Licenses and permits to open a coffee shop in Chicago
A coffee shop that prepares drinks or food on site is a food service business, licensed and inspected like a restaurant. Here are the 7 filings, in the order they're made.
Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Internal Revenue ServiceUS federal
Owners with an SSN or ITIN apply online. A company whose responsible party has neither (most China-based owners) faxes or mails Form SS-4, or calls the IRS international line.
- Fee
- Free
- Filed
- Paper form, faxed or mailed
- Takes
- Fax: about 4 business days. Mail: about 4 to 5 weeks. Phone: issued on the call.
LLC formation
Illinois Secretary of StateIsrael, national
Form the LLC online, or register a company formed in another state to do business in Illinois.
- Fee
- $150
- Filed
- Filed online
Illinois business registration (sales tax)
Illinois Department of RevenueIsrael, national
Register before your first purchase, sale or hire: online in MyTax Illinois (Register a New Business, Form REG-1), by mail or at an IDOR office. You get a certificate of registration and a taxpayer ID; Chicago's food license application asks for the Illinois Business Tax number.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
- Takes
- About 1 to 2 business days online; 4 to 6 weeks on paper.
Chicago food service sanitation certificate
Chicago Department of Public Health, Food Protection ProgramChicago
A person in charge holding this Public Health certificate must be on site whenever food that needs temperature control is prepared, held or served. Pass an approved course, or apply for reciprocity with a valid ANSI-accredited food protection manager certificate. A place selling only prepackaged food doesn't need one.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
Unemployment insurance employer registration
Illinois Department of Employment SecurityIsrael, national
A new business registers with IDES within 30 days of starting, online through MyTax Illinois or on the paper REG-UI-1 form.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
Food establishment plan review
Chicago Department of Public Health, with the Department of BuildingsChicago
For new construction or a rehab, a city health sanitarian reviews the plans as part of the building permit application, coordinated between Public Health and Buildings. Public Health isn't on E-Plan and doesn't review plans filed under the self-certification program.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed in person
Chicago retail food establishment license
City of Chicago, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, with the Department of Public HealthChicago
Chicago's business license for any fixed place that serves, stores or sells perishable food, at a properly zoned, non-residential address. Apply online or at the Small Business Center, City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 800, with the lease, Illinois Business Tax number, FEIN, ownership details and photo ID; the place must pass a public health inspection before the license is issued.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
- Takes
- Chicago doesn't publish a standard processing time; the license is issued after zoning approval, payment and any required inspections, then mailed to your business.
- Renews
- Every 2 years.
More on opening in Chicago
Questions people ask
Other businesses in Chicago
Agency requirements change. Check each agency's page before you file.
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Get the plan for your coffee shop in Chicago
This guide covers the city. Your exact address decides the county, the health district and the zoning. Placetta maps every filing for it, fills the official forms from your details, adds the deadlines and puts them up for your approval.
- The full list for your address, in filing order
- The official forms, filled line by line
- Renewal and inspection reminders