--- title: "Cafe, Restaurant and Bar Valuation Melbourne" url: https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/industries/hospitality-and-food-service/ description: "Valuations for Melbourne cafes, restaurants and bars, with the lease, rent and liquor licence weighed properly. Fixed fee from $1,495 + GST." updated: 2026-11-10 --- # Valuing Melbourne cafés, restaurants and bars, starting with the lease. For selling or buying a venue, partner exits, family transfers and multi-site groups, from CBD laneways to Fitzroy, Brunswick and South Yarra. [Talk to a valuer (15 min)](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/contact/)[All industries](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/industries/) A Melbourne café, restaurant or bar is valued on the profit a new owner can keep earning, and three things decide how much a buyer will pay for it: the years left on the lease and the rent, whether the takings hold up when the owner is not on the floor, and whether the liquor licence can move to the buyer. Our valuers test each one before choosing a multiple, so the figure reflects this venue on this street, not a café average. ## Why the lease often decides the number In Melbourne hospitality the lease can be worth as much as the recipes. A laneway bar in the CBD with two years left and no option is a very different asset from the same bar with a fresh term and options to follow. The valuer reads the lease for the remaining term and options, the rent and how it is reviewed, the landlord's consent to assignment, and make-good obligations at the end. Rent is then tested against turnover, because a venue on Brunswick Street or Chapel Street can be busy and still leave little for the owner once rent is paid. Our signed reports are a fixed fee of $1,495 + GST for a small business and $2,495 + GST for a medium business, and every one is independently reviewed by a suitably qualified business valuer. A small-business report is delivered in 2 business days and a medium-business report in 3 business days. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. Business Valuations Melbourne is not a registered tax agent. Get a fixed fee[Ask the valuer first](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/contact/) ## Normalising earnings when the owner works the pass Many Melbourne venues are run by an owner who cooks, opens up or covers weekend shifts without drawing a market wage. A buyer will have to pay someone to do that work, so the valuation adds back a market cost for the owner's hours. The same goes for family members on the roster, one-off fit-out repairs, and costs that run through the business but are not part of it. Takings are checked against the bank, the point of sale system and supplier invoices. Earnings that cannot be evidenced cannot be valued. ## The liquor licence does not travel on its own If you buy a Victorian business that already has a liquor licence, the licence has to be transferred into your name through Liquor Control Victoria, and you must not supply alcohol until the transfer is granted and you have the legal right to occupy the venue. For a valuation, that makes the transfer a condition of the deal rather than something the buyer gets automatically. The licence type and its trading hours also shape the earnings, so the valuer records what the licence allows. Whether a buyer will get the transfer is a question for the buyer, their lawyer and Liquor Control Victoria. ## Common reasons Melbourne venues are valued - Sale of a café, restaurant or bar to a new operator - One partner buying out another - Moving a venue into a family trust or company - A hospitality group with several sites restructuring - A price check before listing the business for sale - Market value evidence for CGT on a sale or transfer (your accountant applies the tax rules) ## Common questions. What if the lease is nearly up? + Value still exists, but a buyer is paying for fewer certain years of trade, so the supportable figure is lower and the range is wider. If a new lease or an option is close to being signed, tell us: the valuation can state the position on the current lease and note what changes if the new terms are agreed. Are franchised cafés and food outlets valued the same way? + The approach is similar, with added checks for franchise fees and marketing levies, the remaining franchise term, territory, and whether the franchisor must approve a buyer. If the agreement cannot be transferred, that limits value and the report says so. Can unrecorded cash takings be included? + No. The valuation can only rely on earnings that are recorded and can be checked. Takings that are not in the books will not be accepted by a buyer, a lender or the ATO, and an independent valuer cannot sign off on them. How quickly can I have the valuation? + The fee is fixed before work starts and set by annual turnover: $1,495 + GST under $2 million, $2,495 + GST for $2 million to $3 million, $3,495 + GST for $3 million to $10 million, and a written quote above $10 million. Small reports take 2 business days and medium and large reports 3 business days, counted from when payment and all the information we need are in. Related industries - [E-commerce and Retail Business Valuations in Melbourne](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/industries/e-commerce-and-retail/) - [Trades and Construction Business Valuations in Melbourne](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/industries/trades-and-construction/) - [Manufacturing Business Valuations in Melbourne](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/industries/manufacturing/) Sources - [Transfer your liquor licence](https://www.vic.gov.au/transfer-liquor-licence), Liquor Control Victoria, vic.gov.au Talk to a valuer ## Tell us what you need valued. A fifteen-minute call confirms the package, the fixed fee and the delivery date, before you commit to anything. 03 8375 4177 Mon to Fri, 9am to 5:30pm Melbourne time Send the form and we reply within one business day. No documents needed to start. Small Business Valuation $1,495 + GST For a business with annual turnover under $2 million. Signed report in 2 business days. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. The fee is fixed in writing before we start and never tied to the outcome. Larger business? Tell us in the form and we recommend the right package. [All fees](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/fees/) Last reviewed 10 November 2026 by Business Valuations Melbourne, Level 7, 55 Collins Street, Melbourne. --- Business Valuations Melbourne · Level 7, 55 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 · 03 8375 4177 · https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/start/