What You Need
Selling food to the public can be great fun and a GREAT money maker. That said, your first time setting up health permits, insurance, etc. can be overwhelming. (It's the reason a lot of people continue to sell out of their homes which is both illegal and - more importantly to you - leaves a ton of money on the table.)
Here's some helpful pointers on all the things you need to get before renting a kitchen. Read it through and let us know how we can be helpful:
Health Permit — Here's a link to the Onondaga County Health Department. Scroll down a bit and you'll see a few different options for a health permit. You probably want to get either a Temporary or a Catering permit. Temporary Health Permit costs $130 and allows you up to 14 consecutive days at a single location. Catering Permit costs $310 which is good for a full calendar year.
Insurance — Don’t get scared! Take a deep breath. There's Liability, Workers Comp and Disability. This sounds like a lot, but it's really not that bad. Here goes:
Liability. This protects the building in case anything happens. Have your agent list Syracuse Urban Partnership as 'additional insured'
Workers comp. Health Department requires this to be included with your permit application. If you're working alone - no family, no volunteers, just you - you can get a free exemption (called a CE-200) here. Include it with your health permit application.
Disability. Health Department requires this, too. You can get a free exemption here if you don't have any employees working 30 days or more in a calendar year.
Agents. Use whoever you like. If you don't know any insurance agents, we recommend:
Delmonico Insurance Agency: (315) 472-4242
Rachel Sauer: Rsauer@delmonicoinsurance.comOne Group: (315) 457-1830
Rina Corigliano-Hart: RHart@onegroup.comSterling Casualty Company LLC: (315) 399-1801
Jason Allers: jallers@sterlingcasualtyco.com
ServSafe Certification (Food Handler or Manager) — This one's easy, but so important. ServSafe is the national standard on not making people sick with your food. If you're new to cooking, cooling and storing food in large volumes / for many people, this little book will save you. Order one online or get a copy from us for $5. We're happy to sit with you, review the critical points and walk you through some easy strategies to keep both your guests and your brand safe.
Commissary Agreement — This certifies that you have the right to use SCTK to make and sell food. This will be sent to you once we receive copies of the above documents.
Client Contract — This simply ensures you have read, understood, and agreed to the rules and requirements of the space. Please contact Collin at collin@saltcitytestkitchen.com for a copy.
Once you have the necessary documents, fill out our contact form below and a member of our team will reach out to you within 72 hours.