Invest in Italy
Own a restaurant in Italy. We make it real — and we run it with you.
From a hidden village in Tuscany or Piedmont to opening night and every day after: location scouting, company, visa, licenses, build-out, staff — and ongoing management with real-time numbers on your phone.
By the team that owns Ristorante ART in Punta Ala · builds Ordina restaurant software · lives and works in Tuscany
Everyone sells you a piece. Nobody stays for the hard part.
Real-estate agencies
sell you the beautiful property — then say goodbye at the notary.
Law firms
incorporate the company and file the papers — but nobody finds the chef.
Visa consultants
get you the permit — the restaurant is your problem.
IOD21 is the missing piece: we execute and we operate. Our management fee is tied to your restaurant's results — we win when you win.
Not promises. Facts.
We are already doing this — for ourselves and for foreign investors
Our own restaurant · Punta Ala
The ART turnaround
A venue the town had written off, reopened and run directly by us. In one season it became a local reference again — 5.0/5 on Google, 9.6/10 on TheFork (#1 in Punta Ala).
€100.000+
revenue in one season
1.300+
covers served
3×
the previous best year
For American investors · Alta Langa
Ristorante Figallo — a new opening in Cortemilia
Exactly the service on this page, happening right now: Luis and Heather Figallo, American founders, are opening their "Piemontex" restaurant in Alta Langa. Investor-grade business plan, construction-site management protecting the client, supplier negotiations, bilingual reporting — they follow everything from the United States.
~€184.000
of construction works overseen
Two ways in
Choose how far we go together
Advisory
Scout
You want to find and evaluate the right opportunity — and keep execution in your hands.
- Location & business scouting in Tuscany and Piedmont
- Dossier of 3–5 vetted opportunities with real numbers
- Due diligence: licenses, property, seller's books
- Introductions: notary, tax advisor, visa lawyers
Scouting retainer from €15,000 + success fee on completion.
Turnkey + management
Dream
You own the restaurant. We build it and run it — you watch it live from anywhere.
- Everything in Scout, plus full execution
- S.r.l. setup, SCIA license with our qualified preposto
- Renovation, concept, menu with our chefs
- Your on-site director, hired and trained by us
- 5-year management contract, fee tied to operating profit
- Real-time P&L, margins and food cost in Ordina
Projects from €500,000 — development fee on capex + management fee on results.
How it works
From dream to opening night in 5 phases
- 01
Dream & scout
We translate your idea into a brief and shortlist 3–5 real opportunities — village trattoria, countryside estate, seaside spot.
- 02
Due diligence & visa
Numbers, licenses, property checks. In parallel, our legal partners handle your investor or self-employment visa.
- 03
Company & licenses
Italian S.r.l. incorporation, food-service license (SCIA) with our qualified preposto, bank account, tax setup.
- 04
Build & hire
Renovation, concept, menu engineering with our chefs, and hiring your on-site director and team.
- 05
Open & manage
We open together — then run the restaurant for you under a 5-year management contract, with monthly reporting and live data in Ordina.
Typical timeline: 6–12 months from brief to opening, depending on property and works.
Why IOD21
Your project is run by people who run restaurants
Our own restaurant
Ristorante ART in Punta Ala is ours: seafood, art gallery garden, real service every night. Come see how we run it — it's your proof, and our showroom.
Discover →Your live dashboard
Ordina is our proprietary software: orders, reservations, food cost to the cent. As an owner abroad you see everything, in real time, without asking anyone.
Discover →Roots in the territory
We live and work in Maremma. The hidden villages, the suppliers, the artisans, the town offices — our network becomes yours.
Discover →Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner open a restaurant in Italy?
Yes. EU citizens can open freely. Non-EU citizens need a residence permit that allows business activity — most commonly the Investor Visa (from €500,000 into an Italian company, or €250,000 into an innovative startup) or a self-employment visa. Once you hold a valid permit, the reciprocity restrictions on buying property or company shares no longer apply.
Do I need professional qualifications to own a restaurant?
No. Italian law requires the food-service professional requirements (SAB) to be met by the business — and they can be satisfied by appointing a qualified manager, the 'preposto'. As part of our turnkey service, IOD21 provides the qualified preposto, so you can own the restaurant without holding Italian qualifications yourself.
How much do I need to invest?
Our turnkey projects typically range from €500,000 to €2,000,000 all-in — location, company setup, build-out, opening. €500,000 is also the Investor Visa threshold for investing in an Italian company, so the two often align. Advisory-only engagements start much lower.
How do I keep control if I live abroad?
Three ways: you own 100% of the company; our management fee is tied to the restaurant's operating profit, so our incentives are aligned with yours; and you watch revenue, margins and food cost in real time through Ordina, our proprietary restaurant software — the same one we use in our own restaurant.
Why Tuscany and Piedmont?
They are where we operate and where foreign demand is strongest — Tuscany is the most requested Italian region among American luxury buyers. We focus on 'hidden' locations: villages and countryside spots with real charm and lower entry costs than trophy destinations.
Has IOD21 actually done this?
We own and run Ristorante ART in Punta Ala (Tuscany), we build restaurant software used daily in real venues, and we run a web & AI agency for the hospitality sector. Your project is managed by people who run restaurants — not consultants who only write reports.
Want the deep dive? Read our complete guide to opening a restaurant in Italy as a foreigner.
Every dream starts with a conversation
Tell us about the restaurant you imagine
One email is enough. We reply personally, in English, within two working days — with an honest first assessment, not a sales pitch.