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Commercial Kitchen Rental Cost Calculator — 2026 Commissary & Ghost Kitchen Pricing
Price 2026 commissary, shared commercial, and ghost kitchen rentals by city tier (NYC/LA premium vs mid-market), monthly hours, storage, and equipment package — then compare 3 local facilities.
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What You'll Need
4 Pack 4QT Food Storage Containers with Green Lids - Square, Clear
$38.99
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Wekioger 3 Pack Bus Tubs Commercial, 13 L Meat Tubs with Lids, Silver Grey
$32.75
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Dipoo 60 Sets (120-Piece) Deli Containers with Lids, 32/16/8 oz X 20 Set Each, Leak-Proof & BPA Free Airtight Takeout Plastic Food Storage Containers for Soup, Freezer/Microwave/Dishwasher Safe
$22.78
View on Amazon4 Pack 4QT Food Storage Containers with Green Lids - Square, Clear
$38.99
View on AmazonWekioger 3 Pack Bus Tubs Commercial, 13 L Meat Tubs with Lids, Silver Grey
$32.75
View on AmazonDipoo 60 Sets (120-Piece) Deli Containers with Lids, 32/16/8 oz X 20 Set Each, Leak-Proof & BPA Free Airtight Takeout Plastic Food Storage Containers for Soup, Freezer/Microwave/Dishwasher Safe
$22.78
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Price as of Jul 24, 2026. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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Frequently Asked Questions
QHow much does it cost to rent a commercial kitchen in 2026?
Hourly rates run $15–$65 per hour nationally, with 42% of shared kitchens charging $20–$29/hour. Monthly memberships range $300–$3,500 all-in depending on city tier and hours. Small-market kitchens average $12–$22/hour; major metros (Chicago, Boston) $25–$45/hour; premium metros (NYC, LA, SF) $30–$65/hour. Most cottage-food vendors and caterers spend $400–$1,200/month all-in.
- National hourly range: $15–$65/hour
- Small markets: $12–$22/hour
- Major metros: $25–$45/hour
- NYC/LA/SF premium: $30–$65/hour
- Typical monthly all-in: $400–$1,200
| City Tier | Hourly Rate | Monthly (40–80 hrs) | Example Markets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small market / suburban | $12–$22 | $300–$700 | Tulsa, Des Moines |
| Mid-market metro | $18–$32 | $500–$1,200 | Austin, Atlanta, Denver |
| Major metro | $25–$45 | $800–$2,000 | Chicago, Boston, Seattle |
| Premium metro | $30–$65 | $1,500–$3,500 | NYC, LA, SF |
| Premium ghost kitchen | $40–$80 | $2,500–$10,000 | NYC, LA (dedicated station) |
QWhat’s the difference between a commissary, shared kitchen, and ghost kitchen?
A commissary is a licensed prep kitchen used between events — food trucks legally must operate out of one in most states. A shared commercial kitchen offers hourly or monthly cook-time to multiple users. A ghost kitchen (cloud kitchen) is a delivery-only production facility, usually with dedicated station lease $2,500–$10,000/month in NYC/LA. Commissaries and shared kitchens average $300–$1,500/month; ghost kitchens $1,500–$10,000.
- Commissary: food-truck prep & storage, hourly or monthly
- Shared kitchen: multi-tenant cook-time, pay-as-you-go
- Ghost kitchen: delivery-only with dedicated station
- Commissary + shared monthly: $300–$1,500
- Ghost kitchen monthly: $1,500–$10,000
| Type | Typical User | Monthly Cost | Lease Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissary | Food truck, caterer | $300–$1,200 | Month-to-month |
| Shared commercial kitchen | Baker, CPG, caterer | $400–$2,000 | Month-to-month |
| Ghost / cloud kitchen | Delivery-only brand | $1,500–$10,000 | 6–24 month lease |
| Private build-out | Established restaurant | $3,000–$15,000 | 3–10 year lease |
QWhat hidden fees do commercial kitchens charge on top of hourly rent?
Expect 5–8 add-on fees beyond hourly rate. Membership/onboarding: $100–$500 one-time. Security deposit: $100–$300. Dry storage shelf: $25–$75/month. Refrigerator space: $50–$150. Freezer: $75–$200. Private locker/cubicle: $150–$500. Required $1M liability insurance: $40–$100/month. These additions typically add 30–50% on top of the base hourly total, so a $600 cook-time tab often becomes $900–$1,000 all-in.
- Onboarding fee: $100–$500 one-time
- Security deposit: $100–$300
- Refrigerator storage: $50–$150/month
- Freezer space: $75–$200/month
- Liability insurance: $40–$100/month
QDo I need commercial kitchen insurance to rent, and how much does it cost?
Virtually every commissary and shared kitchen requires $1M general liability insurance minimum, and many require the kitchen be named as additional insured on your policy. Specialty food-business liability runs $40–$100/month ($500–$1,200/year) through carriers like FLIP, Insure My Food, or NEXT Insurance. Skip this and you’re liable for any slip, burn, or foodborne illness claim — kitchens refuse to onboard uninsured operators.
- Minimum $1M general liability required
- Kitchen usually named additional insured
- Monthly premium: $40–$100
- Annual premium: $500–$1,200
- Uninsured = refused onboarding
QHow many hours per month should I budget when starting a food business?
Most new caterers and bakers start at 20–40 hours/month ($300–$800 mid-market). Food trucks need 40–80 hours/month for prep + cleaning between shifts ($800–$1,500 major metro). CPG packaged-food startups run 60–120 hours/month for production batches ($1,500–$3,000 premium metro). Ghost kitchens committing to dedicated delivery stations typically run 160+ hours/month ($2,500–$10,000). Build in 15–20% buffer for unexpected overtime.
- New caterer/baker: 20–40 hrs/month = $300–$800
- Food truck: 40–80 hrs/month = $800–$1,500
- CPG startup: 60–120 hrs/month = $1,500–$3,000
- Ghost kitchen: 160+ hrs/month = $2,500–$10,000
- Overtime buffer: +15–20% of projected hours
QWhat questions should I ask before signing a commercial kitchen rental agreement?
Ten essentials: (1) health-department inspection history; (2) license categories approved (cottage food vs retail vs wholesale); (3) full equipment list with booking rules; (4) storage options and pricing; (5) insurance requirements and additional-insured language; (6) hourly rate vs monthly tiers; (7) cancellation policy on booked time; (8) 24/7 access vs daytime-only; (9) loading-dock and parking access; (10) exclusive vs shared equipment during peak hours.
- Verify health-dept inspection history
- Confirm license category matches your product
- Get full equipment list in writing
- Clarify 24/7 vs daytime-only access
- Check cancellation policy on booked hours
Example Calculations
1Caterer, part-time 30 hrs/month, mid-market metro (Austin)
Inputs
City tierMid-market
Hours/month30
User typeCaterer
StorageDry + refrigerated
EquipmentStandard package
Result
Typical monthly all-in$650 – $1,100
Cook time (30 hrs × $22–$30)$660–$900
Refrigerator storage$75–$125
Liability insurance$50–$75
Onboarding (first month)$150–$300
Typical new catering business in Austin or Atlanta, using a shared kitchen 2–3 times per week for event prep. Monthly all-in lands $650–$1,100 including storage and insurance.
2Food truck, 60 hrs/month + private locker (Chicago)
Inputs
City tierMajor metro
Hours/month60
User typeFood truck
StoragePrivate locker / cubicle
EquipmentStandard package
Result
Typical monthly all-in$1,350 – $2,100
Cook time (60 hrs × $18–$25 discounted)$1,080–$1,500
Private locker / cubicle 24/7$200–$400
Freezer + refrigerator$125–$250
Liability insurance$50–$85
Chicago food truck with Saturday market + weekday catering, needing locker for truck prep supplies. Monthly rate discounted vs pay-as-you-go because of 60-hour commitment.
3Ghost delivery kitchen, full-time dedicated station (NYC)
Inputs
City tierPremium metro
Hours/month160+
User typeGhost / delivery-only kitchen
StorageFull (dry + cold + freezer)
EquipmentProduction package
Result
Typical monthly all-in$4,500 – $7,500
Dedicated station lease$3,000–$5,500
Full storage package$400–$800
Production equipment package$300–$600
Utilities + cleaning$200–$400
Delivery-only brand running dedicated station at CloudKitchens or Kitchen United in Manhattan or Brooklyn. 6–24 month lease required; build-out cost separate.
Formulas Used
Commercial kitchen rental cost driver breakdown
Monthly all-in = (Hours × Hourly rate) + Storage + Equipment upcharge + Insurance + Onboarding amortizationHourly rate set by city tier. Monthly memberships typically discount 15–35% off hourly when committing to 40+ hours. Storage adds $25–$500/month depending on cold/freezer/locker. Premium equipment (combi oven, bottling line) adds $100–$500/month. $1M general liability insurance is required: $40–$100/month. One-time onboarding $100–$500 amortizes across first month.
Where:
Hourly rate= Small market $12–$22; mid-market $18–$32; major metro $25–$45; premium $30–$65Monthly discount= 15–35% off hourly when committing to 40+ hrs/monthStorage= Dry shelf $25–$75; refrigerator $50–$150; freezer $75–$200; private locker $150–$500Equipment upcharge= Basic included; standard +$0–$100; premium +$100–$300; production +$300–$500Insurance= $1M general liability: $40–$100/month ($500–$1,200/year)Onboarding= One-time $100–$500 membership + $100–$300 security depositCommercial Kitchen Rental Cost in 2026: Commissary, Shared, and Ghost Kitchen Pricing
1
What Commercial Kitchen Rental Actually Costs in 2026
Commercial kitchen rental in 2026 splits into four distinct pricing tiers that determine nearly everything about your monthly cost. Small markets and suburbs run $12–$22 per hour, mid-market metros like Austin, Atlanta, Denver, and Nashville sit at $18–$32 per hour, major metros including Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and DC hit $25–$45 per hour, and premium metros (NYC, LA, SF) land $30–$65 per hour with dedicated ghost-kitchen stations stretching to $80+. According to the 2023 Shared Kitchen Operator Survey, 42% of facilities nationwide charge $20–$29 per hour, which is a useful sanity check when a quote seems wildly off the pack.
The format you rent matters as much as the city. A commissary is a licensed prep kitchen primarily serving food trucks and caterers — most states legally require food trucks to operate out of one. A shared commercial kitchen is multi-tenant cook-time for bakers, CPG startups, and caterers, usually booked hourly or via monthly membership. A ghost or cloud kitchen is a delivery-only production facility, typically leased as a dedicated station at $2,500–$10,000 per month in premium markets through operators like CloudKitchens or Kitchen United. Each format has different included amenities: commissaries bundle parking and loading-dock access, shared kitchens bundle peer community and equipment variety, ghost kitchens bundle delivery logistics and POS integration.
Most new food entrepreneurs land $400–$1,200 per month all-in during their first year. A realistic starting point: 30 hours per month of cook-time in a mid-market shared kitchen works out to roughly $600–$900 just for rental, and storage, insurance, and onboarding typically add $150–$300. For operators who want to independently model the revenue side before committing, the catering service cost calculator helps size what the food produced in that kitchen actually sells for — without that revenue sanity check, many startups overspend on kitchen square-footage they don’t fill.
The biggest pricing mistake new operators make is comparing headline hourly rates across cities without adjusting for storage, equipment, and insurance add-ons that typically pile 30–50% on top. A $22-per-hour mid-market shared kitchen and a $30-per-hour major-metro shared kitchen look like a $500-per-month gap on pure cook-time at 60 hours, but after refrigeration, locker, and insurance line items the real difference often shrinks to $200–$300 because the major-metro facility typically bundles more included storage and better equipment.
| City Tier | Hourly Rate | Monthly 40–80 hrs | Example Markets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small market / suburban | $12–$22 | $300–$700 | Tulsa, Des Moines |
| Mid-market metro | $18–$32 | $500–$1,200 | Austin, Atlanta, Denver |
| Major metro | $25–$45 | $800–$2,000 | Chicago, Boston, Seattle |
| Premium metro | $30–$65 | $1,500–$3,500 | NYC, LA, SF |
| Premium ghost kitchen station | $40–$80 | $2,500–$10,000 | NYC, LA (dedicated) |
Nationally, 42% of shared kitchens charge $20–$29 per hour and major-metro premiums run 60–80% above that benchmark. If a quote lands outside those bands, ask what’s included — the outlier usually hides either bundled storage (low outlier) or premium equipment amenity (high outlier).
2
Commissary vs Shared Kitchen vs Ghost Kitchen: Picking the Right Format
The format you choose determines both your monthly rent and the type of operation you can run. Commissaries are regulated prep hubs for food trucks and mobile vendors — most states legally require food trucks to park, load, clean, and prep at a commissary between service shifts. Pricing runs $300–$1,200 per month including parking and basic storage, with hourly cook time usually $12–$25. Commissaries typically cap your menu complexity because they’re optimized for simple hot-box prep rather than multi-hour production runs.
Shared commercial kitchens work better for bakers, caterers, and small CPG brands making packaged food. Hourly access $15–$45 depending on market, with monthly memberships $400–$2,000 that discount the hourly rate by 15–35%. You’ll find better specialty equipment — proofers, smokers, combi ovens, dish pits, walk-ins — which matters when your menu needs anything beyond a griddle and a six-burner. The recipe cost calculator helps validate whether your per-unit ingredient cost plus kitchen amortization leaves enough margin for the retail or wholesale price you’re targeting.
Ghost or cloud kitchens (CloudKitchens, Kitchen United, Reef) are purpose-built for delivery-only brands. You lease a dedicated 150–300 sq ft station for $2,500–$10,000 per month in NYC or LA, typically with a 6–24 month commitment, and get bundled POS integration, delivery-platform onboarding (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub), and 24/7 access. Build-out cost is separate — most operators spend an additional $20,000–$50,000 on hood, range, walk-in, and signage before opening. CloudKitchens claims operators can open for roughly $30,000 total investment versus ~$1M for a traditional brick-and-mortar.
Private build-out — renting raw kitchen-grade real estate and doing your own licensing and equipment install — is a fourth option that’s usually only worth it for established restaurant groups doing $50K+ monthly revenue. Monthly $3,000–$15,000 real-estate plus $100K–$500K one-time build-out, with 3–10 year lease commitment. At that scale the commissary/shared math stops working because your production volume exceeds what shared time slots allow, but below that threshold shared formats almost always beat build-out on total cost-of-goods-sold.
| Format | Monthly Cost | Lease Term | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissary | $300–$1,200 | Month-to-month | Food trucks, caterers |
| Shared commercial kitchen | $400–$2,000 | Month-to-month | Bakers, CPG, small caterer |
| Ghost / cloud kitchen | $1,500–$10,000 | 6–24 months | Delivery-only brand |
| Private build-out | $3,000–$15,000 | 3–10 years | Established restaurant |
- Commissary: food truck legal requirement; $300–$1,200/month; simple prep only
- Shared kitchen: bakers, caterers, CPG; $400–$2,000/month; specialty equipment
- Ghost / cloud kitchen: delivery-only brand; $1,500–$10,000/month; 6–24 month lease
- Private build-out: established restaurant; $3,000–$15,000/month rent + $100K+ build-out
- Cottage food: home kitchen (where legal) $0 rent but menu restrictions
- Pop-up / partner restaurant: $500–$2,000/day special-event license
3
The Real Cost Beyond Hourly Rate: Storage, Equipment, and Insurance
The hourly rate you see advertised typically covers 50–70% of what you’ll actually pay. Storage is the largest add-on category. Dry storage shelves run $25–$75 per month, refrigerator space $50–$150, freezer $75–$200, and a private locker or cubicle with 24/7 access $150–$500. Most operators need at least refrigeration plus dry shelf to avoid hauling ingredients home between cook sessions, which puts a realistic storage floor at $75–$225 per month even for part-time users. CPG and packaged-food producers with batch inventory often need full storage packages — dry plus cold plus freezer — running $400–$800 per month.
Equipment upcharges hit operators with complex menus. Basic packages (ovens, ranges, prep tables, dish pit) are almost always included in the hourly rate. Standard packages add mixers, walk-in access, and heavier smallwares — usually still included or $50–$100 upcharge. Premium specialty equipment — combi ovens, proofers, large smokers, pizza deck ovens — adds $100–$300 per month in dedicated time slots, and production lines for bottling, canning, or vacuum-sealing run $300–$500 per month. Book specialty equipment time slots at least two weeks ahead because popular units sell out in shared facilities.
Insurance is non-negotiable: virtually every commissary and shared kitchen requires $1M general liability minimum, and most require the kitchen itself named as additional insured on your policy. Specialty food-business liability costs $40–$100 per month ($500–$1,200 per year) through FLIP, Insure My Food, or NEXT Insurance. Onboarding adds a one-time $100–$500 membership fee plus a $100–$300 refundable security deposit on your first month. Budget-modeling a food business without including these line items routinely produces monthly projections 25–40% below what the operator actually spends in month one.
One practical scoping sequence: start with the monthly all-in calculator, then separately check the catering portions calculator for events to figure out food volume, and finally use the recipe cost calculator for per-unit margin. When those three numbers line up, you have real unit economics; when they don’t, the cheapest fix is usually cutting kitchen hours rather than moving to a cheaper facility, because the storage and insurance line items don’t drop when rent does.
The #1 budgeting mistake is quoting yourself only the hourly rate. A typical all-in monthly bill lands 30–50% above base cook-time once storage, insurance, and equipment upcharges are added — plan for the real number before signing, not the headline rate.
- Dry storage shelf: $25–$75/month
- Refrigerator space: $50–$150/month
- Freezer space: $75–$200/month
- Private locker / cubicle 24/7: $150–$500/month
- Premium equipment upcharge: $100–$300/month
- Production line (bottling, packaging): $300–$500/month
- General liability insurance ($1M): $40–$100/month
- Onboarding fee (one-time): $100–$500
- Security deposit (refundable): $100–$300
4
Matching Hours and Format to Your Business Stage
How many hours you commit to drives both your total bill and your hourly discount. Under 20 hours per month you’ll pay pay-as-you-go rates with no membership tier — fine for occasional cottage-food sellers but expensive per unit of output. At 20–40 hours most shared kitchens offer a first membership tier discounting 10–20% off hourly. At 40–80 hours you hit the core membership tier with 20–30% discount, which is where most serious caterers, bakers, and food trucks operate. Above 80 hours you unlock dedicated-station pricing in ghost kitchens or preferred time-slot access in shared kitchens, typically 25–35% off base hourly.
Matching hours to business stage matters for cash flow. A new caterer with 2–3 weekend events per month fits cleanly in the 20–40 hour tier at $300–$800 mid-market all-in. Food trucks typically need 40–80 hours per month for prep plus post-service cleaning, landing $800–$1,500 in major metros. CPG brands pushing weekly batches to retail or wholesale accounts run 60–120 hours for production runs plus packaging time, $1,500–$3,000 in premium metros. Ghost delivery kitchens committing to a dedicated station effectively prepay 160+ hours per month at $2,500–$10,000 — which only makes sense once delivery revenue supports it. The meal prep service cost calculator models a common subscription path that typically runs out of shared commissaries.
2026 market dynamics shift some of these tiers. Hourly rates climbed 6–10% over 2025 levels across most markets as commercial real estate, utilities, and insurance reset higher. Major-metro shared kitchens saw the steepest increases because of utility surcharges. Ghost kitchen operators like CloudKitchens and Kitchen United have held station pricing roughly flat but trimmed included amenities (fewer packaging supplies, stricter cleaning buy-back policies). A practical budgeting rule: whatever 2025 rate you were quoted verbally by peers, add 8% and then add 15–20% for likely scope creep once you see the actual add-on menu.
Build a 15–20% overtime buffer into your projected hours. New operators routinely underestimate by 25–30% because prep-clean cycles take longer in unfamiliar kitchens and because event catering almost always runs past the contracted end time. Pay-as-you-go overtime rates run 1.5x base (e.g. $30–$45 per hour in major metros above your included monthly hours), so blowing past your tier by even 10 hours can add $300–$450 unplanned in a single month. Caterers who have tracked three months of real hours almost always upgrade to the next tier — by that point they’re getting the discount anyway, just after eating three months of overtime premium.
- Under 20 hrs: pay-as-you-go, no discount
- 20–40 hrs: first tier, 10–20% off hourly
- 40–80 hrs: core membership, 20–30% off
- 80+ hrs: preferred access, 25–35% off
- 160+ hrs: dedicated station (ghost kitchen) $2,500–$10,000/month
- Overtime: 1.5x base rate above tier hours
- Scope-creep buffer: add 15–20% to projected hours
5
Monthly Cost Breakdown: Where Your Money Actually Goes
A typical mid-market monthly bill on a 60-hour core membership decomposes into five buckets: cook-time 60%, storage 15%, equipment upcharge 8%, insurance 7%, and onboarding amortization 10% during the first month (dropping to zero thereafter). On a $1,100 all-in Austin shared kitchen bill that works out to roughly $660 cook-time, $165 storage, $90 equipment, $75 insurance, and $110 onboarding. The relative weights shift by operator type: ghost kitchens push cook-time to 75% because dedicated-station pricing is amortized per-hour, while CPG producers push storage to 25%+ because batch inventory needs walk-in and freezer space.
Premium-metro ghost kitchen economics flip the breakdown entirely: dedicated-station lease is 70–80% of monthly cost, utilities and cleaning add 10–15%, storage 5–10%, and insurance 3–5%. A $5,500 NYC ghost station lease breaks down roughly as $4,000 station, $700 utilities, $400 storage, and $250 insurance and incidentals. Build-out CapEx — hood, range, walk-in — is a separate $20,000–$50,000 upfront expense, usually amortized across 24 months for accounting purposes at $800–$2,100 per month added to true cost-of-goods-sold.
The donut below visualizes the mid-market shared-kitchen split. When comparing bids from competing facilities, recast each quote into these five buckets and outliers become obvious immediately. A quote where cook-time looks below 50% of total is either stuffing storage into a flat "amenities" line (opaque pricing) or undercounting your projected hours. A quote where cook-time exceeds 75% on a shared kitchen is probably missing required insurance or storage add-ons and will grow 20–30% before your first invoice.
6
Red Flags and Questions to Ask Before Signing a Rental Agreement
Commercial kitchen rental contracts have zero-tolerance clauses that bite operators who haven’t read them. The most common: if a renter is found cooking at home or in an unlicensed space while claiming to work out of the commissary, they’re immediately banned. The business reason is regulatory — your health-department permit is tied to the kitchen’s inspection record, and any off-site cooking voids both your food safety certification and the facility’s insurance. Confirm in writing before signing whether the kitchen’s license covers your product category specifically (cottage food, retail, wholesale, or packaged CPG each have different requirements).
Verify five things before any deposit changes hands. First, ask for the kitchen’s health-department inspection history for the last 24 months — a facility with repeated violations will put your permit at risk during your own inspections. Second, get the full equipment list with booking rules in writing; "walk-in access" often means "shared walk-in with 6 other tenants during peak hours." Third, clarify 24/7 vs daytime-only access — ghost kitchens and CPG producers usually need 24/7 but pay a 20–40% premium. Fourth, get the cancellation policy on booked hours (most require 48–72 hour notice or you forfeit the slot). Fifth, ask whether equipment is exclusive or shared during peak hours — a $300 combi-oven upcharge that requires booking two weeks ahead is very different from exclusive use.
Three diagnostic questions separate professional operators from weekend-warrior subleases. "Can I see the inspection history?" Legitimate facilities produce this on request; sketchy ones dodge. "Is the facility named as additional insured on your standard agreement?" Almost every professional shared kitchen requires this and has a template COI language — amateur sublessors don’t. "What’s the typical build-out vs included-equipment split for my user type?" A knowledgeable operator will walk you through what caterers vs bakers vs CPG typically need — someone who can’t is probably passing your deposit to a landlord without understanding food-business operations.
Get at least three written quotes from separate facilities on identical specifications — same city tier, same hours per month, same storage needs, same equipment access. A quote 25%+ below the pack typically hides uninsured status, expired health-department permits, or bait-and-switch upcharges that appear after signing. A quote 30%+ above the pack rarely justifies the premium unless you need production-line equipment or delivery-platform integration that the other two facilities don’t offer. Use the event catering cost calculator alongside your kitchen bids to make sure your revenue projection supports the rent tier you’re signing into — operators routinely commit to monthly rent that their first 90 days of bookings can’t cover.
The single biggest mistake new operators make is signing a 6–12 month commitment before testing the kitchen with a month-to-month trial. Professional shared kitchens offer trial periods; anyone demanding a long commitment upfront with no pilot is locking you in before you’ve validated the facility actually fits your workflow.
- Verify health-dept inspection history (last 24 months)
- Confirm license category matches your product (cottage / retail / wholesale / CPG)
- Get equipment list with booking rules in writing
- Clarify 24/7 vs daytime-only access
- Check cancellation policy on booked hours (typical 48–72 hr notice)
- Confirm exclusive vs shared equipment during peak hours
- Require $1M general liability insurance + kitchen as additional insured
- Cap deposit at 1–2 months rent equivalent
- Require 3 written quotes on identical specs before signing
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Last Updated: Jul 24, 2026
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