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How many of you would rent commercial kitchen space?

post #1 of 36
10/4/09 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
I'm curious...

I live in MI, where we cannot obtain a license for home food prep. I was going to ask the church if I could rent their kitchen, but I have doubts about their acceptance of that proposal.

Lamenting this to my husband, he started asking questions about what would be needed. I rattled off the usual kitchen equipment, space, sinks that pass code, other code requirements, etc. and I could hear the gears grinding in his head.

He has been wanting to purchase another rental property, but he asked me, "If I bought a commercial building for you, do you think other bakers/food prep people would want to rent out space?"

I don't see why not! What do you all think? I was thinking it could be a large building with several kitchens in it. People could fill rental slots on a regular basis (reservations) or on a first-come, first-serve basis based on availability. People could bring their own tools/pans, etc. and be expected to clean up, or we could have some supplies available. I suppose we could even have lockable cabinets for "regulars" who want to store their stuff there.

What do you think? Feasible idea, or dumb?
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post #2 of 36
10/4/09 at 3:19pm
There is a facility somewhat near me that rents individual kitchens like you are proposing. I don't have any experience with it. It is a little too far away from where I live to really make it a feasible option, plus if I recall correctly, the price was pretty high. I think it is a really good idea, as long as the rental rate isn't prohibitive of making a profit on sales.
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post #3 of 36
10/4/09 at 3:26pm
I currently am in the process of building just such a kitchen known as an "incubator" kitchen. I have 6 potential clients waiting for me to get my doors open. You can visit my site at www.thecookerykitchen.com to get ideas.

**edited to add that all 6 are wanting one or two dedicated blocks of time so they will be paying monthly. Which covers my rent and utilities and then some..so all my cake orders are pure profit after supply expenses. I own my equipment out & out since most of it came from the restaurant my mom & I use to own.
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post #4 of 36
10/4/09 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
Cool! thumbs_up.gif

Cakesdivine, if hubby decides to look into this further and we have questions, would you mind if I dropped you a line (since we're nowhere near in the same market)?

That's the key -- we'll have to make it affordable and convenient. Hubby was talking about buying a warehouse-type deal that we could multi-purpose.

We'll see. Michigan is a tough market for anything right now. Oh, and of course theres a little thing called MONEY that would come in handy. icon_wink.gif
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post #5 of 36
10/4/09 at 3:58pm
It is a great idea. If you google commercial kitchen to rent, all types of sites pop up and most of the people posting are looking for space to rent, not offering space. It is not just bakers but candy makers, jelly and jam makers, etc. There are no incubator kitchens near me, would you move to NJ and open here?
Patty
www.pattycakesncookies.com
http://www.facebook.com/pattycakesandcookies.
www.frompattycakeskitchen.blogspot.com
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Patty
www.pattycakesncookies.com
http://www.facebook.com/pattycakesandcookies.
www.frompattycakeskitchen.blogspot.com
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post #6 of 36
10/4/09 at 8:01pm
I'm working on a back room right now to rent....

my comm.oven and freezer are back there in an until now just spare room....it's already plumbed, i just need to buy another 3 bay sink and some cabinets.....

i found this place to advertise maybe when i'm thru.

http://www.commercialkitchenforrent.com/wanted/

how did you find renters cakes divine?

i'm hoping to just find maybe 1 person i could trust to rent it...too bad no CCers aren't near me....i'm gonna try to give them a good deal.
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post #7 of 36
10/5/09 at 11:11am
LOL, I just put up a thread asking this same question for my area! Great minds do think alikeicon_smile.gif I have been looking for a small place to set up a shop (just in the planning stages right now), and the lease rates are insane. So as I was perusing the adds, I found a small restaurant for sale (1500sqft) with all equipment. The location is crappy for a restaurant, but perfect for a specialty cake shop, and it has enough room to set up maybe two more kitchens. My thoughts were that I could buy this property cheaper than I can lease, and I can rent out space to help offset costs. However, before I incorporate this in my business plan, I wanted to see if there was any interest in renting comm kitchen space down here in Lafayette LA. So if there is, speak up!
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post #8 of 36
10/5/09 at 11:32am
If someone could do this in the Lexington area in KY, too, that would be splendiforous.LoL. There is NOTHING here. Nothing. Yar.
Cake is one of the major food groups, right?
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Cake is one of the major food groups, right?
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post #9 of 36
10/5/09 at 11:51am
I am also looking at renting space here in Tulsa. If anyone out there knows of a place please PM me.
Smile, it just might make someone else's day a little better
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Smile, it just might make someone else's day a little better
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post #10 of 36
10/5/09 at 11:53am
No problem you can call anytime you like...well not at 3 in the morning...LOL!
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post #11 of 36
10/5/09 at 9:20pm
Wow! I have been looking to find a kitchen for rent in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The only place that I can find is in the north part of Ft Worth icon_sad.gif, so I imagine they have the monopoly in this niche in this area! I wish there were more places closer to my area to choose from...
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post #12 of 36
10/12/09 at 10:42am
I was thinking about the same thing here in NJ. Would it be worth it to open a share use kitchen. Seems more people are looking than there are places to rent from.
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post #13 of 36
10/12/09 at 10:43am
I was thinking about the same thing here in NJ. Would it be worth it to open a share use kitchen. Seems more people are looking than there are places to rent from.
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post #14 of 36
10/12/09 at 5:05pm
You know many restaurants/ delis/ coffee shops are in financial dire straits. If you could find a sandwich shop or a place that would not be competetive, you could rent space from them...Recently, I approached several restaurant owners who do breakfast and lunch only, both were veryyyy interested...Of course I would still have to get a business license for my business, but I would work out of their commercial kitchen. Yes, I wold have to work in the afternoon (after their lunch crowd). Also, of course you would want to have an attorney draw up a legal agreement to ensure what the working agreement was, just to cover you both....

We have an incubater kitchen in my city and let me tell you....They are booked for months...They operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and even the middle of the night times are booked!!!!!! I guess everyone wants to be a cook!
http://enchantedbaking.blogspot.com/
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http://enchantedbaking.blogspot.com/
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post #15 of 36
10/12/09 at 5:30pm
I think it's a good idea. Where are you at in Michigan? I live in Oakland County.
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