also use our template/ software to create it easily.

Technological project
Safety training

Remember that we will get things done faster, better and more easily!

 biuro@wspomagamy.pl