… but if I don’t write it down I’ll forget everything. And I know this will be useful to others someday. I was always skeptical when people said things like “you’re going to have to deal with licensing” as though it was a huge hurdle. I was wrong.
Here’s a summary of the city and state licensing processes to date:
STATE-LEVEL:
- Register Chapter Two Restaurants LLC in Delaware $500 (lawyer did this)
- Register “doing business as” for Clover in Delaware $ (lawyer did this)
- Register as a foreign LLC in Mass, requires custom form $500 annually (I did this, 2 week wait after application in)
- Must have certificate of good standing from Delaware first $76 (I did this with help from a courier firm, 2 week wait unless using courier firm)
- Register for a hawkers/ peddlers license with Massachusetts pending (I’m doing this)
- Requires signature from Chief of Police indicating that you are a citizen of good standing $ (I’m doing this now, 1 week)
- Requires a CORI criminal record search $25 and self-addressed envelope (I did this, 2 weeks)
- Requires a notarized application
- Requires a CORI criminal record search $25 and self-addressed envelope (I did this, 2 weeks)
- Requires signature from Chief of Police indicating that you are a citizen of good standing $ (I’m doing this now, 1 week)
- Register vehicle with the RMV $135 fee + $700 taxes (I did this, 3 days and a LOT of aggravation)
- Requires insurance (I did this, 2 days)
- Requires copy of Employee Identification (EIN) forms from the IRS (I did this, immediate)
- Requires insurance (I did this, 2 days)
- Vehicle safety inspection $35 (I did this, 1 week)
- In my case required king pin replacement $1,200
CITY-LEVEL:
- Cambridge vendor license $135 (I did this, in process)
- Approval from health inspector
- Approval from fire prevention
- Truck registration
- Proof from of private site
- Insurance
- Lease
- Approved and inspected commissary
- Company registration
- ServSafe certificate
- Complete ServSafe Class
- Pass ServSafe exam
- Cambridge criminal background check (different from the CORI for the state)
- State vendor license (see above)
- Zoning approval
- Abutters notice
- Send certified mail notifying abutters
- Register “doing business as” for Clover in Cambridge, MA $35 to the clerk (I did this, immediate)
- Required notarized application