Facilities must be installed according to facility and equipment standards.
Facility requirements- In order to operate a coffee shop, it must be equipped with facilities that meet the common facility standards and business type-specific facility standards (Article 36 of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 36 and attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act).
Partition Article 36 and Subparagraph 8(b)(1)(B) of attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act- A coffee shop is not permitted to contain rooms.
- However, rooms may be permitted if a transparent partition or barrier is installed and the entire interior is thus visible.
- In case where partitioned seats are installed, such partitions (movable or fixed) must be less than 1.5 meters in height.
- In such cases, more than 2 sides must not be shut off, and the interior of the seat must be visible to other seats.
Safety facilities, etc. [Article 36 and Subparagraph 8(b)(1) of attached Table 14] of the Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act]- Safety facilities according to the floor area
· If the total floor area used for the business is 100m2 or larger (for a place of business located below ground level, if the total floor area of the business establishment is 66m2 or larger), fire prevention facilities such as the exit passage, etc. and other safety facilities must be installed inside the business establishment.
· However, if the business establishment (excluding multi-story establishments with internal stairs) is located on the ground floor or on a floor that is directly in contact with the ground, and its main entrance is directly connected to the ground outside the building, such safety facilities are not required.
- Safety facilities for transportation modes, etc.
· If a train, automobile, ship, or a streamline field, a ferry or a water leisure business that is a structure on water, the following facilities must be built.
√ A drinking water tank that can store sufficient amount of water to be used during the operating hours of a day
√ Sewage tank and waste water tank of sufficient size to handle food waste that can occur during a day of business hours
√ Facilities for hygienic storage of food materials (ingredients)
Business establishment [Article 36 and Subparagraph 8(a)(1) of Attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act]- Facilities required in a business establishment
· The facilities must be separated, compartmentalized, or divided from independent buildings and facilities used for purposes other than those permitted for licensed or notified food service businesses (excluding general restaurants that engage in the meat sales business under Subparagraph 7(a) of Article 21 of the Enforcement Decree of the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act」, rest restaurants that engage in the music record and music video retail business pursuant to Subparagraph 10 of Article 2 of the 「Music Industry Promotion Act, and bakeries that operate under license to sell alcoholic beverages received from the head of a competent tax office). However, the facilities must be separated where they fall under any of the following cases.
√ Where he/she intends to engage in a food service business that is different from the one licensed or notified; however, this is not applicable to those who intend to operate a bakery or a regular restaurant in a rest restaurant, a rest restaurant or a bakery in a regular restaurant, or a rest restaurant or a regular restaurant in a bakery
√ Where he/she intends to engage in a karaoke business under Subparagraph 13 of Article 2 of the Music Industry Promotion Act
√ Where he/she intends to engage in a colatheque business under Subparagraph 3 of Article 2 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Special Act on the Safety Control of Publicly Used Establishments
√ Where he/she intends to engage in a dance institute business or a dance hall business under Subparagraph 2 of Article 10(1) of the Installation and Utilization of Sports Facilities Act
√ Where he/she intends to engage in a business involving the entry, display or breeding of animals under Subparagraph 1 of Article 2 of the Animal Protection Act
· The business establishment must ensure that smoke, hazardous gas, etc. are well ventilated.
· A business operator who installs sound and accompaniment facilities must ensure the business is equipped with soundproof facilities that meet the control criteria for daily life noise and vibration under Article 21 of the Noise and Vibration Control Act
- Prohibited facilities in the business establishment
· A coffee shop operator who intends to provide performance must install stage facilities separated from the seats in the business establishment, and such facilities must not be installed inside a room.
· Video equipment for subtitles or automatic accompaniment equipment that customers are permitted to use are prohibited inside a coffee shop.
Cooking area [Article 36 and Subparagraph 8(a)(2) of attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act]- The cooking area must be installed in a structure that is visible for customers to look inside.
- If drains are located on the floor of the cooking area, covers must be installed over them.
- In the cooking area, cooking facilities, cleaning facilities, waste containers, and hand washing facilities must be installed in order to allow hygienic cooking of handled foods, and waste containers must be covered with a lid and made of water-resistant materials to prevent sewage leak and odor.
- The cooking area must be equipped with ultraviolet or electric sterilizers or hot-water washing and sterilizing facilities (must sterilize pathogenic microorganisms that cause food poisoning, etc.) to sterilize kitchen utensils.
- The place must be equipped with facilities that provide sufficient ventilation. However, this will not apply to those with a structure where natural ventilation is available.
- Refrigerators or freezers must be provided to maintain adequate temperature that meets the preservation and distribution standards for each type of foods.
- Joint use of a cooking area
· 1 operator may use a single cooking area for 2 or more businesses in the following cases.
√ Where he/she intends to operate a rest restaurant, a bakery, or a general restaurant by using the same passageway in the same building as an entry
√ Where he/she intends to engage in 2 or more operations among rest restaurant, bakery or general restaurant at a specialized resort, general resort and general amusement complex pursuant to the Enforcement Decree of the Tourism Promotion Act
√ Where a general restaurant operator intends to engage in on-site sales, cooking, and processing of lunch boxes in a place directly in contact with the general restaurant's business establishment
√ Where a bakery operator intends to produce and supply confectionery and bakery items in the food production and processing or on-site sales, production, and processing industries
√ Where a bakery operator operates two or more bakeries in accordance with the following classification
① The operator operates a bakery in the same jurisdiction in which the notifying office where the existing bakery’s business was notified is located
② The operator operates a bakery in a jurisdiction other than the jurisdiction in which the notifying office where the existing bakery’s business was notified is located, and the distance between the bakeries is 5 kilometers or shorter.
Water supply facilities [Article 36 and Subparagraph 8(a)(3) of Attached Table 14 of the 「Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act」]- Facilities that supply tap water or groundwater that satisfy the water quality standards pursuant to Article 5 of the Drinking Water Management Act
- If groundwater is used, the water intake must be located in a place that is not affected by the use of toilets, waste disposal facilities, animal slaughterhouses, or where groundwater may be contaminated.
Toilet [Article 36 and Subparagraph 8(a)(4) of Attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act]- Toilets should be internally treated with concrete, etc. However, a separate toilet may not be installed in a business located in a station, terminal, and amusement park where public toilets are available, or a business located inside a building with public toilets, or if toilets that are convenient to use are in the vicinity of the business.
- Toilets should be installed in areas that do not affect the cooking area.
- Flush toilets must be installed with a septic tank. However, in areas where water and sewage facilities are not installed, non-flush toilets may be installed.
- If non-flush toilets are to be installed, toilet lids and ventilation must be provided.
- Toilets should be equipped with hand washing facilities.
Special applications for common facility standards [Article 36 and Subparagraph 8(a)(5) of attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Food Sanitation Act]- Notwithstanding the common facility standards, the facility standards may be set separately by the Special Self-Governing Province Governor, or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu (if food is cooked or sold in the city (si) or province, then city mayor or province governor) in the following cases.
· Where a business is operated in a traditional market pursuant to Subparagraph 1 of Article 2 of the Special Act on the Development of Traditional Markets and Shopping Districts
· In case of seasonal operation at a beach, etc.
· In case of operating at rest areas such as highways, motorways, parks and amusement facilities
· In case of operating at a construction site
· Where a producing organization, etc. recognized by a local government or the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs intends to cook and sell foods in a specific place for up to 14 days to promote the sales and consumption of domestic agricultural, fishery and livestock products
· Where a rest restaurant business, general restaurant business, or a bakery is operated at exhibition facilities pursuant to subparagraph 4 of Article 2 of the Act on the Development of Exhibition Industry
· Where a rest restaurant business, general restaurant business, or bakery business is conducted at a local festival hosted, organized or sponsored by the head of a local government
- For rural experiential and recreational villages
· Where separate facility operation standards have been established for a rural experiential and recreational business that provides food as a service incidental to a rural experiential and recreational program, such standards should be observed (Article 10 of the Promotion of Mutual Exchange between Cities and Agricultural or Fishing Villages Act).
- For department stores, etc.
· Where an operator intends to operate in department stores, supermarkets, etc. or in certain places such as department stores (food malls) that specialize in cooking and selling food, and such operations are deemed to pose no sanitary hazards, separate barriers or partitions may not be installed to separate or compartmentalize each business establishment.
- Where using facilities operating a shared kitchen
· Where operating a rest restaurant business such as coffee shops through facilities operating a shared kitchen, the standards of the corresponding facility shall be complied with [subparagraph 8(a)5(d) of the Attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Rules of the Food Sanitation Act]
※ See the subparagraph 10 of the Attached Table 14 of the Enforcement Rules of the Food Sanitation Act to learn more about facility standards of the shared kitchen operation business.