Hosting a ticketed dinner in New York City: the checklist

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 the NYC Health Department before you sell a ticket or open your space.

At a glance

• Cottage food covers your cookies, not your dinner party. And NYC bans food businesses in homes and apartments. §81.17
• Often the simplest route: book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. NYC
• Biggest risk: your building. A 2016 supper club was shut down through student housing (anecdotal). CBS

Quick answers

Can I sell tickets to a dinner I cook at home in New York City? Yes. New York sets the rules. §81.17 CBS 2013

What's the simplest legal way to run a ticketed dinner in New York City? Book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. In NYC, that's a guest-chef night in a licensed restaurant, under its permits. A temporary permit is $70 (unverified: usually tied to a community event; call first). NYC NYC311 Art. 88

Can drinks be part of a ticketed dinner in New York City? Yes. New York sets the rules. SLA §98 §117-a

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 New York City: serving the public. The Health Department bars public meals in a home, and donations don't help. CBS 2013 Art. 81
• When guests start asking to pay, pick a route below.

Your routes, cheapest first

Steps, in order

Already done some of these? Skip them.

Suggested order.

• 1. Talk to a lawyer before you charge anyone. An hour of their time costs less than learning this the hard way.
• 2. Get your Food Protection Certificate: free online course plus a $24 in-person exam, or $114 for the class. It never expires. NYC Business
• 3. Register your business and sort out sales tax. Check with New York State.
• 4. Cook in a permitted kitchen. Big-city shared kitchens, NYC included, run $40 to $75/hr. Shared Kitchen Locator
• 5. Get liability cover, about $299 a year. Venues want a $1M/$2M certificate naming them. FLIP EMRG
• 6. Sort your drinks plan: see Drinks below.
• 7. Put the fee, deposit, permit cover and drinks in writing with the venue.
• 8. List your night.

Drinks

• Cheapest: free BYOB in an unlicensed space with legal capacity under 20. No sales, no drinks in the ticket. §64-b §100
• Or hire a licensed restaurant or caterer: $48 Caterer's Permit (15 business days ahead) or $3,102 catering licence ($2,248 Staten Island) plus free event permit. Pre-sold tickets count as private; a public listing may not (unverified). §98 SLA Advisory
• Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly. Exception here: your own $36 one-day permit, per point of sale per day, 15 business days ahead, 4 per venue a year, stocked from a wholesaler, winery or brewer. With a caterer: unsettled. SLA terms §117-a
• Your bottles, a hired bartender, drinks in the ticket, no permit: an unlicensed sale. No city liquor licence; 75+ indoors needs a Place of Assembly certificate. §3 NYC DOB

Watch-outs

• Insurance: homeowners policies exclude activity "engaged in for money or other compensation." Some policies exempt small side income; get it in writing from your insurer. ISO HO-3
• Invite-only is exempt only "where the public is not invited." Art. 88
• From people who've done it: tickets run $60 to $200 (anecdotal). Unlisted

Learn more

• NYC temporary food service permit
• NYC food service establishment permit

Cost your micro hospitality night before you set a price: try the free Planner.

Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and the NYC Health Department before you act.