Guide
Hosting a ticketed dinner in Asheville: the checklist
Before selling micro hospitality experiences in Asheville, NC: routes, fees, drink rules and who to call (Buncombe County Environmental Health).
Tenseats · Updated September 25, 2026
Not legal advice. This is a starting checklist, checked 2026-09-25. Rules change and differ by county and city. Talk to a lawyer and confirm with Buncombe County Environmental Health before you sell a ticket or open your space.
At a glance
- Home processing bans refrigerated food: your dinner needs a county food service permit. NCDA&CS
- Often the simplest route: book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. Asheville restaurants host guest chefs (anecdotal). Citizen-Times
Quick answers
Can I sell tickets to a dinner I cook at home in Asheville? No. Home processing bans refrigerated food, so a ticketed dinner needs a county food service permit. NCDA&CS
What's the simplest legal way to run a ticketed dinner in Asheville? Often the simplest route: book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. Cooking there: unverified. Your own: $120 yearly food service permit, $250 plan review, kitchen rent; covers ticketed dinners at your own location. Elsewhere, ask Buncombe. G.S. 130A-248 Buncombe fees .2663(c)
Can drinks be part of a ticketed dinner in Asheville? Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly. Exception here: a mixologist's own $500 mobile bar permit covers drinks in the ticket, never by the glass. G.S. 18B-101 G.S. 18B-1001
Start here: one dish, free, at home
Already hosting? Skip to your routes.
- Cook one dish (one protein, one plate) for a few friends at home. Free: no ticket, no donation jar, no public post.
- Let a friend bring a friend. Still free, still invite-only.
- What turns it into a regulated sale in Asheville: any payment, "including... tips, donations, or ticket sales." Buncombe
- When guests start asking to pay, pick a route below.
Your routes, cheapest first
| Route | What you need | Cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed venue | Its permit; cooking under it is unverified (G.S. 130A-248) | Rental fee plus deposit | Check with the venue |
| Your own permit plus shared kitchen | Covers ticketed dinners at your permitted location (BCEH application). Off-site catering is for private events "from which the public is excluded" (.2663(c)) | $120 a year (G.S. 130A-248), $250 plan review (unverified for an existing kitchen) (Buncombe fees), plus rent | Ask Buncombe |
| Temporary food permit | Fairs, festivals and similar events only, not a standalone dinner (Buncombe) | $75 (Buncombe fees) | 15 days' notice (Buncombe) |
| Your own food truck | Mobile food unit permit plus commissary; sells at listed stops; plated table service unverified | $120 a year, $200 plan review (MFU application) | Ask Buncombe |
Steps, in order
Already done some of these? Skip them.
Suggested order.
- 1. Talk to a lawyer before you charge anyone.
- 2. Get a food safety certificate; ask Buncombe which.
- 3. Register with the NC Secretary of State.
- 4. Ask the NC Department of Revenue about sales tax.
- 5. Book Buncombe's free consultative visit. Ask ((828) 250-5016): which permit covers tickets sold one by one at your venue? Buncombe
- 6. Book a permitted shared or commissary kitchen, then get your own permit there. BCEH application
- 7. Get personal chef or event liability cover. FLIP
- 8. Agree fee, deposit, permit cover and drinks in writing with the venue.
- 9. List your night.
Drinks
- Cheapest: BYOB beer and unfortified wine, outside the ticket. Free. G.S. 18B-300
- Bar route: hire a $500-a-year mobile bar permit holder (mixologists can be one). It gives ABC a week's notice and makes every drink sale (unverified), none by the glass. G.S. 18B-1001 G.S. 18B-902
- Restaurant with a $1,000 mixed beverages permit? Its $200 catering permit pours liquor wherever it caters, no cash bar. Caterers alone can't hold one. G.S. 18B-902 14B NCAC 15B .0521
- Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly. Even "free" drinks with door donations are a sale. G.S. 18B-101 NC ABC FAQ Exception here: a mixologist's own mobile bar permit. G.S. 18B-1001
- Liquor at an unlicensed business: no brown-bagging, so a mobile bar or $50 limited special occasion permit (unverified for ticketed nights). No unlicensed bartenders reselling. City step: outdoors only, a City permit 21 days ahead. Asheville G.S. 18B-1001 NC ABC
Watch-outs
- Insurance: homeowners policies exclude activity "engaged in for money." Some policies exempt small side income; get it in writing from your insurer. ISO HO-3
- From people who've done it: Blind Pig, running since 2011, prepped in a licensed restaurant kitchen (anecdotal). Pratesi
Learn more
Cost your micro hospitality night before you set a price: try the free Planner.
Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and Buncombe County Environmental Health before you act.
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