A hospitality fitout is not just about getting a nice counter built and choosing finishes that look good.
That is obviously part of it, but if you are opening a cafe, restaurant, bar or food venue, there are a lot of boring but important things that can affect the fitout before the job even starts.
Food business licensing, trade waste, outdoor dining, liquor licensing, staff training, smoking rules, food safety, cleaning access, council requirements and plumbing can all end up impacting the way the space needs to be planned.
Some of these things do not sound like shopfitting problems at first.
But they can become shopfitting problems very quickly.
If you need a grease trap, that affects plumbing and back-of-house planning. If you want outdoor dining, that can affect your frontage, furniture, access and council approval. If you are serving alcohol, the licence type and compliance requirements need to be looked at before opening.
So rather than trying to remember every government page, we have pulled together some useful Brisbane and Queensland resources that may help when planning a hospitality fitout.
Start With Business Launchpad
Business Queensland’s Business Launchpad is a good place to start because it helps you work out what licences, permits and approvals may apply to your business.
This is useful because hospitality businesses often sit across a few different areas.
A cafe might be preparing food, selling alcohol, playing background music, putting signs out the front and using an outdoor dining area. That is not one simple approval. There can be different requirements depending on what the business is doing and where it is located.
Resource: Business Launchpad
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/launchpad
General Hospitality Business Resources
Business Queensland also has a broader hospitality, tourism and sport section.
This is more of a general business resource, but it can still be useful if you are in the early planning stage and trying to understand the wider side of running a hospitality business in Queensland.
It is not just about the physical fitout. You also need to think about the business structure, approvals, staffing, operations and the way the venue will actually run once it opens.
Resource: Hospitality, tourism and sport
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/hospitality-tourism-sport
Food Business Licensing In Brisbane
If you are opening a food business in Brisbane, Brisbane City Council is one of the first places to check.
Depending on what you are doing, you may need a food business licence. This can apply to businesses preparing or selling unpackaged food, cooked meals, takeaway food, certain baked goods, dairy products and other food that is not exempt.
This is worth checking early because the type of food you handle or serve can affect what you need to have in place before you open.
Resource: Running a food business
https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/laws-and-permits/food-business-licences/running-a-food-business
Food Premises Design And Fitout
This is the part that ties more directly into the actual fitout.
Food venues need to be designed so they can be cleaned properly, maintained properly and used safely. That can affect floors, walls, ceilings, fixtures, fittings, hand washing areas, storage, ventilation, lighting, food preparation areas and equipment placement.
This is why it is better to look at these requirements before the fitout is locked in.
It is much easier to plan for cleaning access, surfaces, sinks, storage and equipment early than it is to change it halfway through the job.
Resource: Brisbane City Council running a food business
https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/laws-and-permits/food-business-licences/running-a-food-business
Resource: Queensland Government design and fit-out requirements
https://www.qld.gov.au/health/staying-healthy/food-pantry/starting-a-food-business/premises-and-equipment/design-and-fit-out
Trade Waste For Food Service Businesses
Trade waste is one of those things that can get missed until it becomes a problem.
For cafes, restaurants, takeaway shops and food venues, trade waste requirements can affect things like grease traps, wastewater, plumbing, cleaning processes and how waste from food preparation is managed.
From a fitout point of view, this matters because it can influence the back-of-house layout, plumbing locations, equipment placement and service areas.
It is not the exciting part of planning a venue, but it is definitely something you want to know about early.
Resource: Urban Utilities trade waste for food service businesses
https://www.urbanutilities.com.au/business/business-services/trade-waste/trade-waste-for-food-service-businesses
Liquor Licence Types And Permits
If your venue is going to serve alcohol, liquor licensing needs to be looked at early as well.
The type of licence or permit you need can depend on the type of venue you are running. A restaurant, cafe, bar, hotel or club may all have different requirements depending on how alcohol is being sold and consumed.
This is not just a paperwork thing either.
Liquor licensing can affect how the venue is operated, managed and sometimes even how the space needs to be planned.
Resource: Types of liquor and wine licences and permits
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/hospitality-tourism-sport/liquor-gaming/liquor/licensing/licences-permits/types
Liquor Compliance Checklists
Once a venue is licensed, there are ongoing compliance requirements.
Business Queensland has liquor compliance checklists that can help venue owners understand what may need to be kept on-site and managed properly.
This can include things like licence documents, staff training records, approved manager details and other venue-specific requirements.
Again, it is not the glamorous side of opening a venue, but it is the kind of thing that can cause headaches if it is left too late.
Resource: Compliance checklists for liquor licensees and permit-holders
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/hospitality-tourism-sport/liquor-gaming/liquor/compliance/checklists
Staff Training For Licensed Premises
If you are opening a licensed venue, staff training is another one to factor in.
Depending on the role and the venue, staff may need training such as Responsible Service of Alcohol. This is more of an operational requirement than a fitout requirement, but it still matters when you are planning the launch.
There is not much point having the space ready if the business side is not ready to trade.
Resource: Mandatory training for staff of licensed premises
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/hospitality-tourism-sport/liquor-gaming/liquor/licensing/responsibilities/staff-training
Outdoor Dining Permits In Brisbane
If you want tables and chairs outside the venue, check the outdoor dining requirements early.
Outdoor dining is not just a case of putting a few tables out the front. You may need approval, and the application may need details like where the tables, chairs and equipment will go, as well as information about the furniture and the site frontage.
This can affect customer flow, access, frontage presentation and the way the venue works from the street.
For hospitality venues, the outside area can be a big part of the customer experience, so it is worth planning properly.
Resource: Outdoor dining permit, Brisbane City Council
https://ablis.business.gov.au/service/qld/outdoor-dining-permit-brisbane-city-council/6484
Smoking And Outdoor Eating Areas
Outdoor eating and drinking areas also have smoking and vaping rules that need to be considered.
This can affect how outdoor areas are managed, where signage may be needed and how the frontage or outdoor seating area is set up.
If your venue has outdoor dining, this is worth checking before you start making decisions about the layout.
Resource: Extended smoke-free outdoor eating and drinking places fact sheet
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/1282710/smoking-outdoor-eating-drinking-factsheet.pdf
Brisbane App For Businesses
This one is not really a compliance resource, but it could still be useful once the venue is ready to open.
The Brisbane app gives businesses a way to promote offers, events and experiences through the app. For hospitality businesses, that could be worth looking at as part of the launch or ongoing promotion of the venue.
The fitout gets the space ready, but you still need people walking through the door.
Resource: Brisbane app for businesses
https://brisbaneapp.com.au/for-businesses
Why It Is Worth Checking These Before The Fitout Starts
A good hospitality fitout needs to be planned around the way the business will actually operate.
That means thinking about customer flow, staff movement, service areas, cleaning, waste, food preparation, storage, outdoor dining, licensing and all the little practical details that can create problems later.
This is where planning matters.
A poor layout can create bottlenecks. The wrong finish can be hard to clean. A missed plumbing requirement can create extra cost. Outdoor dining can affect access and frontage. Licensing can affect how the venue needs to be managed.
None of these things are impossible to work through, but they are much easier to deal with before the fitout starts.
RJR Shopfitting are fitout specialists with experience across a wide range of industries and can help with the practical fitout side, including custom joinery, counters, seating, service areas, trade coordination and installation. But venue owners should talk with us about this and always check the current requirements with the relevant council, regulator, certifier or licensing authority for their specific business.
The more that is sorted early, the smoother the fitout usually is.
