It has been a long time since I posted but I am trying to figure out what rate to charge for my new kitchen. For the last four years I have been renting a kitchen and am now moving into my own space. I had a sweetheart deal before, basically kitchen for catering labor.

My new space is strictly for baking, not catering plus there will be no meat, makes it easier with the health dept.

I already have a cooking school teaching classes, but as they mostly teach the ladies that lunch and bring exposure they have a good deal. Now I am talking to some others, and really have no idea what is a decent price. (I am in a high rent area but my rent is reasonable)

love to have some input

Rental rates vary widely (usually between $10-30/hour) depending on location, amenities, number of hours used, and contract length.

Are there any other commercial kitchens in your area you can price-check with?

No finding a kitchen to rent is very hard, there are no obvious candidates to ask.

Where are you located? There are kitchen rental options in just about every metro area.

I am in a southern New England coastal resort town, and have been involved in food service and the hospitality industry since I moved here 17 years ago, so I am well aware of what options are available.
I was trying to get a feel for what people are actually paying to rent kitchen time, some of the rents seem to high to work for the type of business we are in. I want a fair rent, but do not want to put someone in a position that they can not make it work.
Please PM if would rather not discuss numbers publicly.

Well, since you are in the same business, how much would you be able to spend on hourly rent and still make a decent profit?

This might be a good start if you want to price check:
http://www.commercialkitchenforrent.com/Massachusetts-21-0.html

Renting kitchen space has become way too high. Many businesses and for-profit shared use kitchens are simply greedy. I now recommend that my students look for kitchens in social service agencies, religious organizations, and community halls. These places will often barter or charge $10-$15 per hour. I would really try to stay in that price range. Once your production costs (at a more expensive facility) and ingredients costs are figured, it often prices products out of the market.

I don't think it's necessarily greed on the part of kitchen owners...being a landlord can be hard work, depending on tenant quality. There's also supply and demand at work, and if food service businesses were not able to make a profit at existing rental rates, the landlords would lower their prices or go out of business.