Opening of a restaurant in Bulgaria

Categorization of a catering/restaurant - what do we need to know?

The categorization of a catering establishment or restaurant is an essential step to establish a business in the tourism industry. This process is carried out by the Tourism Agency and is important for determining the quality and standard of services offered in the establishment.

After submitting an application for categorization and passing the relevant procedure, the establishment receives a certificate and a plate indicating its category. This classification may vary depending on the number of stars the establishment will receive, with each category having its own specific requirements and standards.

The necessary documents for the procedure include a sample application, declarations of registration and liquidation, a certificate of qualification of personnel, documents on education or professional qualifications of the manager, as well as evidence of the right to use the site.

Typically, the categorization process takes up to two months. It is important to emphasize that depending on the category that the establishment will receive, a lot also depend on the requirements for its functioning.

What are all the necessary documents for the categorization of the catering object?

1. Application for categorization by model
2. A declaration in the form of registration in the commercial register with an indication of the EIC or copies of documents certifying that you have the right under another law to carry out business activities, including under the legislation of another Member State of the European Union;
3. Declaration that you are not in liquidation - for persons who are not traders;
4. Reference by model on the professional and linguistic qualifications of the staff at the site;
5. Copies of the documents certifying the education or professional qualification, experience in tourism and the language qualification of the manager of the tourist site, in accordance with the requirements of the regulation under Art. 121, para. 5 of the Tourism Act;
6. Form according to the model for determining the category;
7. Copies of the documents of ownership of the site or a copy of the rental agreement or of another contract from which it is clear that conditions are in place to carry out the relevant tourist activity on the site;
8. A document certifying the commissioning of the site, or another document certifying the legality of the object, in compliance with the requirements of the Law on Spatial Planning, respectively, a permit for the use of a surface water body and a certificate of suitability - for catering and entertainment establishments located on pontoons or on anchored in proximity to the shore vessels;
9. Document for paid fee for consideration of documents for categorization according to the tariff under Art. 69, para. 3 of the Tourism Act.

How much does it cost to open a restaurant? What are the prices for categorization of a catering establishment?

The cost of opening a catering establishment varies depending on several basic procedures:

Procedure before the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency:The fee is 34 BGN.

Before the municipality for registration of working hours:There is also no fee for this procedure.

In front of the Tourism Agency:The fee for categorization varies between 150 and 2000 BGN, depending on the number of places in the establishment.

For the categorization of catering and entertainment establishments (stand-alone or adjacent to accommodation), the following fees are payable:

• If there are up to 20 seats - 150 BGN
• If there are from 21 to 50 seats - 250 BGN
• In the presence of 51 to 150 seats -800 BGN
• In the presence of 151 to 300 seats -1500 BGN ;
• With more than 300 seats available - 2000 BGN ;

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What are the requirements for opening a restaurant in Bulgaria?

Before starting the business plan for your establishment, it is important to have a clear concept of the type of restaurant you want to open. The choice of concept is critical, as it determines your target audience, the type of dishes offered, and the feel of the place.

Choice of concept for menu suggestions

• Pizzeria:This concept can range from a small establishment with a focus on pizza to a larger Italian-style restaurant that offers a variety of dishes.
• Sandwich Pavilion:Sandwiches are popular for their variety and convenience of consumption.
• Restaurant with national cuisine:Opening a restaurant that focuses on traditional local dishes can be attractive for tourists.
• Fish restaurant:Offering quality seafood and fish distinguishes this concept from the competition.
• Steakhouse:For the success of such an establishment, the quality of the meat and the skill of the cook are critical.
• Cafeteria:The challenge here is to excel in the competitive environment with a unique offer.
• Bakery:The combination of a bakery and a cafe can turn out to be successful, especially if you offer a unique product.

Why is the restaurant concept important? They exist in Bulgaria several types of administrative procedures, depending on whether food of animal origin (i.e. meat, fish, etc.) is processed or not, and in the first case the requirements are far more burdensome.

License and requirements for opening a restaurant and catering establishment. Necessary documents for opening an establishment in BABH, RZI. Requirements for the processing and transportation of food.

When planning the opening of a restaurant, you need to consider whether to invest in your own building or rent an already existing establishment. Renting an object that was already a restaurant can greatly facilitate the process, since it probably already meets some of the requirements.

If you choose a property that has not been used for a restaurant (that is, it is without the status of an establishment for the production, processing and/or distribution of food under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004), you will have to make a number of alterations. This includes the development of an architectural project that will meet all legal and functional requirements. The project should provide for both the interior device and the necessary facilities for customer service and cooking. It is also important to take into account accessibility and safety requirements, as well as hygiene standards.

According to Article 31 of the Food Act, catering establishments (i.e. restaurants, bistros, fast food establishments and any type of establishment where food is prepared) are considered as establishments for the production, processing and/or distribution of food under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. In order to obtain a permit, the manager of the company that owns the restaurant must submit a set of documents to the ODBH - the Regional Directorate for Food Safety in the respective locality. The set of documents should contain:

• Sample applicationapproved by the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency;
• A copy of one of the following documents - certificate of commissioning under Art. 177, para. 3 of the Spatial Planning Act - where applicable, a building permit issued under Art. 41, para. 1 of the Spatial Planning Act - for outbuildings and secondary buildings, permission for placement under Art. 56, para. 2 of the Spatial Planning Act - for movable objects,, a document certifying that the object is not subject to commissioning - where applicable, documents under Art. 55, para. 1 - in the cases under Art. 50, para. 1 of the Food Act - these are all documents, related to the transport of food

It is important to note that a business operator (restaurant/establishment) may transport food within the scope of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 only with vehicles registered by the relevant competent authority, designated and entered in a register - in the Republic of Bulgaria the competent authority is BAFH - Bulgarian Food Safety Agency!

• Document of ownership, rental or use of the object.
• The application according to the model contains at least name and address, respective name, registered office and address of management of the business operatorand a single identification code under the Law on the Commercial Register and the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities or an equivalent document for registration in another Member State of the European Union or another country party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, type and address of the object, number and date of entry into force of permission to use the siteunder Art. 177, para. 2 of the Spatial Planning Act - where applicable, listing all types of activities carried out at the site,and related activities, where applicable, inall food groups, including subgroups of foods, to be produced, offered processed and/or distributed on the site, data ontype of water supply at the siteand method of waste water disposal, data on production capacity - for food production and processing facilities, means of communication,which will be used in distance food trade;

If the restaurant and/or the catering establishment intends to transport and transport food, then to, the application shall indicate the number, types and registration numbers of the vehicles, owned or rented, which will be used for the transportation of food pursuant to Art. 50 of the Food Act.

The restaurateur also declares that in the production of food, genetically modified foods, ingredients and additives produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), including components of an ingredient and substances that are present in the final product, albeit in an altered form, will be put into the establishment; a declaration is not required by a business operator carrying out trade, as well as from catering establishments;

Finally, the owner of the catering establishment declares that he has developed a draft of a food safety management system commensurate with the type and size of production, which includes good practices for the production, processing and/or distribution of food or a permanent procedure or procedures in accordance with Article 10 of the Food Act, including technological documentation or national, approved or branching guidelines and standards for the food groups to be produced, processed and/or distributed on the site. This is the so-called HASEP (HACCP) system - by its nature, it is a preventive system to ensure the safe production of food products. In Bulgaria there are companies that offer the development of such systems.

As part of the comprehensive services offered by Elan Consulting, assistance with the provision and development of the HACCP system by a trusted partner of the accounting firm is included.

The last requirement for the owners of establishments is to complete a declaration as part of the application in which they declare that they will be offered food from organic production, benefiting from a derogation within the meaning of Article 28 (2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 (OJ L 189/1 of 20 July 2007) - quando è applicabile.

The accounting firm “Elan Consulting” can help you in this process, providing advice and support in the preparation of documentation and advice on best practices when starting a catering establishment.

Important! According to the latest amendments to the legislation, registration of a catering establishment in the RZI (Regional Health Inspectorate) is not required! The procedures are carried out entirely in front of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BAFSA)! Only in the event that your establishment is located in a premises of a residential or public building, in areas and territories intended for housing construction, recreation areas and territories and mixed-use areas, it should by request the issuance of an opinion from the RZI on compliance with the limit values of noise indicators according to Art. 11 and Art. 16b of the Environmental Noise Protection Act.