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Trust or Company Service Provider licence TC007926Your own WhatsApp group, replies within 2 hoursLai Chi Kok head office · Kwun Tong · Central · Fo Tan · Shenzhen
Light Refreshment Restaurant Licence

Light Refreshment Restaurant Licence

The light refreshment restaurant licence, commonly called the "small licence", lets the licensee serve dine-in customers, but cooking is limited to simple methods that do not produce a lot of oil smoke.

To enter the Hong Kong food business you must first apply for a restaurant licence. Of the many food licences, the three most common are the general restaurant licence ("big licence"), the light refreshment restaurant licence ("small licence") and the food factory licence. Each shop applies to FEHD for the licence that matches the service it offers and the food it sells.

Trust or Company Service Provider licence TC007926

Location requirements

Building types that can apply for a light refreshment licence:

  1. Shopping centres / malls
  2. Shops designated for restaurant use in public or private housing estates
  3. Commercial buildings for non-industrial use / commercial-residential buildings / residential buildings / street-level shops
  4. Others (for example, properties whose land use has been changed)

Cooker restrictions

Because cooking methods are limited, light refreshment shops may not use these cookers:

Other food licences

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Light refreshment restaurant licence questions

What is a light refreshment restaurant licence?
With a light refreshment restaurant licence (also called the "small licence") the licensee may serve dine-in customers. But food may only be prepared and sold using simpler cooking methods that do not produce a lot of oil smoke, such as boiling, stewing, steaming, braising and pan-frying (no deep-frying or stir-frying). Food cooked or reheated at the table, such as hotpot, teppanyaki and Korean barbecue, is not allowed.
What food can I sell with a small licence?
From 1 March 2023 the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) eased the restrictions on the light refreshment licence. A light refreshment restaurant licence applied for after that date can sell basically any kind of food; the main restriction is the cooking methods mentioned above. Some foods still need a separate licence, such as milk products, ice cream and baked goods. We suggest getting a professional licensing consultant involved early, so gaps in knowledge do not delay the licence and your opening date.
What size must the shop be for a light refreshment licence?
For a light refreshment restaurant licence, the kitchen, food preparation room and dishwashing room must together be 9-20% of the total floor area, and not less than 4.5 sq m.

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