Taking over a restaurant that already trades, or building one from scratch: both routes work with an E-2 visa, and they involve different amounts, timelines and risks. We help you decide, then carry the project through to opening day.
Take over or build from scratch
Taking over an existing venue gives you demonstrable revenue, licenses already in place and an established clientele — arguments that also carry weight in an E-2 case. Building from scratch gives you full freedom over the concept, but means construction work, licensing delays and heavier start-up cash needs. We cost out both scenarios before you commit.
What we do
- Feasibility study of the concept and the market in your target Florida city
- Finding a restaurant to take over, or preparing a build from scratch
- Finding premises and support in negotiating the lease
- Coordinating acquisition due diligence: accounts, lease terms, franchise agreements
- Assessing franchise versus independent concept
- Company formation (LLC or Corporation) and EIN registration
- Licenses and permits: business license, certificate of occupancy, health department and food service permit, food handler certification, liquor license, sign permit, sales tax registration
- Coordinating fire and building safety inspections
- Business insurance: general liability, workers’ compensation, property
- Recruiting qualified staff from France and Europe: bakers, pastry chefs, cooks and section chefs
The liquor license, the part that worries people
It is the longest and most expensive step of all, and the one that most surprises restaurateurs coming from France. In Florida the type of license depends on what you serve — beer and wine, or spirits — and on the nature of your venue. Some licenses are capped in number and trade on a secondary market. We tell you at the feasibility stage what your menu implies, so the budget and the timeline are right from the start.
Build-out and suppliers
Kitchen design, equipment, general contractor, point-of-sale systems, and above all introductions to the food suppliers you need to stock your menu. That network, built on the ground, saves you the months of trial and error that sink so many openings.
Finding qualified staff
This is the difficulty nobody talks about, and one of the most serious: recruiting trained bakers, pastry chefs or cooks when you do not yet know anyone locally. We draw on our professional network in France and in Europe to identify qualified people, and we support you through the first contact. The immigration side of any hire is a matter for the attorney.
Let us talk about your project
The first call is free and without obligation. After that conversation we send you a detailed proposal setting out our support packages and the fees matched to your project.