Dependent Food Service Operation
What is a dependent food service operator? A dependent food service operator is any person or business who engages in a lease or rental agreement with the permit holder of a permitted permanent food establishment, or Shared Permanent Food Facility (SPFF), to use the SPFF to perform food production and/or food service operations to supply food and related services to the general public.
If you do not have a permanent retail food facility under permit with this Department and you wish to utilize one that another person holds the permit for to be approved to perform your food production or food service operations, then you are a dependent food service operator.
Examples of food service operators who potentially qualify as dependent operator:
- Operators who provide direct food sales from a permanent food facility for which they are not the permit holder, or from a host facility.
- Offsite catering operations wherein the operator prepares for off-site catering events at a permanent food facility for which they are not the permit holder.
Additionally the following facility types may be dependent on a a permanent food facility for which they are not the permit holder to obtain permit approval:
- Mobile Food Facilities (MFF): these are required to report to a commissary daily.
- A mobile food facility permit holder who is also the commissary permit holder is not considered a dependent operator.
- Temporary Food Facilities (TFF) (food booth): multiple-event TFF operators may be required to report to an approved SPFF in situations where foods to be served or sold must be prepared in advance of the event.
- Does not apply to TFF operators who perform all food preparation activities within the food booth during the event.
Shared Permanent Food Facilities
What is a shared permanent food facility (SPFF)? EHS has identified two general types of permanent food facilities that may be approved to share their facilities whereby a dependent food facility operator may obtain a health permit.
A shared permanent food facility may be a permitted Commissary or other approved permitted Retail Permanent Food Facility, such as a Restaurant, Retail Market, or Catering Operation Facility, wherein the permit holder leases or rents kitchen facilities to dependent food service operators.
- Commissaries are intentionally designed to be used by mobile food facilities such that the operational requirements of the mobile food facility can be achieved.
- Other approved Retail Permanent Food Facilities are not commissaries but are approved to share kitchen facilities. These may be approved to service some mobile food facilities, however approval is not guaranteed.
View more information regarding Dependent Food Service Operation permitting
Inspection Information for Dependent Food Service Operations
View the Commissary and Shared Permanent Food Facility Information page