A License and Permit Checklist for Startup Restaurants

If licenses and permits were your passion, you would have become an accountant or a lawyer. You like food and people. And the last thing you want to deal with are the reams of forms and applications required to make your business "legal." This article won't make the process any more interesting; however, it will provide you a list of the types of licenses you will need to open your doors.

If you hate the paperwork, turn it over to your CPA or attorney to sweat the fine points. Just don't bury your head in the sand. The city, county, state and federal agencies will find out if you've missed a step, and that's a hassle you can live without. Almost every business, even home-based businesses, face not only higher government taxes and fees, but find that they must bring their operations into compliance with those local and state rules and regulations.

Failure to comply, even unknowingly, can stop a startup operation before it begins -- or result in the closing of an ongoing restaurant or business. These days, some state and local governments even focus on stricter enforcement and higher fees to help compensate for projected budget shortfalls. At the same time, the owners and managers of many restaurants and businesses are discovering just how much government services cost their business operations -- and how many of those increasingly more expensive licenses and permits they do not have.