Can you open a restaurant or café in your chosen premises in Spain?

Check before leasing or renovating. The answer depends on your restaurant concept, kitchen requirements and the premises’ technical capabilities. Even a former restaurant needs assessment: its documents and equipment may relate to a different activity or layout.

Extraction, electrical capacity and kitchen placement can change the scope and cost of the work. Here are the questions to ask before signing and the preparations needed for opening.

What should I decide about the kitchen before choosing premises?

A coffee shop serving ready-made pastries and a restaurant preparing hot meals require different technical solutions. The premises therefore need to be assessed against a specific concept.

Before searching for or assessing a property, establish:

• which dishes will be prepared and with what equipment;
• how many customers you intend to serve at the same time;
• whether you need an outdoor terrace;
• whether music and evening operation are planned.

These decisions affect building services and premises requirements. It is better to buy equipment after a specialist has confirmed that it can be installed and operated.

Can the required extraction system be installed?

A ventilation grille does not establish that the premises are suitable for a restaurant kitchen. You need to determine how extraction can be arranged, taking account of equipment, odours and applicable requirements.

A specialist checks the duct route, installation feasibility and necessary consents. If the work affects the facade or shared building elements, clarify this in advance.

Hypothetical example: after signing the lease, you discover that the chosen extraction route cannot be implemented. The owner must change the equipment and menu, find another technical solution or choose different premises.

It is better to identify this restriction before paying for the kitchen design.

Will the electrical capacity and utilities be sufficient?

Cookers, refrigerators and dishwashers create a load that the existing supply may not support.

Before renovation, check the available capacity and whether it can be increased. At the same time, assess water supply, drainage and space for building-services equipment.

Additional connections need to be factored into the budget and sequence of work. Otherwise, a completed kitchen may not be ready to operate.

How should the kitchen be laid out for food safety?

Kitchen size alone does not determine suitability. Food storage, preparation and washing need to be organised to reduce the risk of contamination.

Equipment placement, finishes and cleaning arrangements should be considered at the design stage. Spain’s food safety agency AESAN explains hygiene and food safety management requirements, taking account of the activity and size of the business.

This helps avoid having to move a sink or replace surfaces after the finishes have been completed.

How many seats can the premises accommodate?

The number of tables cannot be calculated from free floor area alone. The design needs to take account of permitted capacity, accessibility, sanitary facilities and escape routes.

Noise should also be assessed before choosing finishes. Customers, music and building-services equipment can all be sources. If sound insulation measures are needed, include them in the design before finishing work begins.

Any promised number of seats should be confirmed through a technical assessment before the transaction.

Do I need to assess premises that used to be a restaurant?

Yes. A previous café or restaurant does not replace document checks. Establish what activity was authorised, what layout was approved and whether the premises match those records.

A new kitchen, music or a change in capacity may require a different assessment of the project and formal documentation of changes.

If a traspaso, the transfer of an existing business, is offered alongside the lease, check separately which equipment is included and the conditions for transferring rights. The state of the business and the suitability of the premises for your concept need to be assessed together.

Can I add an outdoor terrace?

The possibility of an outdoor terrace needs separate confirmation. Do not include outdoor seats in the project calculation before this check.

In the city of Valencia, placing an outdoor terrace on municipal land follows a separate procedure. Operating a restaurant indoors does not replace permission to occupy public space.

Check whether permission exists, which conditions it sets and what is required when the business changes hands. A wide pavement outside the entrance does not by itself establish that tables can be placed there.

What else should I check in Valencia?

Check planning conditions and current neighbourhood restrictions for the chosen address. Findings for a neighbouring restaurant cannot be applied to new premises.

Valencia has areas subject to specific noise restrictions. Their boundaries and current measures need to be checked in municipal documents, as they can affect the establishment’s concept.

You also need to establish the procedure for renovation and opening. In the Valencian Community, the law provides for opening through a declaración responsable, a formal declaration of compliance, or administrative authorisation where applicable. The declaration requires compliance with technical and administrative requirements; it does not remove them.

When should I prepare the opening documents?

Assemble the documents during renovation and establish the required set in advance. Completed finishes do not mean the premises are ready to open: depending on the procedure, final certificates for work and installations, an acoustic audit and other evidence may be required.

Valencia’s municipal procedures provide for the submission of the relevant documents after work is completed. The required set should be established in advance for the particular project.

Record who prepares the documents and hands them over to the owner. Agree changes to equipment or layout with the designer before carrying them out during renovation.

How can NEXEVO assess premises for a restaurant?

NEXEVO can assess the documentary and technical condition of the premises and coordinate the relevant specialists. The assessment helps establish whether the property suits the chosen format and which work needs to be considered before leasing or renovation.

If the contract has already been signed, the cause of the obstacle is established first. Possible solutions and the sequence of next steps can then be assessed. The feasibility of opening depends on the particular property and assessment results.

Planning a restaurant or café in Spain? Contact NEXEVO for an assessment of the premises before signing a lease, buying equipment or starting work.

Frequently asked questions