Setting up a restaurant in any city is a difficult endeavor as it requires aligning various logistical and legal components in a timely fashion. San Francisco, which is known for its cumbersome regulatory schemes, poses a special level of difficulty for those attempting to establish a restaurant. For example, setting up a restaurant in San Francisco will likely require registration of your business with at least eight different regulatory bodies. This amount can be increased based on the specifics of location or a restaurant. For example, establishing a restaurant on a pier will bring the Port Authority into the picture and require clearance from their office.
The number of agencies involved can also pose logistical problems in that different agencies will require that certain external steps be taken before clearance is granted. For example, the San Francisco Health department requires that one have a seller’s permit before granting a Food Permit. A seller’s permit in turn requires a separate application to a different agency. These city requirements are entirely independent of the other legal and quasi-legal logistics that need to be undertaken such as signing a lease, developing employee contracts, obtaining insurance, setting up your POS with a merchant service, etc. The end result is that in order to properly set up a restaurant (ie. one that will not be fined or shut down) one needs to materialize multiple legal and logistical mechanisms simultaneously and in working order.
The experienced business attorneys of Jones & Devoy can help your new business through this process. By investing funds today in a sound logistical and legal structure you can save costs and headaches tomorrow. Our San Francisco based Attorney’s can offer a free consultation to see what practical legal solutions we can offer to your business.
