Commercial Kitchen Rental

xxJudexx

Hi

I want to start a food business. Initially I wanted to use my home kitchen but as I have a toilet that leads directly to the kitchen I know it won't be approved

I want to rent a kitchen either in the evenings or at weekends while I work out if the business is viable. Does anyone know of any directories that might provide me with numbers to call? I've tried googling with no luck.

Or will it be a case of contacting all local businesses and asking them if they can rent to me when they aren't using it?

If anyone rents a kitchen part time can you tell me the average price range I might be looking at?

Thanks

greenspark

Hi


I have no direct experience of this but it's something I have thought about doing in the future. Hopefully someone here might know of some directories or sources of info, but one or two thoughts I've had are:


As well as local food businesses it might be worth checking venues like local church halls, community centres etc. You can often hire a hall/space including use of a kitchen so they might consider renting out just the kitchen for a few hours at a reasonable rate. Likewise local colleges that run catering courses, or private cookery schools/tutors.


It could also be worth chatting to producers (bakers, jam stalls etc) at local farmers markets if you have any, to find out where they make their products. And if there are any local meetup groups for small businesses you might find there are people you could club together with to hire commercial kitchen space.


Good luck!

paddyrg

I'd start asking around any local pubs that aren't doing food/only do lunch service and seeing if you can hire them? I found a great commercial kitchen for a chef friend to rent inside an old theatre owned by an evangelical church, there are oddities line this around the place.

You could also always hire a cheap commercial unit in the Middle of nowhere and just fit it with electric appliances (gas ones greater cost for rates, apparently)

suki1964

Do check about the toilet as that rule no longer stands in private housing


Renting kitchen space without the correct training certs may not be an option

Best thing to do is ring the council and speak to them. They aren't ogres and they will come to your home access its viability. You will have problems with dog bowels in the kitchen, but the toilet may be passed

Savvy_Sue

suki1964 wrote: »

You will have problems with dog bowels in the kitchen, but the toilet may be passed

:rotfl: I should think you would!

(I know you meant dog bowls, but it made me smile...)

Robin9

I manage a Church Hall that has a kitchen as part of its facilities and we would certainly consider this.

Insurance may be an issue and we would want to discuss with our insurers, certainly we would require the hirer to have Public Liability Insurance.

We have a well equipped kitchen but we do not prepare food on the premises nor do we have cooking or freezing facilities.

We are also in use most evenings and weekends.

Mistral001

Take out the toilet bowl and cistern and seal up the waste pipe. If there is a wash hand basin in the toilet then it will provide the perfect separate hand washing facilities that the hygiene authorities require I should have thought. You might have to apply for change of use (ie from toilet to wash room) with Building Control.

xxJudexx

Wow, thanks for all the replies.

I will be doing everything by the book so all insurances and trainig will be done.

I'll phone the council when I have a chance and get them to come round and let me know what is needed for it to be up to scratch

Savvy_Sue

Mistral001 wrote: »

Take out the toilet bowl and cistern and seal up the waste pipe. If there is a wash hand basin in the toilet then it will provide the perfect separate hand washing facilities that the hygiene authorities require I should have thought. You might have to apply for change of use (ie from toilet to wash room) with Building Control.

That's a good idea, as long as that's not the ONLY toilet! Yup, the first house we bought had a sliding door separating the only bathroom from the kitchen. I think when first installed there had been two doors, with the washing machine installed in the gap between the doors, but previous owners had obviously found that more trouble than it was worth.

Very handy for soaking nappies in a bucket in the bath, then getting them quickly and easily into the washing machine, but that's about all that could be said for it!