The food and drinks industry is booming. Millenials in particular like spending their money in eateries and coffee shops, and despite high closing rates, the restaurant business is booming. If you want to set up a business, the food and drinks sector is a great place to make a lot of profit- however there are a number of considerations that you’ll need to bear in mind. Here’s what you’ll need to get right when you’re running a kitchen, catering business or any kind of food and drinks establishment.

Get the correct licenses and insurances

When you’re going to be preparing and selling food or drink, you have to ensure you have the correct licenses. Without these, you’re breaking the law and so it’s vital you have everything in place before opening your doors. If you sell alcoholic drinks you will need a separate license for this, in some places you will even need licenses for some specific foodstuffs such as fish. You’ll also then need the right insurances- of course, hopefully nothing does go wrong but it’s essential to make sure your business is protected. Insurance can protect you if a claim is made against you, and prevents you from being left out of pocket. Look into food and beverage industry insurance and find a policy that works for you.

Ensure staff have the right training

When you’re hiring for any job, you of course need to make sure that potential employees have the right qualifications and training. In the catering industry, anyone entering the kitchen will need a food hygiene certificate. Without this, you’ll be breaking the law, and could be putting your customers at risk.

Make sure your premises are immaculate

Keeping a clean kitchen is vital when you’re a food business. Again, poor hygiene practices could put your customers health at risk, and could put you at risk of being closed down. Companies like Weber Scientific sell testing equipment which allows you to check that your food and working environment is safe of things like bugs as well as allergens. If a customer requests something to be dairy free for example, you’ll need to ensure that all surfaces that the meal is prepared on as well as equipment is absolutely free of dairy. The same applies to nuts, gluten and other allergens. There have been cases in the media of people dying due to being given wrong information or food being prepared incorrectly.

Follow health and safety to the letter

This includes things like storing food and keeping it warm, abiding by use by dates, emptying bins in the correct way and much more. Ensure you know exactly what the rules are and that you, and all of your staff are following them. Whether you’re a tiny cafe or a large restaurant, the rules are there to keep people safe.

There are specific difficulties to overcome in any field of business, but food can be particularly tricky. Be sure to get it right.