What is a commercial kitchen rental agreement?
A commercial kitchen rental agreement is used by shared-use and commissary kitchens, restaurants with spare hours, churches and community halls with a licensed kitchen, and ghost kitchens renting space to food businesses. The renter gets the use of a professional kitchen for booked time; the owner needs to know the renter is licensed, insured, clean and careful with shared equipment.
The template covers what the renter will make and the areas and equipment included, each side's licences and permits, hourly bookings or a fixed weekly schedule, clean-down time, cancellation, fees with an optional monthly minimum and overtime rate, food safety and allergen rules for a shared kitchen, storage (dry, chilled, frozen), equipment care and damage, product liability insurance, keys and access, and ending the arrangement. It is a licence to use the kitchen, not a lease.
- Best for
- Shared-use and commissary kitchens, restaurants renting off-hours, ghost kitchens
- Signed by
- The kitchen owner and the renting food business
- Booking
- Hourly bookings or a fixed weekly schedule
- Length
- 3 pages, initialled on every page
When to Use a commercial kitchen rental agreement
- A caterer renting a licensed kitchen for event prep
- A baker or food truck using a commissary kitchen a few mornings a week
- A restaurant renting its kitchen to a meal-prep business outside service hours
- A food start-up making products for farmers' markets and wholesale
- A community or church kitchen renting to local food entrepreneurs
What You Fill In
24 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: kitchen owner, renter.
1 The parties
- Kitchen owner (your business)*
- Kitchen address*
- Renter (business or person)*
- Renter address
2 The kitchen
- What the renter will make*
- Areas and equipment the renter may use*
- Not included
3 Scheduling
- How kitchen time is booked* Hourly, booked in advance · A fixed weekly schedule
- Fixed schedule
- Book at least*
- Free cancellation up to (hours before)*
- Clean-down time included in each booking (minutes)*
4 Fees
- Currency*
- Kitchen fee*
- Fee is* per hour · per month for the fixed schedule
- Minimum hours per month
- Overtime rate per hour
- Security deposit
5 Storage
- Storage included
- Monthly storage fee
6 Term
- Start date*
- Notice to end (days)*
7 Other terms
- Minimum liability insurance
- Governing law*
8 Who signs
- Kitchen owner signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The business that owns or runs the kitchen.
- Renter signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The caterer, baker or food business renting kitchen time.
What the commercial kitchen rental agreement Covers
- Use of the kitchen
- Licences and permits
- Scheduling
- Fees
- Food safety and cleaning
- Storage
- Equipment and damage
- Insurance and liability
- Security and access
- Term and ending the agreement
- General
Using the commercial kitchen rental agreement, step by step
1 Describe the use and equipment
Say what the renter will produce and list the areas and equipment they may use — ovens, ranges, mixers, walk-in, dish pit — and anything excluded.
2 Set up scheduling
Choose hourly bookings made in advance or a fixed weekly schedule, how much notice bookings need, the free-cancellation window, and how much clean-down time is included in each booking.
3 Fees and storage
Enter the hourly or monthly fee, any monthly minimum and overtime rate, the storage space allocated and any storage fee, and an optional deposit.
4 Insurance, then send
Set a minimum general and product liability amount if you have one, then send it. Collect copies of the renter's licences and certificate of insurance before the first booking.
Tips Before You Send It
- Food business licensing differs widely between places. Each party should check which registrations, permits and food-handler qualifications apply to them.
- Give renters a written kitchen rules sheet and a walkthrough of every piece of equipment on day one.
- Label storage shelves by renter, and do a regular sweep for unlabelled or out-of-date items.
- Ask your own insurer whether renting your kitchen to other businesses affects your cover.
Sign It Online In Minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. VergeHR builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in Files and emailed to everyone.
Commercial kitchen rental agreement: frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for food safety?
Each renter is responsible for the food it makes — safe handling, labelling, allergen information and its own licences. The owner keeps the kitchen and its equipment maintained and holds any approval the kitchen itself needs. Both follow food-safety law.
How does the template handle allergens in a shared kitchen?
It reminds the renter that other businesses may use allergens such as nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs or shellfish, and makes the renter responsible for its own allergen controls and labelling, recognising the shared setting.
What if equipment breaks during a booking?
The owner keeps equipment in working order and does not charge for time it could not provide. It isn't liable for spoiled food or lost business from failures outside its reasonable control. The renter pays for damage it causes beyond normal wear and tear.
Is an electronically signed kitchen rental agreement valid?
In most countries, including the US (ESIGN Act and UETA), the UK, the EU (eIDAS) and Canada, an electronic signature is generally valid for an ordinary commercial contract like this one. VergeHR keeps an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion with the signed PDF.
Is this template free?
Yes. The template is free to use with the eSignature app in VergeHR, and renters don't need a VergeHR login to sign.