Restaurants, cafés, bars, caterers, bakeries, motels and banquet halls make up Ontario's food-and-hospitality resale family — a group of businesses that changes hands regularly and follows a fairly repeatable legal pattern from one deal to the next. Almost every sale in this family is structured as an asset purchase, with the lease and, where one exists, a liquor licence usually setting the pace of the closing rather than the underlying business terms.
Asset sales, almost without exception — Whether it's a neighbourhood café or a banquet hall with forward-booked weddings, the business itself is typically sold as an asset purchase — inventory, equipment, lease and goodwill — rather than a sale of shares. Buyers get a defined list of what they're acquiring and sellers keep the corporate shell, which keeps the purchase agreement itself relatively contained even when the surrounding approvals take longer.
A liquor licence follows its own timeline — Where a business pours alcohol — a bar, many restaurants, some banquet halls and motels — the AGCO liquor sales licence has to be transferred to the new operator, sometimes through an interim authorization while the full transfer processes. This approval runs alongside the purchase agreement rather than inside it, and it's frequently the reason a closing date moves.
The lease is usually the real bottleneck — Because so much of the value in this family sits in a leasehold location, landlord consent to assign the lease is typically the step that sets the pace of closing, ahead of financing and, in many cases, the liquor licence itself. Reviewing the lease's assignment clause early is standard practice for exactly this reason.
Public health signs off on every change of operator — Any business that prepares or serves food — restaurants, caterers, food trucks, bakeries — needs a municipal health-unit inspection tied to the new operator before service resumes under the new ownership. It's a routine step in this family, but it's a step, not a formality that can be skipped.
Browse the specific food and hospitality business types below for the licensing and lease details particular to each.
Independent restaurants, cafés, bars and small chains; typically $50K–$1.5M; almost always asset sales; inventory and working-capital adjustments material even at small size.
The most real-estate-heavy segment; $1M–$10M+, usually bundling business with real property; asset or share depending on how the real estate is held.
Neighbourhood bars, pubs and licensed lounges; typically $75K–$1M; almost always asset sales; the liquor licence and lease are the two assets that actually determine whether the deal can close on schedule.
Event caterers and mobile food trucks; typically $40K–$500K; asset sales built around equipment, recipes/brand and existing event/vendor contracts rather than real estate.
Retail bakeries, patisseries and dessert shops; typically $50K–$750K; almost always asset sales, with recipe/brand goodwill and lease terms driving value more than equipment.
Event and wedding venues, banquet halls; typically $200K–$3M, often bundling real property or a long-term lease; deposits and forward-booked events are a distinctive diligence item.
†Typical patterns across Canadian deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A café or small restaurant owner selling to a first-time buyer, with a straightforward lease assignment and no liquor licence involved.
Start my file →A licensed bar or banquet hall sale involving an AGCO transfer, forward-booked events, or real property changing hands alongside the business.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
Yes, typically. Businesses in this family are almost always sold as asset purchases rather than share sales, which keeps the transaction focused on the inventory, equipment, lease and goodwill actually changing hands. A share sale is possible but uncommon and would need a specific reason.
The AGCO liquor sales licence generally needs to be transferred to the new owner, and in many deals an interim authorization lets the business keep serving while that transfer processes. This approval sits outside the purchase agreement itself and is worth building into your closing timeline from the start.
Because the location usually is much of the value, landlord consent to assign the lease is generally the step that sets the pace of closing. It's worth reviewing the assignment clause in the lease early, before the rest of the deal is finalized.
Generally yes, because these businesses more often bundle real property with the operating business, so the deal can combine a real-estate transaction with a business sale. The core asset-sale approach still applies, but real property adds its own diligence layer around zoning, financing and environmental review.
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