Opening a restaurant, café, takeaway, food truck or catering business in South Africa means more than a great menu — it means a stack of licences, and the wrong order or a missing certificate can shut you down the week before opening. Here’s what you actually need to trade legally with food and alcohol. Requirements vary by municipality and province — always confirm locally.
The licence every food business needs: the Certificate of Acceptability
If you handle food for sale, you must have a Certificate of Acceptability (CoA) for your premises, issued by your local municipality’s environmental health department under the food-safety regulations. It confirms your premises are fit to handle food. No CoA, no legal trading — this is the non-negotiable one.
The business (trading) licence
Under the Businesses Act, selling or supplying meals or perishable food usually requires a trading licence from your municipality. Alongside it you’ll typically need to satisfy health, fire safety, and zoning requirements for your premises, plus signage approval.
Selling alcohol: the liquor licence
Alcohol is licensed provincially, and each province has its own liquor authority and process. Expect:
- An application to the provincial liquor board, with supporting documents and often a public-participation step.
- Premises requirements and zoning that specifically permit liquor sales.
- Lead times measured in months, not days — start early.
If you run a guest house or hotel, TGCSA star grading is separate and voluntary but valuable for marketing.
Food safety & the cold chain
Beyond the paperwork, you’re responsible for ongoing food safety — hygiene, temperature control, and often a HACCP-based system. Health inspectors can visit, and a failed inspection can cost you your CoA.
The transport variant (delivery, catering vehicles, taxis)
Adding delivery or running vehicles brings its own licences: an operating licence for public transport, a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP) for drivers, roadworthy certificates, cross-border permits (C-BRTA) if applicable, and the right transport insurance. COIDA also classes some of this work as higher-risk.
Events & catering contracts
Catering and events live and die on contracts: clear deposits, cancellation terms and compliance with the Consumer Protection Act protect you when a big booking falls through.
Start early — the timing trap
The single biggest mistake is leaving licences until the last minute. CoA, trading licence and especially the liquor licence have lead times that don’t care about your opening date. Map them backwards from launch.
Get your kitchen, your guests and your wheels fully licensed. The Hospitality, Catering & Transport pack covers the CoA, trading licence, liquor licensing, food safety/HACCP, the transport variant (operating licence, PrDP) and event contracts — on top of the Core Course that gets your company registered.
