Inspection information

Restaurants and RETAIL Food Stands

Read below for inspection information related to restaurants and retail food stands. If you are unsure of which category you fall into, be sure to call the Health Department at 715-284-4301.

restaurants

A restaurant is any building, room or place where meals are prepared or served or sold to transients or the general public, and all places used in connection with it and includes any public or private school lunchroom for which food service is provided by contract. "Meals" does NOT include soft drinks, ice cream, milk, milk drinks, ices and confections.

"Restaurant" does NOT include:

  • Taverns that serve free lunches consisting of popcorn, cheese, crackers, pretzels, cold sausage, cured fish or bread and butter.

  • Churches, religious, fraternal, youth or patriotic organizations, service clubs and civic organizations which occasionally (three days or less per year) prepare, serve or sell meals to transients or the general public. Please call the Health Department to verify whether your organization falls into this category.

  • Any public or private school lunchroom for which food service is directly provided by the school (inspections are required by the health department twice a year).

  • Any bed and breakfast establishment that serves breakfasts only to its lodgers.

  • The serving of food or beverage through a licensed vending machine.

  • A concession stand at a locally sponsored sporting event, such as a little league game (must be youth orientated).

Other related establishments

  • A potluck event means an event to which all of the following apply:

    • Attendees of the event provide food and beverages to be shared with other attendees and consumed at the event.

    • No compensation is provided to any person who conducts or assists in providing the event or who provides food and beverages to be shared at the event, and no compensation is paid by any person for consumption of food or beverages at the event.

    • The event is sponsored by a church; religious, fraternal, youth, or patriotic organization or service club; civic organization; parent-teacher organization; senior citizen center or organization; or adult day care center (any facility that is required to hold a Jackson County facility food license and is not one of the organizations listed above shall NOT hold potluck events for the general public).

  • A temporary restaurant is a food service that operates at a fixed location in conjunction with a single event such as a benefit/fair, carnival, circus, public exhibition, anniversary sale or occasional sales promotion. If you plan to serve food to the general public, you are required to contact the health department.