Posted by Karen Bruner Upright on October 29, 1996 at 23:29:24 :
In Reply to: kitchen space posted by michael on October 28, 1996 at 10:52:25 :
I encountered the same problem a few years ago when I was trying to start a special order pastry business. I found a gourmet foods store willing to let me use the kitchen. The situation was less than perfect (after working the 3-Close shift at my regular job, I made pastries from midnight until four or five in the morning...), and I found the shop employees didn't care about the safety of my equipment and pans, but it could have worked better than it did.
In Florida it's not legal to work out of your home kitchen. (Well, you can get approved, but it's not easy.) I own a small cafe now and do a lot of catering, so I'm looking for space myself for a catering kitchen. I'm thinking about my garage (it's detached two story in a mixed use area), OR there's a former restaurant site across the street from the cafe that has been vacant for ever. Maybe the landlord will consider splitting the space into office and kitchen and leasing to two separate entities? It's probably worth a shot.
Try churches - they often have approved kitchens and don't use them during the week.
Good luck! It's a wild ride.