Opening a Food Business: Permits, Inspections & Safety

Event description

Starting a restaurant, food truck, catering company, or wholesale food business comes with important health and safety requirements. Join representatives from the Vanderburgh County Health Department for a practical, step-by-step overview of what it takes to legally open and operate a food business in Vanderburgh County.

This session is designed for new and aspiring food entrepreneurs and will walk you through the key regulatory steps from plan review and permitting to inspections and daily food safety practices. Attendees will learn how Indiana’s Retail Food Establishment Sanitation Requirements (410 IAC 7-26) apply to brick-and-mortar restaurants, mobile food units, caterers, and other non-home-based food businesses.

Health department representatives will explain common compliance requirements, including facility standards, food safety certifications, temperature control, commissary requirements for food trucks, and what inspectors look for before approving a business to open. We will also discuss new changes coming in 2027 for food truck operators.

Note - If you are selling items out of a home, join us for our Home-Based Vendor Essentials class instead!

Bring your questions!

This event is being held in-person on the 4th floor at Innovation Pointe which is located at 318 Main St. Evansville, IN 47708. Street parking is free for 2 hours. You can also park at the Locust Street Parking Garage located at 416 Locust St, Evansville, IN 47708.

Fifth Third Bank is a sponsor of the Southwest Indiana SBDC and makes programming like this possible.