A restaurant that shuts for a week to move loses more than a week’s takings. It loses regulars who find somewhere else to eat in the meantime. This guide covers the kitchen equipment, the paperwork and the London access rules that decide whether your reopening goes smoothly or drags on for days.
Plan Your Move Around Trading Hours
Timing matters more than almost anything else on a restaurant move. Most successful moves happen overnight or across a planned closure of no more than two to three days, not a full week. Work backwards from your reopening date and book your crew several weeks ahead, since commercial moves need more lead time than a house move. A two or three person crew with a Luton van can usually clear a small café kitchen and dining room in a single overnight shift, leaving your team free to trade lunch service the same day you left the old site. Larger restaurants with walk-in fridges or a full commercial kitchen may need a 7.5-tonne lorry and a bigger crew split across two days: one for the kitchen, one for the front of house. Set your date, then work everything else around it.
Disconnect and Protect Your Kitchen Equipment Safely
Commercial kitchens are not like domestic ones. Cookers, fryers and catering ovens are often hard-wired or connected to gas, so they need a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer to disconnect and reconnect them safely, not a removals crew. Arrange this separately and book it around your move date. Fridges and freezers need a few hours to settle before switching back on at the new site, so run your food stock down in the days before the move rather than transferring full units. Wrap glass-fronted display units and stainless steel worktops in protective blankets to avoid scratches, and photograph serial numbers and plate ratings before disconnection in case you need them for reinstallation or insurance. Get this right and your new kitchen can be back in service the same day.
Update Your Food Business Registration and Licences
Moving premises means updating your food registration too. Any food business that changes address must tell its local council, and it is an offence to give incomplete or false information when you do it, according to GOV.UK. Contact the environmental health team at your new borough as soon as you have a moving date, since registration should ideally be done before you start trading from the new site. If your venue sells alcohol, your premises licence does not automatically transfer either: you will usually need a new licence application or a variation with the new local authority, so start that process early. Sorting the paperwork before moving day means your first service at the new site can go ahead without a hitch.
Choosing the Right Crew and Vehicle for a Commercial Move
Not every restaurant move needs the same removals set-up. A small café or sandwich shop moving a few units of equipment and stock might only need a man and van and one extra pair of hands. A larger restaurant with a full kitchen, bar and dining room fit-out is a different job, closer to an office and business removal than a domestic one, with a bigger crew, protective wrapping for furniture and a vehicle sized for bulky catering equipment. Either way, look for a fully insured team with goods-in-transit cover and public liability insurance, since a dropped fridge or a scratched bar top is expensive to put right. Ask what size crew and vehicle they recommend before you book, not after.
London Access Rules Every Restaurant Move Must Plan For
London high streets rarely make loading easy. Many restaurants sit on parades with double yellow lines, narrow pavements or loading bans during the day, so check your borough’s rules before booking a slot. A parking suspension permit outside your old or new site can save hours of carrying trays and equipment across a busy road, and most councils need two to three weeks’ notice to process one. If your new premises is in a conservation area or a listed building, check whether there are restrictions on delivery times or noise before you commit to an overnight move. A quick call to the council’s highways team before moving day avoids a surprise parking ticket or a blocked loading bay on the morning you need it least.
Packing Stock, Glassware and Small Equipment Without Breakages
Glassware and crockery are where most breakages happen. Wrap glasses and plates individually in bubble wrap or tissue, then pack them upright in divided box sections rather than loose, and label each box with its destination station: bar, pass, or front of house. Dry stock and small equipment like blenders, coffee machines and till systems travel best in wardrobe-style cartons or sturdy boxes with plenty of packing paper, never bin bags. A professional packing and unpacking service can pack a full kitchen and dining room in a single day using proper materials, which matters when every hour of closure costs you trade. Colour-code boxes by area if you’re moving across two floors or two sites, so your team can find the coffee machine before the first customer walks in.
Storage Options If Your Old and New Sites Don’t Line Up
Lease dates rarely line up perfectly. If your new premises isn’t ready when you have to leave the old one, short-term secure storage keeps furniture, equipment and stock safe until you can move in. This is common with restaurant fit-outs, since building work, licensing and kitchen extraction approval can all push back your opening date. Ask whether the storage is insured and climate-controlled if you’re storing sensitive items like wine stock or electronics for more than a few weeks. Planning for this gap in advance means a delayed opening doesn’t turn into weeks of paying for two lots of rent with your equipment sitting in a van.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to move a restaurant kitchen?
Most café and small restaurant moves take a single overnight shift or one closed day, from a few hours for a small kitchen up to two days for a full commercial set-up with a bar and walk-in fridges. Booking a crew that specialises in commercial moves keeps this to a minimum, since they know how to sequence packing, disconnection and reloading efficiently.
Do I have to tell my council when my food business changes address?
Yes. Food businesses must notify their local council of any change of address, and giving false or incomplete information is an offence. Contact your new borough’s environmental health team as soon as you have a confirmed moving date so your registration is ready before you start trading.
Can a removals company disconnect my commercial cooker or fridge?
A removals crew can safely move and protect kitchen equipment, but gas-connected appliances such as cookers and fryers need a Gas Safe registered engineer to disconnect and reconnect them. Book this separately and time it around your move date so the kitchen is safe to use again quickly.
What happens to my alcohol licence if I move premises?
Your existing premises licence does not transfer automatically to a new address. You will usually need to apply for a new licence or a licence variation with your new local authority, so start that process weeks before your move to avoid a gap in trading.
Do I need storage during a restaurant move?
Not always, but it helps if your new site isn’t ready when you leave the old one. Short-term secure storage keeps equipment and stock safe until building work, licensing or kitchen fit-out is finished.
Moving a restaurant or café doesn’t have to mean a week of lost trade and confused regulars. Get the paperwork, the kitchen disconnection and the access permissions sorted early, and your reopening can happen almost as fast as you closed the doors. Get in touch with Just Removals London for a free, no-obligation quote and a crew that knows how to keep a commercial kitchen moving.