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Why do food booths serving food to the public need to get a temporary restaurant license?
In order to protect the public's health, the Health Department requires all food service facilities to obtain a license and be inspected. Through inspection, the Health Department is able to identify hazardous conditions that allow bacteria to grow, and bacteria and viruses to be spread to food items. These are the conditions that are responsible for causing food-borne illnesses. After identifying these conditions the Health Department is able to work with the operator of the food booth to eliminate and control these conditions.

What is an event and do I need a temporary restaurant license?
A temporary restaurant is any establishment operating temporarily in connection with any event where food is prepared or served for consumption to the public. Examples of events are:

Fairs
Circuses
Concerts
Carnivals
Festivals
Similar Public Gatherings

Do I need a temporary restaurant license if I am serving food to the members of my church, or fraternal organization?
If you are serving food to known groups of people such as your church members, fraternities, your family, or other closed and known groups of people, then a temporary restaurant license is not required. However, if members of the general public are invited to attend along with the members of your group, then a license is required.

How early should I apply for a temporary restaurant license before the special event?
An application for a temporary restaurant should be received in our office no later than two weeks before the event. This enables our department to review your application ahead of time to address any possible concerns indicated on the application.

Is there a fee for a temporary restaurant license?
Yes, there is a fee for each license. These fees vary according to types of food served and the length in days of each event. To identify the fee required refer to the FEE SCHEDULE.

Can I prepare food at home and bring it to the special event to finish cooking, and/or service?
No. All food preparation, storage, handling, portioning, scooping, etc. must be done in a facility licensed by the Health Department, or Department of Agriculture (e.g. restaurant, or bakery). Absolutely no food from home is allowed.

Do I have to have a food handler's card?
Anyone working with food in the State of Oregon is required to have a food handler's card. However, if this is a once a year event where the event only lasts for a few days, and the organization or business is not doing other events later on, then having one person in charge at all times with a valid card will be accepted.

What do I need to set up a temporary restaurant?
There are a few items:

• An Approved Kitchen – If any food is to be prepared ahead of time, stored, or handled at a different location than the event, then it must be done in an approved and licensed kitchen.
• Handwashing – A handwashing station providing free flowing water must be set up inside the booth. This can be as simple as a 5+ gallon container with a faucet on the bottom which can drain out fresh warm water, a 5+ gallon bucket underneath to catch the falling water, liquid soap, and paper towels. The spigot must be the type that can stay on by itself so that you can wash both hands under the running water.
• Cold and Hot Holding Facilities – For cold items you can use commercial refrigerators, ice chests, and refrigerator trucks work well. For hot items you can use grills, steam tables, ovens, and/or burners.
• Roof and Floor – Unless you are inside a building your will need these items. For a roof a tarp like rain cover should suffice. For a floor sheets of plywood work well, unless you happen to be on concrete which will suffice.
• Probe Thermometer – A pocket probe thermometer with a range of 0 – 220 F is needed to check food temperatures.
• Sanitizing Cloths – A one gallon bucket of water with 100-ppm free chlorine (about a teaspoon/tablespoon of bleach is needed to sanitize food contact surfaces.

When do I get my license to operate my food booth?
On the first day of the event a representative of the Health Department will come out and inspect your food service operation. After your operation has obtained a full inspection and all issues have been addressed, your food booth will then be given a license to operate.

For how long is the temporary restaurant license approved?
Each temporary restaurant license is only good for the event, location, and dates for which it was issued. All benevolent licenses are good for a maximum of three consecutive days, and all non-benevolent licenses are good for a maximum of 30 consecutive days. Should the same event last for longer than 30 days then more than one temporary restaurant license would be required for a non-benevolent license.

What is an ongoing event and do I qualify?
An ongoing event is when a temporary restaurant operating on an intermittent basis in conjunction with 6 or more retail venders (includes other temporary restaurants, plant sales, clothing and arts & craft vendors). The temporary restaurant must not move from it's same specific location and must operate two or more times within a 30 day period. Such operation shall be issued one license for each 30-day period and that the total amount of temporary restaurant license fees for a calendar year shall not exceed the highest annual restaurant license fee. Examples of ongoing events are:

Saturday Markets
Farmer's Markets

How do I get started?
You may call our office at 503-988-3400 and request a temporary restaurant packet. In this packet you will find an application for a temporary restaurant license, as well as, other useful information on how to set up your temporary restaurant. If you are an old pro at temporary restaurants and just want an application, then just download and print the temporary restaurant application off of this website, fill it out, and mail or fax it to us:

Multnomah County Health Dept., Environmental Health,
3653 SE 34th Ave. Portland, OR 97202
or FAX to (503) 988-5844.

What if I just have a question about temporary restaurants? If you just have a question, you may call our office at 503-988-3400 between 8am and 5pm Monday through Friday, and speak to an Environmental Health Specialist who will answer your question. Or send an email anytime to: FoodSafety@co.multnomah.or.us

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THE TEMPORARY RESTAURANT LICENSE APPLICATION

Each person or organization wishing to sell or give away food to the general public during a special event is required by Oregon law to apply for and obtain a temporary restaurant license. To obtain a temporary restaurant license you may call our office a 503-988-3400 and request an application, or obtain an application online by going to www.mchealthinspect.org Each and every food booth is required to apply for a separate temporary restaurant license for each and every event where food is served to the public. All license applications are to be completed and sent to the Environmental Health Office of the Health Department at least two weeks before the start of each event.

LICENSE APPLICATION WALK-THROUGH

In filling out the temporary restaurant application it is important that all lines are completed and that enough detail is included to give a true indication of how the temporary restaurant will be set up and run. To help you with this task a line by line walk-through is included below.

PART 1: RESTAURANT/ORGANIZATION

Restaurant/Organization – This is the business, group, or individual that owns, or is in charge of the temporary restaurant.

Licensee – This is the owner or manager of the temporary restaurant.

Address – This is the address of the business, group, or individual that owns, or is in charge of the temporary restaurant.

Event name – This is what the organizer is calling the event. For Example, “The Bite of Portland”

Location and address – This is the name of the location where the event is held, and the physical address of where it is. For example, the Bite of Portland is at Waterfront Park at the physical address of SW Front Street and Stark.

Event Dates – These are the actual calendar days when the event is happening. For example, June 5th through June 8th.

Hours and Starting Time on the First Day – The hours are the normal hours of operation ( 10 am to 10 pm), and the start time on first day of event is when the gates open for the public.

Event Longer than 30 days in duration – Some events last for longer than 30 days. For this reason multiple licenses are required for each temporary restaurant. Simply circle the Y for yes, or N for no.

Event Coordinator – This is the individual who is in charge of the entire event, and not the temporary restaurant operator.

Person in charge of booth – This is the manager of the temporary restaurant food booth.

Menu – It is important that all food items are listed in this area. Be sure to check the appropriate cooking procedure boxes. The how served box pertains to the temperature that the food is served at. The made to order box asks if the food is made at the site of the event just before the operator serves it, or if it is made in advance for service later. The off-site prep box indicates if the food was handled, or prepared at another location, not at the event. The at event prep box indicates if food is further prepared at the event.

For example, lets consider a food item like chili. With a food item like chili it most often will be cooked a day or two before the event then cooled and brought to the location of the event before again being heated up. This is how we would mark these boxes for this food item

Food item Chili	How served Hot	Made to Order No	Off-site prep Yes	At event prep Yes

The chili is served hot, but not made to order for it was cooked the day before. Since it was made in a kitchen two days before it was cooked at another location (off-site prep), but it was again heated (prepared) at the event.

PART 2: FOOD PREPARATION

Facility used for (off-site) food prep, storage, and utensil washing – This is your kitchen where any food was, or is being stored, handled, cooked, and where pots are washed. This is either a licensed restaurant, or a bakery with a valid license to operate as such.

Signature – This is the signature of the manager/owner granting permission for you to use their facilities. This is needed in order to ensure that all food items are being handled and prepared in a facility that is safe to do so. If you are preparing all of your food items at the event, and you have access to utensil washing at the event, you may indicate this in the space provided here instead of providing an off-site facility.

PART 3: HANDWASHING

Handwashing – This is one of the most important items for a temporary restaurant. Each and every booth is required to have a proper handwashing station set up inside of the temporary restaurant food booth. This handwashing station is required to provide “free flowing warm water”. This can be accomplished by obtaining a 5+ gallon container with a spigot on the bottom to drain the warm water out. This container can be set up on a table with a 5+ gallon open bucket below to catch the wastewater. Liquid pump soap and paper towels are required to complete this handwashing station. It is important to make sure that “free flowing” water is obtained by a spigot which can “stay on” by itself through a flip lever, or turn lever and not by the constant pushing of a button. This is so that both hands can be washed at the same time while the water runs continuously by itself.

PART 4: FOOD TEMPERATURES

Cold holding devices, Hot holding devices, Rapid heating devices – This is the equipment that you will use to keep food at the correct temperatures. You may circle the examples listed on the application form rather than writing in this space if you should desire.

PART 5: COUNTER CLEANING AND SANITIZING

Each and every temporary restaurant should have a container of sanitizer that is used to sanitize working surfaces. This can simply be made up by using a gallon bucket with a gallon of cool water and add 1-teaspoon/tablespoon of bleach. This should achieve the 100-ppm free chlorine required to sanitize work surfaces.

PART 6: BOOTH CONSTRUCTION

Each booth needs both a roof and floor to keep the working area clean and protected. A simple tarp tent would be adequate to keep out rain and other contaminates. Floors can be made of sheets of plywood, which cover all floor areas of the temporary restaurant. Concrete is adequate in place of flooring if you are set up on a hard surface such as a sidewalk.

PART 7: FOOD HANDLERS CARDS

All persons working with food are required to obtain a food handler's card. Fewer cards may be acceptable if this is a once a year event which only last a few days and the operator is not doing other events during the year. If this is the case, then the employees will not be required to obtain food handlers cards, as long as, the people in charge of the temporary restaurant have their cards and are present at all times.

PART 8: PROBE THERMOMETER

A metal stem probe thermometer with a range of 0-220 F is required to check the temperatures of food items. Most often this is the pocket variety with a 1-inch face dial. Electronic probe thermometers are acceptable.

PART 9: SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

All applications are required at least two weeks before the event. The fee for the temporary restaurant license is based on the number of days the event. To find the appropriate fee, refer to the FEE SCHEDULE.

Any organization requesting a benevolent temporary restaurant license is required to supply their non-profit tax ID number in order to obtain a temporary restaurant license. There is an annual Benevolent Administrative Processing Fee per organization; refer to the FEE SCHEDULE for appropriate fee.

The person applying for a temporary restaurant license application must sign each and every temporary restaurant license application.

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Health Department | Multnomah County

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The address for this site is: http://www.mchealthinspect.org/tempfood.html
Created: July 9, 2001
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