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Who it's for
A restaurant and café liquor licence in Victoria is for venues where liquor goes with food. The business is built around meals, and there are tables and chairs for most of your guests. It suits a restaurant serving wine with dinner, or a café adding a glass of wine at lunch.
- You run, or are opening, a restaurant, café or bistro
- Meals are the main part of your trade
- Most guests sit at tables
- You're moving from BYO to selling your own wine
Not you? Mostly drinks: on-premises licence. Pub with takeaway: general licence.
Count your seats early. Tables and chairs need to be there for most guests, so a floor plan with the seating drawn in is the place to start.
What the restaurant and café licence allows
It lets you sell and serve liquor as part of a food business. Liquor Control Victoria (LCV) looks at how you trade: meals must be the focus, and tables and chairs must be there for most guests. If the venue later becomes more bar than restaurant, you'd apply for a variation to change category.
Adding a glass of wine to a café
Many cafés add wine or beer later. That's a new licence application, with a red line plan (the plan showing where liquor can be served) covering your seating. If liquor will only ever be a small part of the business, a renewable limited licence may suit better. We'll tell you which fits on the first call.
Licence or BYO permit?
A BYO permit lets guests bring their own; you sell no liquor. A restaurant and café licence lets you sell your own list and choose what's poured.
Footpath tables and the planning side
Serving wine at footpath tables needs council's footpath trading (kerbside) permit, and that area added to your licence. Rules vary between councils; see outdoor dining. For the venue itself, many food and drink uses in the commercial zones don't need a planning permit, subject to conditions such as floor area limits. Check the zone, any overlays such as heritage, and any old conditions on the site's permit.
Speak with Jacob
Principal. Twelve years running venues and working inside local government.
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How it works
From first call to decision, in four steps.
- 15-minute call We confirm the licence fits and fix the fee.
- Online form You upload your menu, floor plan, lease and business details through your client portal.
- Red line plan and application We draw the plan in-house, showing the dining areas where liquor can be served, and prepare the application for your sign-off.
- Lodged and managed Lodged within 10 business days of receiving your documents. We deal with LCV's questions, any public notice and any objections.
Fees and timing
A fixed fee for our work, plus LCV's own fee.
- Our fee
- From $1,199 + GST, red line plan included.
- LCV fee
- Separate. Set by LCV; changes every 1 July.
- Decision
- Around 12 weeks from lodgement is typical without objections.
- Footpath area
- Council's permit is separate. We add the area to your licence.
What we need from you
Upload these through our online form.
- Your menu, or a draft of it
- A floor plan or sketch with tables and chairs shown
- Your lease or agreement for the premises
- Business details: the applicant, directors and associates
- RSA and new entrant training certificates, or booking dates
Questions
How do I get a liquor licence for my café?
Apply to LCV for a restaurant and café licence, as long as meals are the main part of your trade and most guests have a table and chair. You'll need a red line plan, your business details, and RSA and new entrant training. We prepare the application, draw the plan in-house and lodge within 10 business days of receiving your documents. If drinks will only ever be a small part of the café, another licence may fit better.
What's the difference between a restaurant and café licence and an on-premises licence?
A restaurant and café licence is for food-led venues; an on-premises licence is for venues where drinking on site is the main activity, such as bars. With a restaurant and café licence, meals must be the focus and most guests need tables and chairs. If you're planning a drinks-led space with standing room, on-premises is likely the better fit. Choosing correctly at the start saves a variation later.
Do I need a BYO permit or a liquor licence?
You need a BYO permit if guests bring their own drinks and you sell none; you need a licence if you want to sell liquor. A BYO permit suits venues that aren't ready to run a drinks list. A licence lets you choose what's served and earn from it. You can start with BYO and apply for a restaurant and café licence later, once you know your trade.
How long does a restaurant liquor licence take in Melbourne?
Allow around 12 weeks from lodgement for a straightforward restaurant and café licence with no objections, in Melbourne or regional Victoria. We lodge within 10 business days of receiving your documents. If the application is advertised, the 28-day public notice and any objections affect the timing, and LCV's workload matters too. Build a buffer into your opening date rather than planning around a fixed day.
Can I serve wine on the footpath outside my café?
Yes, if you hold council's footpath trading permit and the footpath area is included on your licence as an authorised area. These are two separate approvals. The council permit is issued under local laws, and the rules vary between councils. We prepare the licence side, including the updated red line plan, and can help with the council application so both are ready together.