Starting A Restaurant Business On Your Own
Starting a Restaurant Business on Your Own
When you're ready to start your own restaurant, the details can seem overwhelming at first. Not only do you have to come up with a good idea, but you also need to come up with staff members, stock, and a menu. However, before you can even begin to open your doors, there are some legal 'hoops' that you need to jump through first. Of course, these requirements will vary from state to state, but this should give you a good idea on how to start a restaurant business on your own - without getting into trouble before you even get started.
Before you can even begin applying for these permits and licenses, you will need to get an EIN or a Federal Employer Identification Number, which you need to apply for, so you can check with your local small business association to see how you start that process.
Letting People Know You're a Business The first basic step for starting your restaurant is to get a business license. This is done by contacting the local small business association in your area and applying for the license by paying a percentage of your estimated or actual gross sales. To do this, you will simply need to figure out what you might make and then pay a fee to receive a license that you can then post in your restaurant. In some cases, you will need to just pay a set fee. What are You Serving? What you might not realize is that you will need to pay a portion of your income to the local county to stay in business. How much you pay depends on what you make in a year, as well as how much you sell of certain items. If you serve only food, you will need to get a food permit or a food license, which will be something that requires you submit to regular inspections for safety by the health department. If you're serving alcohol, you will need a liquor license in order to serve it legally. In many cases, the county may also require that you get a permit for serving beer and wine as well as a separate permit for selling liquor. What are You Playing? If you plan to play copyrighted music at your restaurant, you will need to get a license to do so. You will need to seek these licenses through the individual recording companies of the artists whose music you wish to play. How are You Advertising? Some cities also require that you get sign permits before you display certain signage outside your establishment. There may be limits on the size and the location of your signs as well as certain types that you will be able to use. And Still More… You will also want to look into these possible permits and licenses before you open your doors: · Police and fire permits
· Sellers permits
· Building permits
· Zoning permits While it sounds like a lot of work, it's actually going to be more work to deal with the troubles of not getting these permits in place. There are fines and fees that you will be subjected to if you do not follow the laws.
| 
