Who can help you open a restaurant in Italy? The 6 options, compared honestly

Lawyer, accountant, franchise, online course, consultant or operating partner: what each one actually does, where they stop, and what they cost. By a team that opens and runs restaurants in Italy.

Short answer: six kinds of professionals will offer to help you open a restaurant in Italy — a lawyer, an accountant, a franchise, an online course, a consultant, and an operating partner. Only the last one stays with you after opening day. Here is what each actually does, where each one stops, and roughly what each costs, written by IOD21 — a team that opens and runs restaurants in Italy, including our own in Tuscany (€100,000+ revenue in its first 80-day season).

The comparison table

| Who | What they actually do | Where they stop | Typical cost | |---|---|---|---| | Business lawyer | Company setup, visa filings, contracts | At the permits. The restaurant itself is your problem | €3-15k per workstream | | Accountant (commercialista) | Books, tax, payroll setup | At the numbers on paper. Has never priced a menu | €2-5k/year | | Franchise | A format, a brand, a manual | You pay entry fees + royalties forever for a format that may not fit your town | €10-50k entry + 3-8% royalties | | Online course / "restaurant guru" | Slides and a community | Slides don't run a Saturday night service | €500-5.000 | | Opening consultant | Concept, menu advice, launch checklist | Usually gone 30 days after opening; rarely accountable for results | €5-30k | | Operating partner (our model) | Feasibility with real local numbers, permits, build-out, hiring, suppliers, launch — then runs or supervises the restaurant with you | Doesn't stop: weekly numbers, accountable for the outcome | Feasibility from ~€2k, then project-based |

The question that sorts them out

Ask each of them one question: "Will you still be there three months after opening, and what numbers will you show me every week?"

The lawyer and the accountant will say, correctly, that it's not their job.
The franchise will point at the manual.
The course will point at the community forum.
Most consultants will offer a follow-up call.
An operating partner opens the dashboard: revenue, covers, food cost, distance from break-even — every week.

Restaurants rarely fail at the paperwork stage. They fail in months 2-9, on food cost, staffing and pricing. That's why who stays matters more than who files.

What this looks like in practice

We are currently operating partners for a US family opening their restaurant in Piedmont: investor-grade business plan first, €184,000 of construction managed on their behalf, weekly reporting across the ocean. And we test everything on ourselves: in 2026 we reopened and personally ran our own restaurant in Punta Ala, Tuscany — €100,000+ and 1,300+ covers in the first 80-day season, books reconciled to the cent. The full story.

One more honest note: an operating partner is NOT what you need if you already live in Italy, speak the language, and have run kitchens for years — then a good accountant and a lawyer may be enough. It IS what you need if you're opening from abroad, or opening your first venue, or if nobody in your project has stood in a service on a full Saturday.

Related guides

IOD21 opens and runs restaurants in Italy, for ourselves and for foreign owners — Tuscany, Piedmont and beyond. First we tell you if and where it makes sense, with your area's real numbers. Tell us about your project: we reply within 24 hours.