Guide contents
There is no single administrative checklist that fits every restaurant in Morocco. A bakery with on-site production, a coffee shop, a delivery kitchen and a restaurant with extraction, a terrace or a regulated activity are not the same project. The reliable method is to describe the operation precisely, verify one specific address, then obtain project-specific confirmation from the competent authorities and qualified professionals before each commitment that would be expensive to reverse.
The three decisions to secure
- Define the actual service before searching for premises. Production, capacity, hours, delivery and equipment change the requirements.
- Do not confuse creating a company with permission to operate a particular activity at a particular address.
- For every procedure, record the authority, stage, required documents and expected proof, then retain the dated response.
01 · The projectDefine the operation before searching for premises.
Start with a one-page project sheet. State what will be prepared, where production will happen, how orders will arrive, how many guests can be served, the intended hours and every sales channel. Include delivery, takeaway, any terrace, cooking equipment, refrigeration, extraction, supplier receiving and waste removal.
This sheet is not an official application. It is the shared reference that stops each landlord, adviser, contractor and authority from answering a different version of the project. Update it whenever the concept changes. An answer obtained for a coffee shop with no cooking should not automatically be reused for a fully equipped kitchen at the same address.
Before a binding lease, fit-out deposit or equipment order, document these nine points:
- The exact activity, products sold and operations performed on the premises.
- Target capacity, hours, sales channels and the service peaks the team must absorb.
- Compatibility between the intended use, the premises and constraints identified by competent authorities.
- Feasibility of extraction, refrigeration, water, electricity, drainage, cleaning and maintenance.
- The flows of guests, employees, deliveries, clean food, dirty equipment and waste.
- The procedures that correspond to this activity, address and proposed work, in their actual order.
- The authority or service that confirms each step and the form of evidence it provides.
- The complete investment budget, cash reserve and conditions under which the project could still be stopped.
- The concept’s economic capacity, followed by a complete service rehearsal before public opening.
Treat every item as a decision gate. “In progress” does not mean “validated.” Define the evidence needed to pass each gate: a written response, verified document, technical report, reviewed contractual provision or measured test result.
02 · The premisesVerify the address before attaching the entire project to it.
A strong commercial location can still be a poor operating site. Visit with the project sheet, take measurements and involve the qualified professionals needed for technical checks. Request relevant documents from the owner or representative, but do not assume that a previous tenant’s activity proves that your new operation can proceed unchanged.
Extraction illustrates the risk. An existing duct proves neither its condition, capacity, outlet nor compatibility with your equipment. Apply the same discipline to electrical capacity, water, drainage, refrigeration, storage and facade work. A photograph, estate-agent description or verbal promise is not a technical study.
| Question | Evidence to obtain | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Intended use | Project description, premises documents and a relevant confirmation from competent contacts. | Compatible, conditional or rejected. |
| Technical capacity | Measurements, available power, water, drainage, refrigeration, ventilation and appropriate professional opinions. | Fit-out priced before commitment. |
| Operating flows | Plan for receiving, preparation, service, washing, storage, deliveries and waste. | No critical crossing left without a solution. |
| Contract | Permitted purpose, authorized work, responsibilities and conditions reviewed with qualified counsel. | Sign only with the risks understood. |
If an essential validation remains outstanding, ask qualified counsel how that uncertainty should be handled during lease negotiations. This guide does not supply a standard lease clause. Suitable drafting depends on the premises, owner, transaction and risks accepted by the parties.
The cheapest premises become expensive when they require unplanned work or cannot support the intended operation.Opening decision · Kiwi Guides
03 · The proceduresBuild an authority map for the exact project.
Do not begin with a question as broad as “Which licence does a restaurant need?” Build a matrix instead. For each subject, record the activity concerned, address, identified authority, procedure, timing, requested documents and final evidence of completion.
Official portals are useful entry points, but they have different functions. DirectEntreprise covers company creation and associated formalities offered through the platform. Idarati provides administrative-procedure information. Rokhas digitizes certain territorial procedures. None should be described as universal permission to operate every type of restaurant.
Law No. 28-07 on food-product safety and its implementing Decree No. 2-10-473 establish a food-safety framework and distinguish regimes and competent authorities according to the activity. That distinction rules out two shortcuts: claiming that every restaurant automatically follows the same ONSSA procedure, or claiming that restaurants are never concerned. Ask the competent contact to classify the operation you actually plan to run.
| Need | Entry point to verify | Question requiring confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Create the company | OMPIC, DirectEntreprise and professionals assisting with formation. | Legal form, documents, sequence and evidence received. |
| Understand a procedure | Idarati and the administration responsible for that procedure. | Current version, territory, documents and deciding authority. |
| Premises and work | Territorial authority, Rokhas where available, and relevant technical professionals. | Compatibility, work subject to procedure, stages and final proof. |
| Food safety | The authority competent for the activity under the Law No. 28-07 framework. | Applicable regime, reviewing service, inspection and expected document. |
For each answer, record the date, service, contact or reference number, project version described and documents supplied. If two answers conflict, do not simply choose the easier one. Request clarification using the same project sheet and the same facts.
04 · The companyCompany formation does not by itself authorize the premises.
OMPIC explains the stages in company creation and business life. The availability and registration of a trade name are also separate subjects. These procedures establish and identify the legal entity. They do not replace verification of the address, proposed work, actual activity or applicable food-safety route.
Keep four coordinated files without merging them: operating project, premises, company and applicable procedures. One file may be ready while another remains blocked. Your launch dashboard should show that difference instead of hiding it behind one misleading completion percentage.
05 · The economicsPrice the complete project, then test its capacity.
The budget below is fictional and exists only to demonstrate the method. It is not a Moroccan market average, supplier quote or investment recommendation. Rent, work, equipment, professional fees and timing vary materially by city, premises, concept and operator decisions.
| Budget line | What the allowance must cover | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Entry and files | Deposit, advance, advice and preparation of project files. | 40,000 MAD |
| Studies and fit-out | Studies, extraction, utilities, adaptation and finishes. | 170,000 MAD |
| Kitchen and refrigeration | Cooking, preparation, cold storage and small equipment. | 210,000 MAD |
| Dining room and sign | Furniture, reception, lighting and signage. | 80,000 MAD |
| POS and network | Terminals, network, printers and installation. | 25,000 MAD |
| Opening inventory | Ingredients, drinks, packaging and consumables. | 35,000 MAD |
| Team and rehearsals | Recruitment, training and test services. | 30,000 MAD |
| Launch | Photography, launch materials and initial communication. | 15,000 MAD |
| Cash reserve | The gap between spending, gradual demand and receipts. | 165,000 MAD |
| Contingency | Uncertainty in lines that are not yet sufficiently defined. | 60,000 MAD |
| Fictional total | Sum of this example, to be replaced with documented quotes and assumptions. | 830,000 MAD |
Do not mix initial investment with monthly operation. A kitchen purchased before opening is not monthly rent. Conversely, the cash reserve is not decorative money available to cover an overrun without recalculating the risk. Connect every amount to a date, evidence, owner and payment condition.
Next, test capacity without presenting it as a sales forecast. Educational example: 45 seats × 1.4 possible turns per day × 55% occupancy of that capacity × 110 MAD average check × 26 operating days = 99,099 MAD in monthly sales. The arithmetic is correct, but the result does not predict demand. It only exposes what the selected assumptions produce.
Compare that capacity with the restaurant break-even point. Build prices from your own restaurant food-cost calculations. Use menu engineering later, once a sufficiently representative period of real sales exists. Classifying dishes before actual volume exists creates a decorative matrix, not a sound decision.
06 · The openingRehearse a real service before welcoming guests.
The final week should not be the first time the team discovers the order flow. Load the real menu, options, taxes and payment methods. Assign rights by role. Connect each printer to the correct station, then test kitchen tickets, voids, discounts, split payments, refunds and closing. The detailed restaurant POS software test protocol helps compare promised behaviour with an actual service.
Create one stable identity for every ingredient, record its units and connect recipes before the first delivery. The restaurant inventory-management guide explains how to connect receiving, consumption, waste and counts without creating duplicate ingredients.
| Stage | Scenario to execute | Required evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Suppliers | Complete delivery, quantity difference, rejected item and changed price. | Movement recorded and owner identified. |
| Recipes and inventory | Preparation, waste, transfer, stockout and closing count. | Consistent units and explainable variance. |
| POS | Modified order, routing to two stations, split bill, void and refund. | Receipt, kitchen ticket and report remain aligned. |
| Continuity | Internet outage, unavailable printer and terminal restart. | Known procedure and data checked after recovery. |
| Test service | Volume above the first-day target with people in their actual roles. | Times, mistakes, returns and actions recorded. |
| Final decision | Review procedures, premises, cash and rehearsal results. | Open, correct or postpone explicitly decided. |
The rehearsal needs an owner who records problems instead of fixing them silently. At the end, classify every issue by its effect on safety, continuity, money or guest experience. Repeat the scenario after correction. An announced date is not a reason to open when essential evidence is missing.
07 · Common questionsShortcuts to avoid before opening.
Is there one restaurant licence valid everywhere in Morocco?
Do not start from that assumption. The exact activity, premises, work, products and territory can change the procedures and competent contacts. Describe the project precisely, then obtain confirmation from the relevant services.
Can I sign the lease before every procedure is confirmed?
A signature can create an expensive commitment if the project cannot operate at the premises. Complete the checks that are available first and ask qualified counsel how remaining uncertainty should be handled contractually. There is no single standard clause that is safe for every project.
Does creating the company through DirectEntreprise mean I can open?
No. Company formation and its associated formalities do not by themselves prove that an activity can operate at a given address. Premises, work, food safety and other applicable procedures must be checked separately.
Does every restaurant need authorization from ONSSA?
A universal answer would be misleading. Law No. 28-07 and Decree No. 2-10-473 distinguish activities, regimes and competent authorities. Present the exact production and sales model to the competent contact and request confirmation for that specific case.
How much does opening cost, and how long does it take?
Cost and timing depend on the city, premises, work, equipment, concept, financing and applicable procedures. The 830,000 MAD budget in this guide is fictional. Build your version from quotes, dates, dependencies and a justified cash reserve. Do not reuse an unsourced market average or promised universal timeline.
Can Kiwi validate the restaurant’s permits?
No. Kiwi is an operating tool for POS, sales, recipes, inventory and reporting. It can help test the service flow before opening, but it does not replace a competent authority or qualified legal, accounting and technical advice.
Official sourcesSources reviewed on August 24, 2026.
These sources structure the verification work. They do not validate an individual project. Procedures and portal interfaces can change. Confirm the current version, competent authority and requested documents for the exact activity and address.
- OMPIC · creation and business life.
- OMPIC · trade names and the negative certificate.
- DirectEntreprise · official electronic company-creation platform.
- Ministry of Industry and Commerce · framework for electronic company creation.
- Rokhas · digitized territorial procedures.
- Idarati · national information portal for administrative procedures.
- ONSSA · Law No. 28-07 on food-product safety.
- ONSSA · Decree No. 2-10-473 implementing Law No. 28-07.
- ONSSA · approval, authorization and application files for food establishments.