How to Start a Restaurant in Winnipeg

The short answer

A Winnipeg restaurant needs four approvals, and the City business licence is not one of them. The City of Winnipeg licenses 11 business activities through the Community Safety Business Licensing By-law, and a restaurant is not among them — the licence index lists bicycle dealers, flea markets, short-term rentals, and similar activities, not restaurants, according to City of Winnipeg, Business Licences. What the City does require is zoning clearance and building and occupancy permits. The other three approvals are the food handling establishment permit from the public health inspector, certified food handlers under the City's food services by-law, and, if the restaurant will serve alcohol, a general liquor service licence from the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA).

1. Register the business

Register the business with the Manitoba Companies Office before applying for City approvals — the City's licence process starts from a registered business, and the LGCA requires the applicant to be an individual, partnership, or corporation authorized to do business in Manitoba. The full Manitoba registration steps are in our How to Register a Business in Manitoba: Companies Office Name Reservation and the $105 Total guide; this guide does not repeat them.

2. Clear zoning, then building and occupancy permits

Zoning restrictions may apply depending on the type of business activity. Contact the Zoning Branch of the Planning, Property and Development Department before you apply for any City approval to find out about specific land use, according to City of Winnipeg, Business Licences. A restaurant in a zone that does not allow food service cannot be fixed later by a permit — settle the zoning question before signing a lease or starting a fit-out.

Any construction or renovation needs the City's building permits, and the premises needs an occupancy permit before it opens. Submit detailed floor plans with equipment listed directly to the area public health inspector for review prior to any construction or renovation, according to Government of Manitoba, Food Handling Establishment Inspections and Health Permits — the health review runs alongside the building review, not after it.

3. Get the food handling establishment permit

A food handling establishment is any facility or location where food is prepared, stored, or served to the general public, including restaurants, delicatessens, bakeries, and caterers. To prepare, sell, or distribute food to the public in Manitoba, you must register your food handling establishment and obtain a permit from your public health inspector before operating, according to Government of Manitoba, Food Handling Establishment Inspections and Health Permits.

For a new food handling establishment, or a change of ownership of an existing business, complete and submit the Food Handling Permit Registration Form, the restaurant menu, and a detailed floor plan to the area public health inspector. Food handling establishments are inspected to ensure compliance with the Food and Food Handling Establishments Regulation under The Public Health Act, and public health inspectors conduct inspections of public eating establishments on a routine and a complaint basis.

The City adds its own layer. Under the City of Winnipeg Food Service Establishment By-law No. 5160/89, no person shall operate a food service establishment without a valid permit from the Public Health Inspector, the inspector must inspect the establishment before issuing the permit, and the permit is renewed annually, according to City of Winnipeg, Food Service Establishment By-law No. 5160/89. In practice the provincial permit and the City by-law permit run through the same public health inspector — submit once, to the area inspector, and confirm both are covered.

4. Meet the certified food handler rule

Winnipeg has a certified food handler requirement that the rest of Manitoba does not. Under the City's food services by-law, no person shall operate a food service establishment unless the person in charge has successfully completed the Certified Food Handler Training Program, and where more than five persons are on duty at any one time, a certified person in charge must be present during all operating hours, according to City of Winnipeg, Food Service Establishment By-law No. 5160/89. The certificate must be posted in a prominent place in the establishment. The provincial registration form notes the same split from the other side: a food handler certificate is not required outside of the City of Winnipeg but is recommended, according to Government of Manitoba, Food Handling Permit Registration Form Instructions. Get the certificate before opening day, and keep a certified person in charge on duty as the by-law requires — the inspector will ask.

Getting certified is cheap and scheduled. Manitoba Health runs a challenge exam for the Certified Food Handler Training Program: registration is $36 including GST, with the Food Safe workbook available separately for $20 including GST. Exams run at 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m., photo ID is required, there are no walk-ins, and pre-registration is required — no registrations are accepted within 24 hours of the scheduled exam date. Register by completing the Certified Food Handler Training Program Registration Form and returning it by email to foodsafe@gov.mb.ca; payment by MasterCard, Visa, debit, or cheque is required to guarantee a spot. If your staff would rather take a full course than challenge the exam, Manitoba Health lists approved private contractors who offer food handler training courses.

5. Apply for the LGCA liquor service licence, if serving alcohol

A restaurant that serves alcohol needs a general liquor service licence from the LGCA — the class for businesses that offer activities appropriate for minors, such as restaurants, sports and recreation facilities, and hair salons. The application fee is $500 CAD, non-refundable, and the annual fee is $500 CAD, according to Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba, General Liquor Service Licence. Do not apply for the age-restricted licence by mistake: it costs $1,000 to apply and $1,000 a year and is for businesses focused on activities intended for adults, such as bars, nightclubs, and live entertainment venues.

Before applying, make sure the applicant is an individual, a partnership, or a corporation authorized to do business in Manitoba, and the owner of the business with a valid interest in the property — owning it or holding a lease. Liquor licences cannot be transferred: anyone buying a business that previously held a licence must apply for a new one. Send the completed initial application form by email to licence@lgcamb.ca or by mail to Commercial Licensing, 1055 Milt Stegall Drive, Winnipeg MB R3G 0Z6, with the corporate documents and the $500 fee.

The application runs in stages — a stage must be complete before the application moves to the next stage — and the LGCA conducts background investigations on all applications. Allow up to six weeks to process a liquor licence application for a premises that has not previously had a liquor licence; the time may be shorter if the premises was licensed in the past year, according to Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba, How to Apply for a Liquor Service Licence. While waiting, the restaurant can be open, but no liquor can be kept on the premises, sold, or served until it is licensed.

6. Open, and expect inspections

Once the permits are in place, the restaurant operates under the Food and Food Handling Establishments Regulation, the City food services by-law, and the LGCA terms and conditions for the liquor licence. Public health inspectors check food handling, storage temperatures, sanitation, employee hygiene, and equipment disinfection. Keep the floor plan, the menu, and the permit on site, and report an imminent health hazard — loss of power or water, contaminated water, fire, flood, or a sewage backup — to the public health inspector at once.

What the opened pages do not state

The City of Winnipeg business licence page opened for this guide lists licence fees only by activity and gives no restaurant fee, because no City business licence applies to a restaurant — so no City licence fee is printed here. The Manitoba Health pages opened do not state a fee for the food handling establishment permit, and they do not state a processing time for the permit, so this guide states neither. The LGCA pages opened do not state the maximum capacity rules in figures, so no capacity number is printed — the LGCA assesses capacity separately for each premises.

Related guides

• How to Start a Restaurant Business in Canada — the national restaurant picture: format, kitchen, suppliers, and staffing around the provincial rules.
• How to Start a Restaurant in Vancouver — Vancouver's city licence, health approval, and liquor route, for comparison with Winnipeg.
• How to Get a Liquor Licence in Manitoba — the full Manitoba liquor licence picture, including the age-restricted class and retail licences.
• How to Register a Business in Manitoba: Companies Office Name Reservation and the $105 Total — the Manitoba business registration steps that come before any City approval.
• How to Start a Bakery in Ontario — a Toronto bakery's licence finder route and food handler certification, a useful contrast in how another city handles food businesses.
• How to Start a Brewery Business in Canada — the national brewery picture, including the federal excise licence.

Sources

• City of Winnipeg, Business Licences — the 11 licensed business activities, the zoning check, application and renewal routes, Licence Services at 395 Main Street.
• Government of Manitoba, Food Handling Establishment Inspections and Health Permits — food handling establishment definition, permit before operating, registration form, menu and floor plan, inspections under the Food and Food Handling Establishments Regulation.
• Government of Manitoba, Food Handling Permit Registration Form Instructions — food handler certificate not required outside the City of Winnipeg, plan submission for new construction or extensive remodelling.
• City of Winnipeg, Food Service Establishment By-law No. 5160/89 — no operating without a valid permit from the Public Health Inspector, inspection before issuance, annual renewal, certified food handler rules for the person in charge.
• Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba, General Liquor Service Licence — general licence for restaurants, $500 application and $500 annual fees, eligibility, staged process, background investigations, open without liquor while waiting.
• Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba, How to Apply for a Liquor Service Licence — up to six weeks processing for a premises not previously licensed.
• Government of Manitoba, Certified Food Handler Training Program — the challenge exam at $36 including GST, the Food Safe workbook at $20, pre-registration required with no registrations within 24 hours of the exam, registration by email to foodsafe@gov.mb.ca, and the list of approved private contractors for full courses.