Have an idea for a food business, but don’t have the savings to rent a standalone building to cook out of? Or are you already running a cottage food business out of your home kitchen that is starting to take off, and need to expand? A solution to these problems that is sometimes not considered are commercial kitchens. Commercial kitchens are shared commercial grade cooking spaces that can be rented on a short time basis. Startup food companies, catering companies, meal prep companies, or anyone else that needs access to a commercial grade kitchen, but doesn’t own access to one, can rent these spaces to operate their businesses. These kitchens are helpful for people starting businesses, as you can start with a minimal budget.

“As a food entrepreneur, you need a place where you have the freedom to create. Shared-use or commissary kitchens in Chicago, IL have become the go-to-place that chefs, caterers, trucks, and other food producers need to focus on their business. They offer clean, commercially-licensed space so you don’t have to worry about the overhead of getting your own kitchen,” explains The Kitchen Door.

"Most kitchens require a monthly lease and security deposit on top of the hourly rate. The hourly rates typically ranges from $15-$30 an hour. This may not sound bad, however many monthly memberships or leases range from $300 to several thousand dollars, meaning it can be costly to rent a commercial kitchen for a singular event,” reports Giggster.

Commercial kitchens do all of the work for you other than the actual cooking. This service lets you keep working on your business, without having to wait for licenses or finding a long term space that fits your budget. You get to show up with your materials, get your work done, then get to shipping your product or cater your next event. Building maintenance and deep cleaning are included in your short term rent.

There are even new spaces that have services like delivery and pick-up already built in, called ghost kitchens. You can launch a virtual restaurant with CloudKitchens in a month, and be fully integrated into all local delivery apps and be able to advertise pick-up for your food at a convenient location. “Capture more delivery orders with multiple brands. Our most successful customers are often running 5 brands out of a single kitchen,” furthers CloudKitchens. Continuing, “Manage all your delivery orders from a single tablet and leverage the data to increase your efficiency.”

You can start a food business in your kitchen, but eventually you’ll need more space, bigger appliances and more capacity. Commercial kitchens are going to be a relatively cheap way to expand your business, and absolutely affordable if you have an already profitable business. If you find a commercial kitchen with a free or cheap monthly fee, you can get started right away with the same materials as an established business. Commercial kitchens can either start your business or grow it to where you want it to be in no time at all.