Are you an established caterer who needs a clean, reliable base of operations? Are you a food truck that needs a home at night and a place to prep? Are you wanting to test out your concept before sinking a bunch of money into building out a commercial kitchen?
Our kitchen might be just the spot for you. Food Chain offers a fully licensed and inspected commercial kitchen that we share with some great folks doing some really cool foods. Check out the FAQ and if this sounds like you, shoot me an email at coite at foodchaindc dot com and we can set up a time for you to check out the kitchen.
FAQ:
Q: Where is your kitchen located?
A: 4414 Georgia Ave NW Washington DC 20011
Q: How much does it cost?
A: It depends.
Q: What does it depend on?
A: The cost depends on (1) how many hours a month can you commit to, (2) how many months you can commit to, (3) the days of the week and time of day you use the kitchen, (4) how much permanent cold storage and dry storage you need, (5) how extensive your cooking needs are, and (6) how full we are.
Q: Can you give me some kind of an idea of how much it would cost for me?
A: Someone renting the kitchen for a minimum of 30 hours a month, committing for 6 months, using the kitchen two 4-hour afternoon sessions a week, not needing any permanent cold or dry storage, and using the full cookline would probably cost around $20-30 per hour.
Q: Is that rate all inclusive?
A: Pretty much. We cover electric, gas, water, pest control, trash, recycling, grease disposal, fire inspection, building and equipment maintenance, and similar expenses. You just pay for your food and cleaning supplies.
Q: Are you flexible on price?
A: Yes, if you are committing to a lot of hours, working in the middle of the night, only doing prep, etc. then the price goes down. The scenario above is fairly typical though.
Q: What equipment do you have?
A: I have a 30 gallon tilt skillet, 24″ charbroiler, 100 pound deep fryer, 150 pound capacity electric barbeque smoker, 100 pound blast chiller, automatic dish washer, deli scale, commercial hand mixer, and various other dishware and utensils that you are welcome to use.
Q: Can I put x piece of equipment in your shop?
A: Doubtful but maybe depending on the situation.
Q: Can I license out of your kitchen?
A: You bet!
Q: What is the minimum number of hours I can use your kitchen?
A: The kitchen is offered in slots that are a minimum of 3 hours. The minimum number of hours per month is around 20 hours. Unfortunately we cannot make the kitchen available for much less time than this. If your needs are smaller, definitely still reach out to me and I may be able to connect you with other folks that have kitchens for less time.
Q: What are the requirements for me?
A: You have to have liability insurance with suitable coverage. You have to have your DC food protection manager’s card. You have to provide a fully refundable security deposit.
Q: I’m interested. What is the process to get started?
A: Send me an email at coite at foodchaindc dot com and we can set up a time for you to check out the kitchen. If you like the space and we agree on terms, I will draft the contract outlining our arrangement. Basically at that point, you sign, provide proof the requirements above, pay the security deposit, and I give you keys to the shop. You come and go as you need to during your sessions, and you cook up something delicious!
Awesome show, great job!