Opening a Japanese Restaurant Abroad: The Cost Checklist for 5 Countries (2026)

Owners who ask us about opening a Japanese restaurant abroad usually have the menu and the city decided. What they rarely have is a cost list that includes the lines a Japanese kitchen adds: a chef who must be recruited and often brought in on a visa, specialist equipment, imported ingredients, and a fit-out that takes longer than the lease assumes. This checklist puts every cost line in one place, gives the official licence and visa fees for the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia and France, and lets owners who have done it say what they underestimated. Figures are from government pages, published surveys and named interviews; nothing here is our own estimate.

AT A GLANCE

US independent restaurant, median start-up

USD 375,000

survey of 350+ owners (2018)

Paris, Japanese restaurant owner

JPY 150 million

capital incl. fit-out, one loss-making year (JETRO 2025)

Singapore, average Japanese restaurant

about S$500,000

range S$150,000 to 1.5 million (JETRO 2016)

Working capital to hold

6 months or more

business.gov.au; Bpifrance says 3 to 6

The checklist: every cost line before the first guest

Tick each line before you sign the lease. The order follows when the money leaves the account. Amounts differ by city and concept; the point of the list is that nothing is discovered after the deposit is paid.

Premises: deposit and key money at signing

Security deposit (commonly 3 to 6 months’ rent in London; capped at 3 months in France and for small retail premises in Singapore), plus whatever the market calls key money: a lease premium in the UK, droit au bail or pas-de-porte in France, a takeover fee in Singapore.

Paris examples from JETRO interviews: goodwill of EUR 230,000 for an 18-seat site in the 4th arrondissement, EUR 300,000 for an izakaya in the 1st (2016).

Fit-out and building works months 1 to 6, sometimes 12

Kitchen build, extraction hood, plumbing, gas, electrical, fire safety, dining room, exterior; architect and permit drawings; plan-check fees where the health department reviews drawings.

A Paris owner told JETRO the works took nearly a year; a California couple went USD 170,000 over their interior budget after choosing the wrong design firm.

Kitchen and counter equipment before works finish

Refrigerated sushi display case, counter, rice cookers and warmers, grills (robata or teppan), dishwashers, cold rooms, small wares.

List prices for sushi cases are dealer-quoted and vary widely; get three quotes with delivery and installation included.

Licences, permits and registrations 15 to 28 days before opening

Food business registration or licence, alcohol licence, personal or exploitation licence for the manager, hygiene training certificate, music and outdoor seating permits where required. Official fees by country are in the table below.

The UK requires registration at least 28 days before trading; France requires the alcohol declaration at the mairie at least 15 days before.

The chef: recruitment, visa, relocation months 1 to 6

Agency fee, government visa fees (employer side and chef side), relocation flight, the first month’s housing or a guarantor, and the chef’s package from the month they arrive, which is usually before the kitchen opens.

This is the line a Japanese restaurant has and a pizzeria does not. Country figures are in the table and in our hiring guides.

Pre-opening payroll and training last 4 to 8 weeks

Kitchen and floor staff hired before revenue; trial services; training on the omakase sequence or the menu.

A Singapore ramen operator told JETRO that eight of ten part-timers it hired could only work until June, so the plan moved to full-time staff and the labour budget rose.

Opening inventory last week

First orders of fish, rice, sake and dry goods, plus import duties and air freight for anything flown from Japan.

Ippudo’s New York team told JETRO the first purchase price of pork bones was eight times the Japanese price.

Insurance and professional fees before opening

Public liability, employer’s liability, contents; lawyer for the lease, accountant, immigration adviser if you sponsor a visa.

Marketing, bookings and payments 4 weeks before

Website, reservation system with deposits or prepaid tickets, POS, photography, opening promotion.

A Singapore cafe founder listed POS alone at S$9,000 in a S$209,000 pre-opening budget (2026).

Working capital held from day one

Six months of operating costs, per business.gov.au; Bpifrance advises a safety reserve of three to six months.

The Paris owner above planned for a loss-making first year.

Contingency held from day one

About 10 percent on top of the one-time costs, the figure the US Small Business Administration suggests for unexpected expenses.

The line owners underestimate

The chef. Owners budget the fit-out to the dollar and then treat the chef as a salary that starts on opening day. In practice the package starts when the chef arrives, the visa and relocation costs land months earlier, and a chef who leaves in year one restarts the whole line. Our country guides give salary ranges and visa routes; the table below gives the government fees.

Licences, permits and chef visas: official fees by country

Official fees for the registrations every restaurant needs, and for the chef’s visa, from the agencies’ own pages. City examples are given where fees are set locally. Fees change every year; the links in the sources section go to the live pages.

Country	Food business registration or licence	Alcohol licence	Other required steps	Chef visa, government fees
United States	Set by city or county. New York City food service establishment permit USD 280 a year; Los Angeles County health permit USD 1,309 a year for a 31 to 60 seat restaurant (2026-27) plus plan check USD 1,865 to 2,276; NYC food protection course free, exam USD 24	State licence. New York restaurant liquor licence runs two years; the fee depends on the county (State Liquor Authority)	A certified food protection manager on site at all times (NYC); health plan review before works	EB-3 sponsorship: I-140 USD 715 plus Asylum Program Fee USD 600 (USD 300 for small employers); O-1: premium processing USD 2,965 if used; E-2 for Japanese-owned businesses: consular visa fee only
Singapore	SFA Food Shop Licence S$195 a year, after layout approval and a pre-licensing inspection	Police liquor licence: Class 1A (all liquor, to midnight) S$880 a year; Class 2A (beer only) S$460	Security deposit capped at three months’ gross rent for small retail premises under the fair tenancy code (MTI, April 2026)	Employment Pass S$105 application plus S$225 issuance; S Pass S$105 plus S$100 issuance and a levy of S$650 a month; 14-day MyCareersFuture advert first
United Kingdom	Food business registration with the local council is free; at least 28 days before trading	Premises licence application GBP 100 to 635 by rateable-value band (GBP 900 or 1,905 where alcohol sales are the main business), annual fee GBP 70 to 350; personal licence GBP 37	Designated premises supervisor with a personal licence; hygiene rating inspection after opening	No sponsored route for a new chef hire at present (chef roles are off the shortage lists). Youth Mobility Scheme chefs: no employer fee; the chef pays GBP 340 plus the healthcare surcharge
Australia	Council registration. City of Melbourne food premises registration AUD 1,133 to 2,029 by size (2026-27); City of Sydney notification plus inspections at AUD 370 an hour	NSW on-premises licence: application AUD 965 (licensing AUD 376 plus processing AUD 589, 2026) and an annual fee of AUD 811	Food safety supervisor certificate (NSW); retail lease bond negotiated, returned within 30 days of lease end in Victoria	Skills in Demand 482: sponsor approval AUD 420, nomination AUD 330, Skilling Australians Fund levy AUD 1,200 or 1,800 per year of visa; chef pays from AUD 4,015
France	Declaration to the DDPP before opening (no fee stated); at least one person trained in food hygiene (14 hours; CCI Paris course EUR 410)	Licence restaurant (alcohol with meals) is free; no new licence IV can be created; the manager’s permis d’exploitation course (20 hours over at least 3 days) costs about EUR 300 to 500, up to about EUR 1,000; mairie declaration at least 15 days before opening	Security deposit capped at three months’ rent under the 2026 rules; registration duty on a droit au bail of 3 percent from EUR 23,000 and 5 percent above EUR 200,000	Employer tax of 55 percent of one month’s gross salary (capped at EUR 2,567.15) for a 12-month-plus contract; chef pays EUR 300 validation plus EUR 350 residence card; cooks are on the shortage list, which waives the 3-week advert

The chef column shows government fees only. Agency fees, relocation and housing are separate lines in the checklist.

What published benchmarks say a restaurant costs to open

Industry associations in these five countries publish no start-up cost benchmark for restaurants. What exists is one US owner survey, JETRO’s country studies for Japanese operators, and a few owners who published their own numbers.

The median start-up cost for an independent US restaurant was USD 375,000, or USD 113 per square foot and USD 3,586 per seat, in a survey of more than 350 owners. By project type: new construction about USD 650,000, converting a non-restaurant space about USD 425,000, renovating an existing restaurant about USD 275,000. (RestaurantOwner.com survey reported by AZ Big Media and Restaurant Dive, November 2018)
JETRO’s London study modelled a central-London Japanese restaurant of 1,000 square feet and 70 seats at GBP 1 million to open, with payback in about three years at a GBP 40 average spend, and noted that most projects took more than six months to open. (JETRO London, Japanese restaurant market entry study, March 2016)
JETRO’s Singapore study put the opening cost of an average Japanese restaurant at about S$500,000, with a range of S$150,000 to 1.5 million depending on size and location. (JETRO Singapore, Japanese restaurant market study, March 2016)
A Singapore founder published his full pre-opening budget for a small shop in 2026: S$209,000 before the first sale, of which rent and deposit S$60,000, electrical, plumbing, ceiling and air-conditioning S$50,000, equipment S$40,000, flooring and walls S$20,000, renovation S$15,000, other opening costs S$15,000 and POS S$9,000. (Mothership and The Independent Singapore (Amacha, a tea shop, not a Japanese restaurant), September 2026)
An operator of four Japanese restaurants in Paris told JETRO that a first restaurant needs about JPY 150 million of capital at the start, including works and kitchen equipment, because the first year runs at a loss; the works took nearly a year, against about three months in Japan. (JETRO Paris, study on entering the French restaurant market, March 2025)
JETRO’s 2016 Paris case studies list an 18-seat okonomiyaki restaurant in the 4th arrondissement at EUR 74,000 for exterior and interior works (EUR 63,000 bank-financed) and EUR 230,000 for the goodwill, negotiated down from EUR 280,000; another case in the 9th at about EUR 100,000 for works, notary and equipment. (JETRO Paris, Japanese restaurants in Paris study, March 2016)
A Brooklyn owner of five Japanese restaurants told JETRO that one of them, Samurai Mama, took about three years to recoup its large initial investment, and that fixing serious code violations in a building can cost tens of thousands of dollars. (JETRO New York interview series, September 2015)
Australia: no association or government benchmark for restaurant start-up cost was found; business.gov.au gives the working-capital rule instead (six months or more of running costs). (business.gov.au, calculate the start-up costs of your business, undated, checked October 2026)

What owners say they underestimated

“1年間は赤字で、それまでの資金繰りを考えると（内装工事や備品・厨房機材調達も含め）最初に1億5000万円の資本が必要である。”

Operator of four Japanese restaurants in Paris, to JETRO: ‘The first year is loss-making; counting the cash flow until then, including works, fittings and kitchen equipment, you need JPY 150 million of capital at the start’, JETRO Paris, March 2025

“So before we even sold our first cup, we had already spent S$209,000.”

Sebastian Ang, founder of Amacha, Singapore (a tea shop; the only owner in Singapore who published a full breakdown), Mothership, September 2026

“実際にやって来て、当初の想定と一番ずれが生じた要素としては、人件費が挙げられる。”

Ryuji Shiode, co-owner of Brio Brio Bakery and Cafe, California: ‘Once we were actually running, the element that diverged most from the original plan was labour cost’, note.com, business plan series, October 2024

“とんこつの値段も最初の仕入れ値は日本の8倍の値段でした。”

Tomoaki Shimazu, Ippudo NY: ‘The first purchase price of pork bones was eight times the price in Japan’, JETRO interview, March 2013

“通常の物件と大きく違う部分として、皿の分別費用が発生するという点でした。”

Rio Kawai, director of Kurashi Pte Ltd, running the Japanese stall Nadeshiko in a Singapore coffee shop: ‘The big difference from a normal premises was a plate-sorting fee’, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore, monthly bulletin, June 2025

“Some days you do so bad, you can’t even pay staff”

Asako Miura, co-owner of Ima Asa Yoru, Melbourne, after taking loans for a larger fit-out, ABC News, April 2024

The order that saves money

The owners above lost money in the same places: works that ran long, labour that cost more than planned, and a first year without profit. The order below is how we see experienced operators sequence an opening abroad.

Fix the tier before the site

Entry, middle or top. The tier sets the seat count, the chef you need and the fit-out grade. Our omakase pricing guide shows where each tier sits in twelve cities.

Decide the chef in month one

Who, from where, on which visa, arriving when, at what package. The visa route sets the timeline (months in the US, weeks for a working-holiday chef in the UK or Australia), and the package is the largest fixed cost per seat. Brief us before you sign the lease, not after.

Price the premises with the exit in mind

Deposit months, key money or goodwill, rent-free period, and what you get back. In France the deposit is now capped at three months; in London expect three to six months plus a possible premium.

Run works and licences in parallel

File the food registration (UK: 28 days before), the alcohol declaration (France: 15 days before) and the health plan check (US cities) while the fit-out is under way. Choose the contractor on references from restaurants, not on the lowest quote.

Hire the floor in the last six weeks

Pre-opening payroll is real money; keep it short and use the time for trial services with the chef’s actual menu.

Open with six months of cash untouched

The working-capital line is not the contingency. Business.gov.au says six months or more of running costs; the Paris owner planned for a full loss-making year.

Common mistakes

Wrong design firm

Problem. A California couple set an interior budget of USD 300,000; the replacement firm’s quote came in at USD 470,000 after the first firm failed, and permits added more.

What works. Pick the designer and contractor on restaurant references and a fixed scope before signing; put change-order limits in the contract.

Works timeline from Japan

Problem. Owners used to opening three months after purchase in Japan told JETRO that Paris works took nearly a year.

What works. Negotiate a rent-free period that matches the local works timeline and budget the chef’s package from arrival, not from opening.

Labour planned at Japanese assumptions

Problem. Part-time staff who could only work until June, staff costs that diverged most from plan, days when the till did not cover payroll: three owners, three countries, the same line.

What works. Budget full-time staff at the local award or collective agreement, and plan the chef’s retention from day one.

Takeover and hidden premises costs

Problem. A takeover fee that still left cleaning to do, a plate-sorting charge nobody mentioned, code violations costing tens of thousands to fix.

What works. Inspect with a contractor before paying any key money, and get the landlord’s inspection history in writing.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to open a Japanese restaurant abroad?

There is no single figure. The only published benchmarks are a US survey median of USD 375,000 for an independent restaurant (2018), JETRO’s Singapore estimate of about S$500,000 for an average Japanese restaurant (2016), JETRO’s London model of GBP 1 million for a 70-seat central site (2016), and a Paris owner’s statement of JPY 150 million including a loss-making first year (2025). Use the checklist to build your own number from local quotes.

What costs does a Japanese restaurant have that others do not?

The chef. Recruitment, visa fees, relocation, first-month housing and a package that starts before the doors open. Then imported ingredients with freight and duty, and specialist equipment such as a refrigerated sushi case and a counter.

Which licences do I need, and what do they cost?

A food business registration or licence (free in the UK, S$195 in Singapore, USD 280 in New York City, AUD 1,133 to 2,029 in Melbourne, a free declaration in France), an alcohol licence (GBP 100 to 1,905 application in the UK, S$880 in Singapore for a full licence, AUD 965 application plus AUD 811 a year in New South Wales, free with meals in France), and in most places a trained or licensed manager. The table above has the sources.

How much working capital should I hold?

Business.gov.au says six months or more of running costs. Bpifrance advises a safety reserve of three to six months. The US Small Business Administration adds about 10 percent contingency on the one-time costs. Owners who published their numbers planned for a loss-making first year.

How long does it take to open?

JETRO’s London study found most projects took more than six months; a Paris owner reported nearly a year of works. Add the chef’s visa timeline: months for a sponsored visa in the US or Australia, weeks for a working-holiday chef in the UK, Australia or France.

Can Washoku Agent help with the cost plan?

We tell you what a Japanese chef costs in your country, which visa route fits and how long it takes, and we introduce chefs from our registered pool. The rest of the checklist is yours, but the chef line is usually the one that changes the plan.