Examining the Level of Compliance and Awareness With Legal Aspect of Restaurant Operation in Kaduna South, Kaduna State.

ABSTRACT
The food service industry, particularly the restaurant sector, plays a crucial role in the economic development and social well-being of communities worldwide. Examine the level of compliance with legal aspects of restaurant operations in Kaduna South, Kaduna State. The research seeks to determine how well restaurants adhere to legal requirements, identify the challenges and barriers that hinder full compliance, and propose recommendations to improve legal conformity in the restaurant sector. A mixed-methods approach was used, involving both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, including surveys and interviews with restaurant owners, managers, and relevant regulatory bodies. The findings indicate that while some restaurants in Kaduna South demonstrate partial compliance, significant challenges such as a lack of awareness, inadequate resources, and ambiguous regulatory frameworks are prevalent. The project adopted survey research design method, the area of this study covers hospitality industries in Kaduna State, 10 restaurant from Kaduna South with the population of 1250 people. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. Simple random sampling technique was used, 15% of the population was adopted with 150 questionnaires were administered and 100 were retrieved with 25 not returned. The study concludes highlights a significant gap in the level of compliance with legal aspects among restaurants in Kaduna South, Kaduna State. The lack of awareness and insufficient enforcement of regulations contribute to this low compliance, posing risks to public health and the overall business environment. However, some restaurants with better resources and experience were found to be more compliant with legal standards. To address these issues, it is crucial for both government authorities and restaurant operators to work together in improving enforcement, enhancing awareness programs, and providing necessary resources to ensure that all restaurants operate within the legal framework, promoting both public safety and business sustainability with recommendations for there is the need for Kaduna State government to have a written law and given by the state so as to help governed the hospitality industries in Kaduna state there should be a regular supervisor of the staff to ensure that law and regulation are been adhered to, and liceneses should be check regularly as duly recommended by law. Offenders should punished stipulated by the law, implement targeted awareness campaigns and training sessions to educate restaurant owners and staff on the importance of legal compliance, including food safety standards, labor laws, and tax obligations and there should be good communication between management and employees in such a way that the employees will be encourage to communicate to the management when ill.