Any of you have any experience opening a food stand?

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Was thinking of maybe doing some street food for fun on some weekends. Not looking to make money or anything, breaking even would be fine. What I'm really wondering is the red tape I'll have to go through. I know it's different jurisdictions, being in TN, but I've seen some shady people selling food off the streets everywhere I go so you never know. Is there a lot of paperwork to fill out and keep, tax forms, racketeering, etc.?

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I have a small cottage food business. Paperwork/red tape varies widely depending on jurisdiction. Call your local health department to determine what is/is not allowed, if you're trying to be legal.
At a minimum, you will need:
--some sort of ServSafe or other food handling training (online course, usually, approved in your state)
--a business/occupational license issued by your town/county
--a tax ID number (EIN) issued by the IRS...you will use this to remit your sales taxes to your local jurisdiction (local, county, state)

Depending on health codes in your area, you may need to have handwashing/sink capacity on site, as well as access to bathrooms for patrons. Some places waive these requirements for festivals or special events, or farmer's markets. But farmers' markets come with their own special rules and requirements.

Depending on what you plan to serve, different regulations will apply. For example, if you are simply selling shelf-stable items (like baked goods), you may not need the same level of food safety precautions that would be required for preparing food from scratch on-site. Some states allow you to prepare food in a home kitchen for sale to the public; others do not. Those that do allow "cottage" (home based) food businesses usually have clear regulations on what is/is not allowed. Some states require all food sold to the public to be produced in a licensed commercial kitchen.

Now, most people who do pop ups are not really following the health code. In LA, there are practically NO health inspectors detailed to investigate this sort of activity, so you could be in business for years and never see a health inspector....unless someone complains or gets sick.

But why in the hell would you be considering this venture if you only want to break even? What's the point? If you have free time and like to make food, go volunteer at a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, kids' group home, senior citizens center, community center or food bank.

I don't know what your specific goal is, but establishing a relationship with a bar or other local business to do popups seems like the best option IMO. The farmer's market is a good idea too, but more regulations since that is an established thing.

Like hungryone mentioned, you have a better chance of going unnoticed by the health department as a popup in bars and other businesses since you're in a different spot most of the time. Lots of people do this in the New Orleans area. (Southerns, Budsi's, Milkfish, Little Kitchen, Hatch + Harvest, etc. etc.)

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Like hungryone mentioned, you have a better chance of going unnoticed by the health department as a popup in bars and other businesses since you're in a different spot most of the time. Lots of people do this in the New Orleans area. (Southerns, Budsi's, Milkfish, Little Kitchen, Hatch + Harvest, etc. etc.)

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Thanks, this was kind of what I was looking for.