United States
Hong KongOpening your own place: where certification fits in the sequence
Get certified early. The permit application and plan review both assume a certified person, and leaving it until the pre-opening inspection puts an eight-to-fifteen-hour task on the critical path at the busiest possible moment.
Opening a food business has a sequence, and certification belongs near the front of it rather than near the end.
The sequence
- Decide the concept and the menu, because both drive everything after.
- Check zoning and the premises.
- Get certified. Eight to fifteen hours, and it informs the next two steps.
- Submit plans for review, before building anything.
- Build, with the plan review comments incorporated.
- Apply for the food establishment permit.
- Pre-opening inspection.
- Open.
Step three sits where it does for a reason. Plan review is a conversation about hand sinks, storage, warewashing and ventilation, and going into it having just studied all of that is a considerable advantage.
What plan review will ask about
- Number and placement of handwashing sinks.
- Warewashing arrangement, and whether a three-compartment sink is present.
- A separate food preparation sink, and a service sink for mop water.
- Refrigeration capacity, and whether cooling can actually be achieved.
- Floors, walls, ceilings and coving.
- Ventilation and lighting.
- Dry and chemical storage, with the directional rule respected.
- Whether any menu item triggers a special process needing a variance.
Every item on that list is exam material. That is not a coincidence - the exam tests what an inspector inspects.
Sushi, cured or smoked products for preservation, vacuum packing, acidified rice, sprouting seeds, a shellfish tank. Each needs a variance and usually a HACCP plan, and discovering that after the build is expensive.
What it costs
Certification is one of the cheapest items in the whole project: USD 36 to 65 for the exam, plus proctoring. Permit fees, plan review fees and equipment dwarf it.
It is also the one that most reduces the risk of an expensive mistake elsewhere, which is an unusual ratio.
Certify more than yourself
If you will not personally be present during all opening hours, and your jurisdiction requires a certified person who is, you need a second certified person before you open rather than after.
That is a rota question to answer during planning, not in week three.
Common questions
When should you get certified when opening a food business?
Early - before plan review. The permit application assumes a certified person, and plan review is a conversation about hand sinks, warewashing, storage and ventilation that goes far better having just studied them.
What does plan review cover?
Handwashing sink placement, warewashing arrangement, preparation and service sinks, refrigeration capacity, finishes and coving, ventilation, lighting, chemical storage, and whether the menu triggers a special process.
Can the menu create extra requirements?
Yes. Sushi, curing or smoking for preservation, vacuum packing, acidified rice, sprouting seeds and shellfish tanks each need a variance and usually a HACCP plan. Finding out after the build is expensive.
How much does certification cost relative to opening?
Very little - USD 36 to 65 plus proctoring, against permit fees, plan review and equipment. It is also the item that most reduces the risk of expensive mistakes elsewhere.
Do you need more than one certified person?
If you will not personally be present during all opening hours and your jurisdiction requires a certified person who is, then yes - and that needs settling during planning rather than in week three.