

Will the city's licensing laws catch up with new food business models in time? - absconditus
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-food-licensing-shared-kitchens/Content?oid=2525637

======
absconditus
"Shared-use kitchens are a relatively new concept, designed to meet the needs
of a food scene increasingly geared toward locally sourced products and small-
batch production. Access to a commercial kitchen is a significant barrier to
entry for a food business. Commercial kitchens are big, complicated, and
expensive to run—monthly overhead for Logan Square Kitchen, with utilities,
pest control, waste pickup, janitorial services, insurance, etc, is about
$10,000. Shared-use kitchens allow small-food artisans and other entrepreneurs
to ramp up legally with a minimum of risk. Also known as contract kitchens,
they're fully equipped and licensed spaces available for rent on an hourly
basis to caterers, bakers, confectioners, and others who either can't afford
their own kitchen or simply don't need a full-time workspace."

