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? No. NYC bans food businesses and public meals in homes and apartments. Donations don't help. §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, sold separately. Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly. Exception here: your own $36 one-day permit covers drinks in the ticket. 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.