mee

which state has the most lenient and relaxed rules about opening a business, i.e. licence, permit, and food preparations etc.

i'm not sure what kind of food i will be selling, but probably British gourmet food, i heard British things are popular over there? is that true?

i was thinking about places like texas, oklahoma, utah, florida or georgia, do these states have relaxed regulations about food and preparation? compared to other states?

also, do you think people from these states will like British/gourmet food?

any advise about locations and catering businesses you give will be greatly appreciated

thank you

Pulaski

If you're going to play by the rules, the hard part is the food prep rules and hygiene matters, here in NC at least. The business formation and license is just paperwork. The current easiest way into the food and catering business is to get yourself a "food truck". They are all the rage from southern California all the way to the east coast. In NC the food MUST be prepared in a licensed and inspected kitchen, i.e. not in the truck.

mee

so all states have completely different regulations?

would you advise preparing all food in a truck and distributing it from there, as oppose to renting a kitchen premises?

and would the food truck thing be legal? and would i need a licence?

how long would it take to get licence?

sir_eccles

I suggest you fire up Google and look up the regulations in each of the states. In many states the regulations are continually changing as new trends like food trucks become popular. You may also need to check City regulations as well as states ones.

Pulaski

Regulation of virtually all professions and occupations is handled at the state level.
That is the opposite of what I just said, for NC at least. Here food MUST be prep'ed in a licensed and inspected "brick and mortar" kitchen. There are commercial kitchens available for rent, and one was opened last year specifically to meet the needs of the food truck businesses near where I live.
Yes, legal, licensed, and regulated. You'd need a business license, issued by the city or county.
I have no idea, sorry.

Michael

Not just state regulations are different but local regulations are different. For example, San Francisco may allow certain practices that other localities may not allow due to ethnic traditions.

Generally getting a license is easy as long as you are up to the food safety codes of that state/locality and zoning allows for that business. If you have a big truck, that may create more of a problem if zoning/HOA doesn't allow that to be on your property. Some states/localities allow food preparation in your home but local zoning laws may then prohibit that.

mee

how do i get a license? would i rent a kitchen premises and then let the people issuing the license inspect for cleanliness etc.???? or what?

and which state would you recommend ?

mee

do you recommend any particular state?

cluedweasel

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=best+state+to+s...truck+business

mee

i don't want a "food truck business" I was just considering that an initial step before having a more permanent kitchen to progress the catering business.


And, i did plenty of research prior to asking this question

Noorah101

To be fair, your questions are so vague that it doesn't *seem* like you've done any research. It would help if you post what you already know, that way people here can fill in the blanks, rather than starting out with "which state is the best for food service industry"? That's an extremely vague question for someone who has done plenty of reseach prior to asking.

Rene

mee

well, i didn't ask "which state is the best for food service industry"?

but nevertheless i respect your opinion..........................

Duncan Roberts

You say you did plenty of research but your basic questions come across like you had the idea 5 minutes ago and started posting. What kind of research have you done? You get better info if you provide better info.

Michael

I think the state/city/area you should chose should primarily be based on whether your business will be successful in that city. Someone could recommend a specific state that has very easy laws but if there is not the cliental that desires your services, it will all be in vain.

The differences in licensing and inspections between states and localities should probably be at the bottom of your list.

I don't believe California has any regulations restricting food preparation at home or in a truck as long as it meets the safety requirement for food preparation but California localities generally has tougher zoning laws than many other states.

I don't believe licensing is much of an issue in most places (usually you just apply and get approved very quickly) and a state safety inspector may or may not be required before you start the business. Usually a state safety inspector may visit the premises every so often (depending on the state budget) and write up warnings. If too many warning are issued or if previous warnings aren't corrected, your business may possibly be shut down until all warnings have been corrected. Generally food inspectors are primarily concerned about cleanliness, proper temperatures for refrigeration, and in the catering business, proper and safe transpiration of food (may possibly require some sort of refrigeration depending on the type of food to be transported).

Siouxie

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/foodent/entrepreneur/

Suggest you do the modules, then you can figure out if it's for you.

Then use this websearch on the US Government website to see what licences and permits you will need: http://www.sba.gov/licenses-and-permits - then click on the links to see how to get them.

Do you have catering experience or any qualifications?