How to Buy a Restaurant in Dubai: Prices & Checks (2026)
Short answer: To buy a restaurant in Dubai, shortlist running restaurants, then check the trade licence activities, the Dubai Municipality-approved kitchen layout, the Ejari lease, the staff and their occupational health cards, and the real takings before you pay. In 540 past Dubai restaurant listings on BusinessFinder.me, the median asking price was AED 300,000, and half asked between AED 175,000 and AED 600,000. You can see every current restaurant for sale in Dubai on our listings page.
Last updated: November 3, 2026
BusinessFinder.me is a UAE marketplace for buying and selling running businesses, where owners list restaurants, cafés, salons, shops and trade licences with asking prices in AED. This guide covers the buying process for restaurants. For the bigger picture, see our main guide on how to buy a business in Dubai, and for full price data see how much a restaurant costs to buy in the UAE.
What do you get when you buy a running restaurant in Dubai?
When you buy a running restaurant, you usually take over the trade licence (or its transfer), the shop lease, the kitchen equipment, furniture and fit-out, the name and signboard, the delivery-app accounts, and often the chefs and service staff. You are paying for a premises that already has its food approvals, a working kitchen and regular customers, so it can trade from the first day instead of waiting months for a new fit-out.
Key terms you will see in restaurant listings
- Running restaurant: a restaurant that is open and trading, sold with its premises, equipment and usually its licence and customers.
- Key money: the amount paid to the outgoing owner for the location, fit-out and goodwill, on top of the rent you pay the landlord.
- Fully fitted / turnkey: the kitchen, extraction, seating and fit-out are already in place and approved, so you can operate without major works.
- Ejari: the Dubai Land Department system for registering tenancy contracts.
- PIC (Person in Charge): the food safety supervisor Dubai Municipality requires in every food establishment.
- TOGC (transfer of a going concern): the sale of an operating business as a whole, which can fall outside VAT.
How much does it cost to buy a restaurant in Dubai?
We looked at 608 Dubai restaurant listings that have since gone offline on BusinessFinder.me (mostly listed between 2019 and 2024), removing reposts and placeholder prices. Of the 540 with a price, the median asking price was AED 300,000. About a third asked AED 200,000 or less, while 52 asked more than AED 1 million.
| Asking price band | Number of listings |
|---|---|
| Up to AED 200,000 | 186 |
| AED 200,001 to 500,000 | 195 |
| AED 500,001 to 1,000,000 | 107 |
| Above AED 1,000,000 | 52 |
Where sellers gave the details, the median yearly rent was AED 122,500 (196 listings), the median team was 8 staff (109 listings) and the median size was 1,325 sq ft (232 listings). The most common areas were International City, Bur Dubai, Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Al Karama, Al Barsha and Dubai Marina. These are asking prices, not final sale prices, so use them as a starting point for negotiation.
Which restaurants are for sale in Dubai right now?
These are the latest restaurant listings on BusinessFinder.me, with asking prices as shown on each listing. The list updates automatically as owners post new ads:
- Restaurant available for sale in International city (International City, Dubai, UAE)
- Running restaurant for sale in Bur Dubai (Al Mankhool, Bur Dubai, Dubai, UAE)
- Sushi Restaurant for Sale in Motor City Dubai | Fully Fitted (Barsha Heights (Tecom), Dubai, UAE)
- Sri Lankan Mall Restaurant for Sale in Dubai Production City (Dubai Production City (IMPZ), Dubai, UAE)
- Indian Punjabi Restaurant for Sale in Dubai (Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), Dubai, UAE)
- Indian Restaurant for Sale in Al Karama, Dubai (Wasl R463, Al Karama, Dubai, UAE)
You can also browse every restaurant for sale in the UAE, or compare a smaller option in our guide on how to buy a cafeteria in Dubai.
How do you buy a restaurant in Dubai, step by step?
- Set a budget that covers the asking price, the next rent cheque, licence transfer fees, a security deposit and at least a few months of working capital for stock and salaries.
- Shortlist and visit at lunch, dinner and on weekends to see real covers, delivery orders and kitchen flow.
- Request documents: trade licence, approved layout, Ejari lease, staff list with visas and health cards, bank statements, POS reports and delivery-app payout statements.
- Check the numbers against bank deposits and delivery-app payouts, not just what the seller says.
- Inspect the kitchen with a technician: extraction, gas, refrigeration, grease trap and cold rooms.
- Agree the structure: a transfer of the company or licence, or an asset purchase with a new licence.
- Sign a lawyer-reviewed agreement that lists every item included, who pays staff gratuity and old supplier bills, and holds back part of the price until the transfer is complete.
- Transfer the licence, lease and staff into your name, then release the balance.
What approvals does a restaurant in Dubai need?
A Dubai restaurant needs a trade licence that states its exact food activity. Dubai Municipality’s Food Code says food establishments must not carry out any activity other than those listed on the trade licence, so a catering, bakery or delivery-kitchen service that isn’t on the licence is a risk you inherit.
The kitchen layout must be approved by Dubai Municipality’s food control department. Under the Food Code, major alterations that change the approved layout, such as changing the area of food rooms, moving permanent equipment, drainage or ventilation, need prior approval. If you plan to rebuild the kitchen or change the concept, ask early whether a new layout approval will be needed.
Who is the Person in Charge, and what if they leave?
The Food Code requires every food establishment to employ at least one full-time, on-site Person in Charge (PIC) certified in food safety, and food service outlets preparing high-risk or ready-to-eat food need a certified PIC present during all shifts. If the PIC’s employment ends, the restaurant has up to 30 days to designate a new one, who should be certified within 45 days. Find out whether the current PIC is staying after the sale.
Which documents should the restaurant already have?
The Food Code’s annex lists records a food establishment should keep for inspectors. Ask to see them before you buy:
- Food inspection book and PIC certificate
- Copy of the trade licence
- Layout approved by the food control department
- Occupational health cards for food handlers issued by Dubai Municipality
- Food safety training certificates
- Pest control contract and visit records
- Grease trap cleaning contract
- Cleaning programme and supplier details
What should you check before buying a restaurant?
Is the lease safe?
Dubai tenancy contracts are registered through Ejari with the Dubai Land Department. Check the yearly rent, number of cheques, expiry date and whether the landlord will agree in writing to the new owner. Rent is often a restaurant’s biggest fixed cost, so a cheap restaurant with a short or uncertain lease can lose most of its value.
Are the takings real?
Restaurants mix cash, card and delivery-app sales. Compare POS reports and delivery-app payout statements with bank deposits for at least six to twelve months, and check food cost and salaries against sales. Our guide on how to value a business in Dubai explains how to weigh profit, assets and key money.
Who are the staff, and who pays their gratuity?
Chefs carry the menu, so ask who will stay after the sale. List each person on the company’s visas with their basic salary and start date. According to the UAE Government portal, expatriate private-sector staff with one year or more of service earn gratuity of 21 days’ basic salary for each of the first five years and 30 days for each year after, capped at two years’ wages. Agree in writing who pays the gratuity built up before the sale.
Is VAT due on the sale?
Under the Federal Tax Authority’s public clarification VATP015, a transfer of a going concern is not a supply for VAT if the whole business or an independent part is transferred to a taxable person who intends to continue it. A sale of assets alone does not qualify, so ask a tax adviser how your deal is structured.
How is ownership transferred?
For a Dubai mainland company, a change of owner is made as a trade licence amendment with the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) through the Invest in Dubai platform. Free zone restaurants follow their own authority’s process. Fees vary, so get a current quote before you agree the price.
Restaurant buyer checklist
- Licence activities match everything the restaurant does
- Kitchen layout approved, and no unapproved alterations
- Certified PIC in place, and staff health cards valid
- Ejari lease has enough time left and landlord consent
- POS and delivery-app reports match bank deposits
- Kitchen equipment, extraction and grease trap inspected
- Staff list, visas and gratuity responsibility agreed
- Part of the price held back until the transfer is complete
Key takeaways
- The median past asking price for a Dubai restaurant on BusinessFinder.me was AED 300,000.
- Check the licence activities, approved layout, PIC and health cards, and the Ejari lease before paying.
- Verify takings with bank deposits and delivery-app payouts, not seller claims.
- Hold back part of the price until the licence and lease are in your name.
- Start your search with restaurants for sale in Dubai or browse all businesses for sale.
Selling instead? You can list your restaurant on BusinessFinder.me from the post an ad page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a restaurant in Dubai?
In 540 past Dubai restaurant listings on BusinessFinder.me, the median asking price was AED 300,000, and half asked between AED 175,000 and AED 600,000. Prices depend on location, size, rent, fit-out and profit.
What licences does a restaurant in Dubai need?
A trade licence that lists its food activities, a kitchen layout approved by Dubai Municipality’s food control department, a certified Person in Charge of food safety, and occupational health cards for food handlers.
Can a foreigner buy a restaurant in Dubai?
Yes. Foreign buyers can take over restaurants in Dubai through a mainland company or a free zone company, depending on how the business is licensed. Confirm the ownership structure with DET or the free zone before signing.
Do I pay VAT when I buy a running restaurant?
Not if the deal qualifies as a transfer of a going concern under the FTA’s VATP015 guidance, meaning the whole business passes to a taxable buyer who keeps running it. An asset-only sale does not qualify.
Can I change the kitchen after buying a restaurant?
Minor changes such as shelving don’t need approval, but under Dubai Municipality’s Food Code, major alterations to the approved layout, equipment positions, drainage or ventilation need prior approval from the food control department.
Where can I find restaurants for sale in Dubai?
BusinessFinder.me lists running restaurants across Dubai and the UAE with asking prices in AED, on its restaurant for sale in Dubai page and restaurant for sale in the UAE listings.
Sources: Dubai Municipality Food Code (2013 edition, published on dm.gov.ae); Federal Tax Authority VATP015; UAE Government portal (u.ae) on end-of-service benefits; Dubai Land Department (Ejari); Invest in Dubai (DET) trade licence amendment; BusinessFinder.me listing data. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.
