If you’re looking to start a catering or small food business, the best option would be to rent a commercial kitchen. A kitchen like this will already be equipped with all the commercial kitchen supplies and appliances you will ever need. The most obvious advantage here is that you will no longer have to worry about purchasing the equipment you might need. You will also have the peace of mind in knowing that you’ll be working with the best tools available in an optimal location.
Speaking of optimal locations, the kitchen you’re planning on renting should ideally be in an area where it’s easy to unload the supplies you need and load up the food to transport them to wherever you need. Of course, the kitchen should also be within a few blocks at least of the stores where you can purchase any commercial kitchen supplies or ingredients that might still be missing. It’s not uncommon to see a caterer start preparing the dishes but discover later on that he or she needs more paprika or perhaps a dozen more spoons and forks.
Look for commercial kitchens or commissaries that you can rent for your small food business. These facilities are already licensed and have complied with all food safety regulations in their particular state or region. These kitchens are used a lot by food truck owners as well as independent bakers and chefs. Some of them might not have the budget to build a commercial kitchen or upgrade their own kitchen to professional levels. Sometimes, food truck owners are also not allowed to cook inside the vehicle itself, so they need to rent a kitchen instead.
Typically, you can find commercial kitchens for rent in churches, schools, hotels, restaurants, and cooking schools. The owner of a brick-and-mortar restaurant may be looking to rent out the space during off-hours, so you can also take a look at that option if it appeals to you.
With that said, even if the kitchen you’re interested in has all the commercial kitchen supplies you need, you should also consider that it might be “shared space”. This means that a lot of other people are also planning on using that kitchen. This will be the typical arrangement for a commercial kitchen or commissary, so you will need to book in advance for your own time slot.
Of course, there might be a few commercial kitchens in your area that can be rented exclusively, which means you have more control over the equipment, the space, and the storage facilities. However, take note that these private kitchens are more expensive to rent or lease, but the biggest benefit here is that you no longer need to book a time slot and can use the kitchen whenever you need to.
You will also have to carefully look at the equipment of the commercial kitchen you’re planning on renting or leasing. What type of food business do you have? The equipment should match what type of food you will be preparing, of course. For example, if your business is baking cakes and pastries, you will be wanting to have more large, efficient ovens and less of grills and fryers. If you’re a food truck owner, the kitchen should ideally have space to park your truck and do some cleaning or maintenance on it.
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