Four checks
before you sign.
A kitchen site is not judged on rent. It is judged on whether it can legally and physically do the job. All four checks happen before you commit money.
Any one of these can kill a site.
Rent is the last thing we look at, not the first. A cheap unit that cannot vent, cannot draw enough gas, or is not zoned for food production is not cheap.
Permits & use class
Health permit or food business registration, planning or zoning for commercial food production, and whether delivery-only operation with rider traffic is permitted at that address.
Extraction route
Whether a flue can physically reach roof level, whether the landlord will consent, whether odour control is required, and whether planning permission is needed. This rejects more sites than anything else.
Utility capacity
Gas, three-phase power, hot water and drainage sized for the line you intend to install. Upgrades run on the utility company's timetable, not yours.
Access & lease terms
Rider waiting and collection, supplier delivery access, waste and grease collection, permitted operating hours, and whether the lease allows food production at all.
All four are checked before you commit money to a site. If any one fails, we say so and the site is dropped — and you have spent nothing beyond the engagement fee. We will not proceed on a landlord's verbal assurance about a flue, or an agent's opinion about use class.
USA and UK compared.
Stated in general terms. Specifics vary by county, city and local authority, and we verify for your chosen location rather than relying on generalities.
| United States | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Who regulates | County or city health department | Local authority environmental health |
| Before opening | Plan review commonly required, then permit and inspection | Food business registration, then inspection |
| Cost to register | Permit fees apply, varying widely | Registration itself is free |
| Public rating | Varies; some jurisdictions publish grades | Yes — published and shown on delivery platforms |
| Staff certification | Food handler cards, and a certified manager commonly required | Food hygiene training expected, proportionate to role |
| Documented system | Food safety plan expected | HACCP-based system with daily records, assessed at inspection |
| Allergens | Major allergens must be declared | Fourteen regulated allergens, strictly enforced |
| Extraction | Ventilation and suppression to local code | Often needs planning permission, plus odour control |
| Grease | Interceptor sized by the authority | Trade effluent consent and scheduled collection |
What we do, and what we are not allowed to do.
We are a setup and operations firm. We are not environmental health officers, food safety auditors, lawyers or accountants, and we do not pretend otherwise.
- Research and verify the requirements for your specific authority
- Run all four site checks before you commit money
- Prepare plan review and permit applications to a standard that gets read
- Build the food safety documentation set and the record templates
- Book the inspection, prepare the kitchen for it, and track remedial actions
- Maintain the compliance calendar and escalate before deadlines
- Carry food safety responsibility for the premises
- Perform, attend in person, or certify an inspection
- Promise a permit, a registration or a particular hygiene rating
- Give legal, tax, immigration or regulatory advice
- Handle, prepare or transport food
- Operate a kitchen in breach of its lease, planning or permit conditions
Any firm promising a guaranteed permit or a guaranteed hygiene rating is describing something outside its control. An officer walks through the kitchen and forms a judgement. What can be controlled is how well prepared that kitchen is — and that is what we actually deliver.
Get the permit position for your city
We research your specific authority and give you the check-by-check position in writing before you spend anything.