Part of: HOP — Hospitality Development Platform
Coffeeshops are hospitality businesses with staff. What the levy means, what you get in return and where it pinches.
A coffeeshop is a hospitality business
Formally a coffeeshop is a hospitality business with staff: it has an operating licence, a payroll and a cao context. That brings the HOP levy into play on the same basis as for a café, restaurant or snack bar.
What you get in return, in principle
The levy buys access to sector-wide provisions: training and e-learning, the free RI&E, research and subsidy schemes such as practical learning. In theory a coffeeshop can use these just like any other hospitality business.
Where it pinches in practice
- Coffeeshops are often left out of sector-wide schemes and communication, while still contributing.
- Operators receive invoices without a clear explanation of the basis or what is delivered in return.
- The position of coffeeshops within regular hospitality is not explicitly arranged, so access depends on goodwill.