Hospitality Business Ideas You Can Start in the UK
167 ideas
Hospitality covers anything where you look after people's food, drink, entertainment or stay, and this page brings together 167 ideas. Some are premises-led, like a neighbourhood tapas bar, a micropub in a small unit or a neighbourhood fish and chip shop.
Dryland sled dog ride centre
Run guided wheeled-rig rides with your own team of sled dogs on forest tracks or farmland for tourists and day-trippers.
- £12k-55k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Sled dog rides on a partner estate
Offer sled dog rides on an estate, farm park or holiday site that already has visitors, and share the income with the landowner.
- £6k-30k
- Part-time
- Out and about
Spare-room bed and breakfast
Let a few spare rooms in your own home to tourists and business travellers, with breakfast included.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Non-smoking holiday let in your annexe
Let a self-contained annexe, cabin or garden room to guests on a no-smoking basis, charged per night.
- £1.5k-7.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Whole-property non-smoking holiday cottage
Run a cottage, flat or house as a self-catering holiday let with a no-smoking rule, rented by the stay.
- £5k-25k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Local boat trip operator
Run sightseeing or wildlife trips from a local harbour, river or lake with one small passenger boat.
- £15k-75k
- Part-time
- Out and about
Boat trip booking agent
Sell other operators' boat trips to visitors through a simple local website, earning commission on each booking.
- £400-2k
- Side hustle
- Online
Local day tours for visitors
Put together and run guided day tours of your area for visitors, using local guides, transport and venues.
- £500-5k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Specialist group trips sold online
Plan themed group trips such as walking or food breaks, and sell places through your own website.
- £1k-8k
- Side hustle
- Online
Small-scale catering kit hire from home
Hire out urns, chafing dishes, crockery and glassware for parties and community events from a garage or outbuilding.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Catering and event equipment hire business
Rent ovens, furniture and serving equipment to caterers and event hosts from a small unit, with van delivery.
- £40k-150k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Home-based travel agent
Plan and book holidays for friends, family and local people from your own home, earning commission on each booking.
- £200-2k
- Side hustle
- From home
Independent high street travel agency
Open a small local travel shop offering tailor-made holidays, group trips and face-to-face advice.
- £8k-35k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Small field campsite
Open a few tent and campervan pitches on spare land and welcome campers for the summer season.
- £3k-15k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Spare room guest stays
Rent a spare room in your own home to paying guests by the night, with a simple breakfast if you like.
- £200-1.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Self-catering holiday let
Furnish an annexe, cabin or small property and let it to guests for short stays.
- £3k-15k
- Part-time
- Own premises
Small bed and breakfast
Run a few guest rooms with a cooked breakfast, as a full-time home-and-business life.
- £5k-25k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Balloon flight booking agency
Sell hot-air balloon flights and gift experiences from licensed local operators through your own website.
- £500-3k
- Side hustle
- Online
Small balloon flight operator
Run your own passenger balloon flights with a pilot and chase crew, selling seats directly to visitors and celebrants.
- £30k-150k
- Part-time
- Out and about
One-boat narrowboat holiday hire
Buy one narrowboat and rent it by the week to holidaymakers on the canals.
- £30k-90k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Day boat hire at a canal or river base
Rent small day boats by the hour or day to visitors from a landing stage on a canal or river.
- £15k-80k
- Part-time
- Own premises
Spare room B&B in your own home
Welcome guests into one to three spare rooms and serve them a home-cooked breakfast.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Bartender for private parties and weddings
Serve cocktails and drinks at parties, weddings and birthdays, using your own kit and skills.
- £300-1.5k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Local guided day walks
Lead small groups on guided day walks through the hills and countryside you know best.
- £300-1.5k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
About these ideas
Others keep costs and commitment lower, such as bartender for private parties and weddings or a seasonal pop-up beer garden. They suit people who enjoy hosting, can cope with unsociable hours and like a busy, practical working day. Before choosing, think about how much money you can put in, whether you want your own premises or a flexible set-up, and how much time you can give. Then check the licences, food hygiene registration, insurance and planning or lease terms that might apply to your idea and your local council area.
More ideas
- Multi-day guided walking holidays
- One or two camping cabins on your land
- Small owner-run hotel
- Small hotel with restaurant and bar
- Single holiday apartment let
- Managing holiday flats for owners
- Holiday house for weekly and short stays
- Short-stay let of an annexe or spare home
- Day-ticket fishing lake with camping pitches
- Lakeside fishing lodges and pods
- Small motorhome stopover on your land
- Serviced motorhome park with hardstanding pitches
- Farm tours and visit days
- Farm stay with guest rooms or a hut
- Small farm field campsite
- Home-based cruise travel adviser
- Online cruise agency with your own brand
- Local holiday cottage letting agent
- Full-service holiday let management
- Single log cabin holiday let
- Farm stay with guided riding breaks
- Self-catering ranch stays with horse activities
- Small live music bar or venue
- Serviced flat let on a landlord's lease
- Serviced accommodation manager for owners
- Small retreat house with your own programmes
- Small couple-run country house hotel
- Holiday let in a flat you already own
- Rent-to-rent holiday apartment
- Holiday let in your spare room or annexe
- Self-catering holiday cottage or flat
- Shepherd's hut or pod holiday let on your land
- Small town or city hostel
- Whale and dolphin boat trips with your own boat
- Wildlife trip seller using a local licensed skipper
- One serviced apartment as a side business
- Small portfolio of serviced apartments
- Campsite with pods and touring pitches
- Holiday let and short-stay manager
- Full-time B&B or small guesthouse
- Small camping cabin site
- Farm campsite with pods or bell tents
- Small log cabin holiday site
- Retreat venue hired by visiting teachers and groups
- Rural bunkhouse for walkers and cyclists
- Guided walking tours for visitors
- Minibus day tours for small groups
- Party and meeting room hire
- Function room venue with food and bar
- Pilgrim bunkroom at home
- Small pilgrim hostel in its own building
- Farmhouse bed and breakfast
- Self-catering farm cottage
- Glamping pods or shepherd huts on the farm
- Small roadside motel
- Home-based rail travel adviser
- Spare rooms for lodgers or guests
- Small boarding house for workers and long stays
- Online disposable tableware shop
- Local tableware delivery round
- Pub with rooms on a tenancy or lease
- Buy and run a small village inn
- Local holiday let manager
- Holiday let agency with a local office
- Neighbourhood cocktail bar
- Neighbourhood bar with live music nights
- Gig venue bar with ticketed shows
- Weekend bartending courses in hired bars
- Bartending school with its own training bar
- Neighbourhood fish and chip shop
- Pool hall with a bar
- Pool club with hourly table hire
- Pop-up dinner theatre nights
- Murder mystery dinners for private events
- Small shisha lounge with soft drinks and snacks
- Small tiki bar with its own premises
- Pop-up tiki bar at venues and events
- Small espresso bar with a counter
- Mobile espresso bar (cart, trailer or van)
- Small independent club venue
- Regular club night in a hired venue
- Independent lounge bar
- Independent tea room
- Pop-up afternoon tea room
- Local takeaway and fast food shop
- Small rock music club with its own venue
- Neighbourhood bar in your own premises
- Mobile bar for weddings and events
- Brewpub with its own beer and kitchen
- Micropub with a small brew kit
- Your own LGBTQ+ bar or nightclub
- Karaoke bar with private rooms
- Pop-up karaoke bar nights
- Pop-up mahjong club nights
- Mahjong house with your own premises
- Seasonal pop-up beer garden
- Year-round beer garden with a small bar
- Mobile fish and chip van
- Pop-up lounge bar nights
- Fast food van or trailer
- Delivery-only fast food kitchen
- Small standing-only neighbourhood bar
- Pop-up standing bar in a borrowed space
- Internet cafe with printing and drinks
- Gaming internet cafe
- Neighbourhood wine bar
- Pop-up wine bar for events
- Neighbourhood LGBTQ+ bar
- Pop-up LGBTQ+ bar nights
- Neighbourhood tapas bar
- Tapas pop-up in an existing pub or bar
- Neighbourhood sports bar
- Salsa nights in an existing bar
- Your own salsa bar
- Irish-style pub on a tenancy
- Independent Irish bar and kitchen
- Micropub in a small unit
- Tenanted or leased pub
- Small neighbourhood dart bar
- Darts-focused local pub on a tenancy
- Sit-down fish and chip restaurant
- Take over an existing eat-in chippy
- Cat cafe with its own premises
- Pop-up animal cafe sessions
- Queer bar with its own premises
- Pop-up queer bar nights
- Neighbourhood piano bar
- Pop-up piano bar nights
- Oxygen cocktail bar in a small unit
- Pop-up oxygen cocktail stall
- Private-room karaoke bar
- Pop-up karaoke nights
- Gastropub run on a lease or tenancy
- Run the food side of a pub
- Small cider bar with a local following
- Neighbourhood beer hall
- Pop-up beer hall weekends
- Independent food and drink consultant
- Remote menu and costing consultant
- Escape room centre with themed rooms
- Mobile escape room for events and venues
- Lesbian and queer women's bar
- Pop-up cider bar for events
Questions
Do I need a licence to start a hospitality business in the UK?
It depends on what you offer. Selling alcohol, serving hot food late at night or playing live music may each need permissions, and food businesses usually need to register with their local council. Check with your council before you commit to premises or equipment.
Should I start with premises or something mobile or pop-up?
Premises give you a fixed base and a regular customer following, but usually mean rent, fit-out and longer commitments. Mobile or pop-up ideas can cost less and let you test demand first. Compare your budget, risk appetite and the lease or site terms involved.
What should I check before opening a bar, café or restaurant?
Look at the lease and permitted use of the unit, licensing needs, food hygiene and allergen obligations, insurance, and your likely opening hours. It is also worth checking local competition and footfall, and whether your plans allow for quiet periods and rising costs.