Business rates for restaurants and cafes
Restaurants and cafes saw the smallest rises of any hospitality category — for most, the bigger practical question is whether your bill reflects the right reliefs, not whether to challenge the valuation.
Restaurants and cafes saw the smallest rises of any hospitality category — for most, the bigger practical question is whether your bill reflects the right reliefs, not whether to challenge the valuation.
What the 2026 revaluation did to restaurants and cafes
| Category | Properties, England & Wales | Total RV change | Mean RV, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 30,410 | +13.7% | £45,500 |
| Cafes | 17,190 | +14.2% | £17,500 |
VOA 2026 compiled-list statistics, GOV.UK, 2026. As of 2026. Total RV change, not the median property change.
How the reliefs interact
Below £51,000 RV, most restaurants and cafes pay the standard small-business multiplier (49.9p); above that, the RHL multiplier applies.
GOV.UK, 'Estimate your business rates', 2026/27 multipliers
Restaurants and cafes are not eligible for the pub and live music venue relief — that is reserved for pubs, live music venues, and (at the higher 20% rate) social clubs.
For most restaurants and cafes at this scale of RV rise, a bill-accuracy check and confirming you have the right small business relief is a better first step than a formal challenge — see our employment section for the HR side of running a restaurant through 2027.
Illustrative example — independent cafe, RV £17,500 (not a real client)
At the category's mean RV, a 13-14% total rise is modest next to the reliefs and caps hospitality-wide. A challenge here would typically need to show a clear valuation error, not just that the bill feels high.
Get help
Use the calculator to see what your bill should look like with these reliefs applied, or send us your details below and, if you'd like, we can pass them to the RICS-regulated rating firm we work with.
We're a bar owner's information site, not a surveyor. If you send this form, we may pass your details to a RICS-regulated rating firm we work with, who will contact you. They would pay us if you instruct them. You can check your valuation yourself free on the Valuation Office's service. No one can guarantee a reduction.