Reykjavík Fish awaits permit after paying eight million in rent

Reykjavík Fish has paid eight million in rent while waiting for permission to open at the former Café Rosenberg premises on Vesturgata 3, according to mbl.is.

Chef Ottó Magnússon and Einar Bárðarson, managing director of the Association of Companies in the Restaurant Industry, recently highlighted delays in Reykjavík City’s licensing process in separate Facebook posts.

Reykjavík Fish applied for permission to operate at the new premises in April. More than three months later, it is still waiting for a decision, Ottó said. He added that the city’s building official and health inspector are based in the same building but do not communicate, and that it has been difficult to get answers.

The restaurant is moving its operations from Tryggvagata to Vesturgata 3. Ottó is one of the people behind Reykjavík Fish, which operates at three locations in central Reykjavík.

According to Einar, the permit has stalled with Reykjavík’s building official because the restaurant plans to use a deep fryer. A resident on an upper floor objected, saying deep-frying would produce more cooking smells.

Einar said the premises previously had a café licence, and that opening a restaurant would involve a small change in how the licence is used. Although food was also prepared at the café, he said it was presumably cooked differently.

He said the case had dragged on for a long time, with the city repeatedly requesting additional documents. Einar also said operators found it difficult to get guidance from the city on how to comply with the requirements.

He argued that Reykjavík’s building official and health inspector were not communicating effectively, leaving restaurant operators to work out what the institutions required. He said businesses were often left waiting while continuing to pay high rent and staff costs.