# Tips on starting a commercial kitchen



## eliserd (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi, Ive just recently started looking into starting a commercial kitchen. This would be a place I would mainly rent out to small food businesses/individuals & would be able to use for my own food projects. However, I'm having a hard time figuring out a general start-up cost and what all I would need. Also, would it be easier/cheaper to find a place that would already have a lot of the equipment (hoods, etc) or find a place (ie. big empty warehouse) & renovate it? I imagine it would be easier to find somewhere already set up, but aside from restaurants, which would likely be too small, I'm not sure what type of building I would be looking for. Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated. Oh and I'm looking at doing this in the Clay County or Duval County areas of Florida.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Don't focus on the equipment, focus on the infrastructure.

9 times out of ten it is easier and cheaper to start with an old restaurant.  The infrastructure and permits are in place.

Go to your municipal office and find out what they want. Health codes, plumbing codes, electrical codes, etc. all vary greatly from one municiplaity to another


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## scubadoo97 (Nov 7, 2011)

While this is certainly true an old restaurant needed a good location and that going to cost you in rent unless you own the property.  Setting up an industrial kitchen in an industrial center were location isn't paramount  will save you some $.  Set up shouldn't be that big of a problem in a big open space.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Scubadoo97 said:


> While this is certainly true an old restaurant needed a good location and that going to cost you in rent unless you own the property. Setting up an industrial kitchen in an industrial center were location isn't paramount will save you some $. Set up shouldn't be that big of a problem in a big open space.


Used hood: $1,000/ linear foot

Shaftwork, extraction fans,make up air fans and a/c / heating unit, from $10,000 to the sky's the limit depending on lenght of shaft, fire rating of materials in the area, etc.

Fire supression system: Minimum of 4 grand, depending on configuration of burner units

Grease trap, $1,000. Installation, and plumbing work?

Electrical: Minimum of 200 amp, 3 phase. Can existing service be upgraded?

Gas: 1 lb line, can existing 1" line be upgraded?

Cielings & Floors: Smooth, crack and crevice free, easy to clean. Upgrade to this standard?

Ideal location to mount compressor units for refrig/freezer?

Decent loading/parking facilities?

Suspended cieling? Cost of re-locating sprinkler heads?

Heating/a/c for the kitchen?

Zoning/permits for food production facilitiy????

9 times out of 10, it is cheaper to find and existing place and bring it up to code.


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## scubadoo97 (Nov 7, 2011)

You make a good argument for an existing restaurant


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## scubadoo97 (Nov 7, 2011)

You make a good argument for an existing restaurant.


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