1. Turn your concept into an operating plan
Write down what you will serve, who will buy it, how orders will reach the kitchen, and how many people you expect to serve in a shift. A counter-service lunch shop, a delivery kitchen, and a late-night restaurant need different staffing, equipment, and premises.
Build a sample menu before choosing equipment. For each dish, list preparation, storage, cooking, and service steps. Use those steps to discuss the layout with your designer and the agency reviewing your food operation. Speak with potential customers and compare nearby alternatives before assuming that a busy street guarantees demand.
- Draft a menu and service model.
- Estimate customers per service and average spending per customer.
- Identify delivery, catering, alcohol, or outdoor-service plans early.
2. Separate opening costs from operating cash
Create one list for spending before opening and another for recurring bills. Include deposits, professional help, construction, equipment, opening inventory, and training wages. Then model rent, payroll, utilities, supplies, and other payments during a slower-than-expected launch.
Request written estimates and record what each excludes. A kitchen equipment price may leave out freight, installation, electrical work, or servicing. Keep a contingency separate from operating cash so an overrun does not silently consume the money reserved for payroll.
3. Check the space before you commit
Bring your menu and proposed layout to the relevant local planning, building, fire, and food-safety offices. Ask which reviews apply to this address and this operation. A space previously used as a restaurant can still require changes for your menu, equipment, ownership, or layout.
Have qualified advisers review the lease and the premises. Clarify who pays for improvements, which equipment belongs to the landlord, when rent starts, and what happens if approvals are delayed. Ask your insurance broker to compare the lease's insurance language with available coverage before you agree to it.
4. Build an approval tracker
Keep business registration, tax setup, food approval, building work, and alcohol permissions as separate tasks. For each, record the responsible agency, application, fee confirmed by that agency, prerequisites, submission date, and next action. Filing one application does not complete the others.
Ask your local agencies which work must wait for plan approval and what must be ready for a final inspection. Treat any estimated processing time as an input to your schedule, not a promised opening date. Check separately for changes of ownership when buying an existing operation.
Which services should you use to set up the business?
Start with the state filing route below if you want to handle a simple formation yourself. If you want paid filing help, our starting shortlist is Northwest Registered Agent, with ZenBusiness as an alternative to compare. These are editorial fit recommendations based on the providers' published services, not a claim that one provider is best for every owner.
Choose the entity and formation state before buying a package. For a business operating locally, compare formation in that state first; a Delaware entity can still need registration where it operates. An LLC filing does not replace trade credentials, operating permits, or business insurance.
Provider features and advertised prices checked September 7, 2026. Links go directly to the providers or government offices. Confirm the checkout total, optional subscriptions, renewal charges, and current terms before ordering.
| Provider / route | When to consider it | Cost and what to check |
|---|---|---|
| File directly with your state ↗ | Our first route to compare for a straightforward local LLC when you are comfortable handling the filing yourself. | State filing fees and ongoing state obligations; no third-party formation-service fee. You handle the application, registered-agent arrangements, deadlines, and operating documents. Get legal or tax help for ownership or entity-choice questions. |
| Northwest Registered Agent ↗ | Our paid-service shortlist pick when you want LLC filing help and a provider that also offers registered-agent service. | Advertised formation: $39 plus state fees. Registered-agent service is separately listed at $125/year; confirm the package inclusion and renewal date. Compare the full first-year and renewal total. A registered agent receives legal notices; it does not replace permits, bookkeeping, or insurance. |
| ZenBusiness Starter ↗ | An alternative for guided filing with a low advertised formation-service price. | Starter advertises $0 plus state fees. Optional services, trials, and higher plans can add recurring charges. Review the final cart and renewal terms for registered-agent service, compliance, website, and other add-ons. Compare the services you need, not only the headline price. |
| Stripe Atlas ↗ | Consider when you have deliberately chosen a Delaware LLC or C corporation with your adviser. It is not our default for a local service business. | $500 setup, including Delaware filing fees and the first year of registered-agent service; $100/year for the agent after that. Other ongoing obligations are separate. Operating in another state can require additional registration and fees there. Atlas is a formation product, separate from Stripe payment processing. |
| IRS EIN application ↗ | Get your federal employer identification number directly from the IRS when needed. | The IRS does not charge an EIN application fee. Check online eligibility and use the IRS's other application methods if necessary. A formation service may charge to apply on your behalf; that is a service charge. |
| Bluevine Business Checking ↗ | A banking option to compare for a business that mainly receives and pays money digitally. It does not form your LLC. | Standard has a $0 monthly fee. Some transactions, including cash deposits, carry fees; paid plans have different terms. For a restaurant handling cash, compare cash-deposit fees, locations, limits, and branch access with a local bank before choosing. Bluevine is a financial technology company, not a bank; banking services are provided through Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC. |
| Square for Restaurants ↗ | A point-of-sale option to evaluate for menus, orders, and in-person payments. | Compare the current software plan, hardware, payment-processing fees, and optional features together. Run a sample service before choosing: modifiers, kitchen routing, tips, refunds, and your busiest ordering channel. Confirm which features your selected plan includes. |
- SBA: registration and operating in more than one state ↗
- Northwest: registered-agent pricing ↗
- Bluevine: cash-deposit options and fees ↗
Cohesive Insurance
Business formed? Put insurance next on the list.
Make Cohesive your next call for business insurance. Tell us what you do, where you operate, and when you need coverage. Our team can help you explore coverage options for your launch.
Get coverage options with CohesiveCoverage and required endorsements must be confirmed before insurance evidence can establish that the job requirements are met.
5. Prepare the team, suppliers, and coverage
Write a staffing plan for preparation, service, cleaning, and closing. Budget time for training before the first paying customer arrives. Confirm food-safety training requirements with your local authority and payroll obligations with your payroll adviser.
List the dates you take possession, start improvements, receive equipment, bring staff on site, and begin service. Give that timeline to your broker so coverage can be considered for the actual stages of the launch. Do not assume a policy starting on opening night addresses earlier exposures.
- Confirm supplier delivery windows and backup contacts.
- Test point-of-sale, payment settlement, and order routing.
- Confirm policy effective dates and requested evidence of coverage.
6. Run a rehearsal before announcing the opening
Walk through receiving, storage, prep, service, payment, cleaning, and closing with the people who will actually do the work. Use a mock service to find unclear handoffs and missing supplies. Record each issue, its owner, and the condition that will count as resolved.
Keep required approvals and unresolved safety issues separate from improvements that can wait. A marketing deadline should not be the reason you overlook an opening requirement. Set the public opening once the responsible people have confirmed that the restaurant is ready.
How to get your first customers and local referrals
Build local demand around the service you can deliver: dine-in visits, takeaway, office meals, or catering. Set up clear menu, location, ordering, and opening-hours information, then approach nearby businesses with a specific offer. Keep launch dates tentative until required approvals are complete.
Real estate agents can be contacts for open-house catering or new-neighbor recommendations. Property managers (PMs) can connect you with tenant events and nearby office communities. General contractors (GCs) and other local employers may need crew lunches or meeting meals. Ask about the actual need, ordering lead time, headcount, budget, and delivery access; these relationships are prospects, not guaranteed accounts.
Arrange insurance before pitching an insured catering or event service
Get appropriate insurance in place before presenting the restaurant as an insured vendor. Tell your broker about off-premises catering, delivery, events, and alcohol service if offered; a policy for one operation should not be assumed to cover every expansion. Obtain the customer's or venue's written vendor requirements, and resolve coverage and approval requirements before accepting the event.
Have the agent supply the certificate of insurance and any required endorsements. The certificate reports coverage rather than creating it, and listing a certificate holder does not itself provide additional insured status. Describe your current capabilities truthfully while any insurance or food-service approvals are still pending.
- Define the meals, catering, or event service you can fulfill.
- Confirm approvals and insurance for the actual service before accepting orders.
- Prepare a menu, minimum order, lead time, service area, and current insurance evidence.
Cohesive Insurance
Get insurance ready for your next catering or venue opportunity.
Bring the customer's insurance requirements to Cohesive. Tell us the requested limits, any additional insured requirements, your operations, and the job timeline so our team can discuss coverage options and the documents you will need.
Get coverage options with CohesiveCoverage and required endorsements must be confirmed before insurance evidence can establish that the job requirements are met.
Turn an introduction into a repeat order
Once ready, adapt this introduction: “Hi [name], I run [restaurant] near [location]. We offer [specific meal or catering service] for [group size] with [lead time]. We carry insurance for that service and can send a COI for your vendor review. Who coordinates meals or events for your team?” Use the insurance statement only when true and quote capacity you can actually handle.
Track the contact, referral source, requested menu, event or order date, vendor requirements, next follow-up, quoted value, and margin after food, labor, packaging, and delivery. Ask satisfied customers about repeat orders and introductions. Start with a manageable number of orders so your first referrals are supported by dependable service.
- Contact relevant local agents, property managers, and employers with one specific offer.
- Track vendor approval, follow-up dates, orders, and contribution after delivery costs.
- Ask satisfied customers for feedback and a relevant introduction.
Your startup action list
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Use this guide for planning. Confirm requirements and current fees with the agencies serving your address. Coverage depends on the policy and insurer; this guide does not confirm that a particular operation is eligible.