Extending trading hours for Wendy’s Portsmouth

The licensing legal problem:

A Wendy’s franchisee with an existing site in Portsmouth city centre sought to extend operating hours to sell late night food. Such activity required a premises licence, and late-night applications are often carefully scrutinised by responsible authorities due to concerns over potential crime, disorder, and nuisance.

The legal value we added:

Suraj Desor who acts for the Wendy’s franchisee, advised on the most effective strategy to achieve extended trading hours.

• Pre-application consultation took place with the licensing authority and local police, ensuring concerns were addressed before submission.
• Research of other fast-food operators and licensed premises in the area was carried out to evidence that the proposal was reasonable and would not adversely impact the local area.
• Mitigation measures were built into the operating schedule, agreeing proportionate conditions to address potential risks around late-night deliveries and customer collections.

Results

The application was submitted with the agreed operating schedule suite of conditions. Thanks to the extensive preparation and consultation:

• No objections were lodged by responsible authorities.
• A hearing was avoided.
• The premises licence was granted as applied for.

As a result, Wendy’s Portsmouth can now trade until 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and on Sundays before a Bank Holiday — giving the business greater flexibility to meet customer demand and supporting the continued growth of its operations in the city centre.

To see how our teams could help, contact the London office on 0203 859 7760 or Nottingham on 0115 953 8500.

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