Many expats in China at one point or another have dreamed about opening up their own restaurant, café, or other sort of food and beverage operation. Away from home too long, perhaps, their sensitive palates will start to miss the tastes of home, inspiring them to invest in China’s food service market.
許多在中國的外籍人士曾一度夢想開一家自己的餐廳、咖啡館或其他餐飲企業。離開家太久，也許他們敏感的味覺會開始懷念家鄉的味道，激勵他們投資中國的餐飲服務市場。
The largest in the world, China’s food service market offers many exciting opportunities for foodies and savvy business people alike, but foreigners can be daunted by the often bureaucratic process of establishing a business in China. In this article, we provide a step-by-step guide to the process involved.
作為世界上最大的餐飲服務市場，中國的餐飲服務市場為美食家和有見識的商務人士提供了許多令人激動的機會，但外國人可能會被在中國創立企業的繁文縟節嚇倒。在本文中，我們提供了有關過程的分步指南。
Step 1: Finding the Right Location
步驟1：找到正確的位置
The first article of business is to find the location for the food and beverage operation. This can be particularly tricky, as the investor must lease the restaurant premises before starting the registration process for the food and beverage business. In order to avoid renting out a location that will be denied business registration, investors should take extra precautions to find a business location that can pass inspections.
第一件事是找到餐飲經營的地點。這可能特別棘手，因為投資者必須先租賃餐廳，然後才能開始餐飲業務的註冊程序。為了避免租的地方被商業登記拒絕，投資者應該採取額外的預防措施，找到一個可以通過檢查的商業地點。
It is often possible to ask for consultations from the Environmental Protection Bureau, Hygiene Bureau, local department of the Ministry of Commerce and the Administration of Industry and Commerce (AIC) to verify certain requirements, like whether the location will be able to obtain a license for the disposal of waste water.
通常可以徵求環境保護局、衛生局、商務部地方司衛生局和工商行政管理局（AIC）的諮詢，以核實某些要求，例如該地點能否獲得廢水處理許可證。
It is often safer to find a location that is currently in use as a food and beverage operation. This will require the investor to pay a transfer fee to the current leaser. The fee will vary by location, but it is usually at least RMB 100,000. If investors instead choose a space that was not previously used as a food and beverage operation, they will need to remodel it to make sure it passes inspections.
找到一個目前正經營餐飲的地點通常比較保險。這需要投資者向當前承租人支付轉讓費。費用因地點而異，但通常至少10萬元人民幣。如果投資者選擇了一個以前沒有用作餐飲經營的地方，則需要改變這個地方的構造，以確保其通過檢查。
This option can be more risky, and costly too – redecoration companies tend to charge a service fee of around RMB 10,000 per sq. meter, on top of the costs of materials. Even if the investor acquires the necessary permits and certifications, if residents in the area find the food and beverage operation to be disruptive in the community, the business license can be revoked.
這種選擇風險更大，成本也更高——裝修公司往往在材料成本的基礎上，每平方米收取約10000元人民幣的服務費。即使投資者獲得了必要的許可證和證明，如果該地區的居民發現餐飲經營對社區造成破壞，則可以吊銷營業執照。
Step 2: Licensing and Registration of the Food Business
第二步：食品經營許可與註冊
Company Name Registration
公司名稱登記
Before applying for any licenses and permits, it is necessary to apply to register the business name at the local AIC. The AIC will issue a 「Notice of Company Name Reservation」 after they double check to make sure that the company name has not previously been used anywhere else in the province.
在申請任何執照和許可證之前，必須向當地工商行政管理局申請註冊企業名稱。工商行政管理局經過仔細檢查確保該公司名稱以前在該省的其他地方未曾使用過，會發出「公司名稱保留通知」。
Health and Food Hygiene Licenses
健康及食品衛生許可證
After obtaining a company business license, investors then face the task of health and food safety inspections for their food and beverage operations. For businesses involved in the food and beverage industry in China, there are three main types of food and beverage licenses, and some businesses may require more than one license depending on the scope of their food and beverage business operation:
取得公司營業執照後，投資者將面臨餐飲經營業務方面的健康和食品安全檢查任務。對於中國餐飲業企業，有三種主要類型的餐飲許可證，有些企業可能要求多個許可證，這取決於其餐飲業務經營範圍：
A Catering License (餐飲服務許可證)is required for catering service providers, both individuals and organizations, that are involved in the provision of group meals (food stalls and providers of semi-finished food products are not required to carry this license). If an entity provides catering services in different locations, it must apply for a license for each location
餐飲服務提供商（包括參與提供團體餐飲的個人和組織）需要獲得餐飲服務許可證（食品攤位和半成品食品供應商無需攜帶本許可證）。
A Food Production License (食品生產許可證) is required in order to ensure that businesses comply with standards pertaining to manufacturing capabilities and environmental regulations. All staff involved in food service must undergo training approved by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), and there should be a health management system in place in order to ensure the health and hygiene of personnel. The state-level General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) is responsible for the nationwide administration of the food production license.
食品生產許可證是必需的，以確保企業遵守有關生產能力和環境法規的標準。所有從事食品服務的人員都必須經過中國食品藥品監督管理局（CFDA）批准的培訓，並應當建立衛生管理體系，以確保人員的健康和衛生。國家質檢總局負責全國食品生產許可證的管理工作。
A Food Distribution License (食品流通許可證)is required for businesses engaging in the sale of food items and is administrated by the AIC. Any entity, both individuals and organizations, that is involved in food distribution (including retail and the wholesale distribution of pre-packaged food and bulk food) is required to acquire a Food Distribution license. However, sometimes when an entity holding a food production license sells food products on the premises of production, it can get around the requirement to hold a food distribution license.
從事食品銷售的企業必須持有食品流通許可證，並由工商行政管理局管理。任何參與食品流通（包括預包裝食品和散裝食品的零售和批發分銷）的實體，無論是個人還是組織，都必須獲得食品流通許可證。然而，有時持有食品生產許可證的實體在生產場所銷售食品時，可以繞過持有食品流通許可證的要求。
Alcohol Permit Registration
酒類許可證登記
For food and beverage operations that will be serving alcohol, an alcohol permit is required. The permit will be issued after the business license, tax registration permit, and food licenses are acquired, but the intent to sell alcohol should be clearly stated within the application for the health and food hygiene license.
對於提供酒類的餐飲經營企業，需要酒類許可證。在取得營業執照、稅務登記證和食品許可證後，將籤發許可證，但應在健康和食品衛生許可證申請書中明確說明銷售酒類的意圖。
Environmental Protections Approval
環境保護批准
Before any catering service can began operation, it must get approval from the local Environmental Protection Bureau. This will include an evaluation of the indoor and outdoor surroundings of the site in order to ensure that the location complies with standards listed in the Directory for the Management and Classification for Construction Items and Environmental Influence.
任何餐飲服務開始運作之前，都必須獲得當地環保局的批准。包括對場地的室內和室外環境的評估，以確保該場地符合《建築項目和環境影響的管理和分類目錄》中列出的標準。
Step 3: Establishing the WFOE or JV Entity
第三步： 設立外商獨資企業或合資企業
The steps for establishing the business entity will ultimately depend on how the food business is being registered. In China, foreigners are not allowed to be the sole owners of the restaurant or food business, but they are able to open it as a limited-liability Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise (WFOE) or through a Joint Venture (JV) with a Chinese citizen as a business partner. In addition, some foreign investors may choose to choose to let the Chinese partner(s) open the business to simplify the registration process, but investors should be aware that this will not allow them to have any legal rights.
建立企業實體的步驟最終將取決於食品企業的註冊方式。在中國，不允許外國人成為餐廳或食品企業的唯一所有者，但他們可以作為有限責任外商獨資企業（WFOE）或通過與中國公民作為商業夥伴的合資企業（JV）開設餐廳或食品企業。此外，一些外國投資者可能會選擇讓中方合作夥伴開辦企業，以簡化註冊程序，但投資者應意識到，這將不允許他們擁有任何合法權利。
The business project will be approved by the Ministry of Commerce, which will issue an approval letter and an approval certificate that can be taken to the AIC to register the company business license.
該業務項目將由商務部批准，商務部將頒發批准書和批准證書，並提交工商總局登記公司營業執照。
Risks and Challenges
風險和挑戰
Investors should also brace themselves to be ready to battle China’s often volatile real estate market in order to develop their business operation. While most restaurants in global cities like New York City and London operate on at least 10 year leases, leases for food and beverage operations in China are often five-year leases, some even just three years. In addition, restaurant owners in top tier cities like Shanghai pay a much larger percentage of their profits on business leasing than they would in other parts of the world.
投資者也應該做好準備，準備與中國經常動蕩的房地產市場作戰，以發展他們的業務運作。雖然紐約和倫敦等全球城市的大多數餐廳至少有10年的租賃期，但中國餐飲業的租賃期通常為5年，有些甚至只有3年。此外，像上海這樣的一線城市的餐館老闆在商業租賃上支付的利潤比例遠遠高於世界其他地區。
In addition, after signing the lease investors should be ready to spend at least 2 to 3 months in order to acquire all the required licenses and permits to open the food and beverage business. It is sometimes possible to negotiate with the landlord to have a rent-free period of 1 to 2 months after signing the lease, which will be helpful in case the investor encounters delays in obtaining all the appropriate licenses necessary to start operation.
此外，在籤署租賃協議後，投資者應準備花費至少2至3個月的時間，以便獲得開設餐飲業務所需的所有執照和許可證。有時可以與業主協商，在籤訂租約後有1至2個月的免租期，這將有助於投資者在獲得開始運營所需的所有適當許可證方面遇到延誤。
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