What Licenses and Checklists Do I Need for Running a Centralized Kitchen in Chennai?

Dear Friends,

We provide catering services to companies in and around Chennai, as well as for our restaurants. We prepare food in our centralized kitchen and supply it to companies and our restaurants. We have obtained Shops and Establishments License and FSSAI License for our restaurants. Kindly provide me with the list of licenses to be obtained and a checklist for maintaining the registers for our central kitchen.

Thanks & Regards, D. Sathish Kumar

Central kitchen will need a license under the Factories Act. Therefore, you will have to fulfill all requirements when applying for a factory license.

Thank you for your valuable reply. I have a few queries regarding whether the central kitchen will be covered under the Tamil Nadu Catering Establishment Act. If it is covered under the Catering Establishment Act, according to Section 30 of the Tamil Nadu Catering Establishments Act:

"On and from the date of commencement of this Act, the Weekly Holidays Act, 1942 (Central Act XVIII of 1942), The Factories Act, 1948 (Central Act LXIII of 1948), and the [Tamil Nadu] Shops and Establishments Act, 1947 [Tamil Nadu] Act XXXVI of 1947, shall not apply to catering establishments. Provided that anything done under the said enactments, which could have been done under this Act if it had been in force at the relevant time, shall be deemed to have been done under this Act."

If it still falls under the Factories Act, please clarify.

Thanks & Regards,
D. Sathish Kumar

Definition of 'catering establishment' as per Tamil Nadu Catering Establishments Act

Section 2. (1) "catering establishment" means a restaurant or residential hotel and includes a restaurant or canteen attached to, or run or managed by, any society registered under any law for the time being in force but does not include a restaurant or canteen attached to, or run or managed by, any educational institution.

It is clear that a central kitchen is not considered a catering establishment as per the act. Therefore, the Factories Act will be applicable to your central kitchen.