FOOD WEBKitchens
Glossary termLicensing & Permits

Commissary kitchen

A licensed commercial kitchen rented by multiple food businesses, usually by the hour or the shift. Distinct from an incubator, which bundles kitchen access with a business program.

A commissary kitchen is a licensed commercial kitchen that rents time to several food businesses at once. Food trucks, caterers and packaged-food makers use them because the facility already holds the permit, the equipment and the ventilation a health authority expects.

Most commissaries price by the hour or the shift and bundle dry or cold storage separately.