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foodservicenerd
What you need to open

What You Need to Open a Food Business

Pick your concept for a practical checklist of the licenses, equipment, space and timeline — then tailor it with our free tools.

By business type

Open a Full-service restaurant
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Fast-casual / quick-service
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Cafe / coffee shop
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Bar / pub
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Pizzeria
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Bakery
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Juice / smoothie bar
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Ice cream / dessert shop
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Deli / sandwich shop
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Food truck / trailer
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Catering business
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist
Open a Ghost / delivery kitchen
Licenses, equipment, space & timeline checklist

By cuisine

Same restaurant essentials, plus the equipment each cuisine depends on.

Open a Chinese Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Italian Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Thai Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Sushi Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Indian Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Korean Restaurant / KBBQ
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Vietnamese Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Mediterranean Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a BBQ Restaurant / Smokehouse
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Seafood Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Steakhouse
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Diner
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Ramen Shop
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Open a Middle Eastern Restaurant
Cuisine-specific equipment + permits checklist
Prefer it interactive? The opening planner tailors all of this to your size, cuisine and ZIP, and the opening timeline shows the sequence.
Published by Resultex Media Group LLC · Independent & vendor-neutral · Educational only, not legal or engineering advice · Last verified September 2026