I have a meeting on Saturday with the owner of a catering/resturant owner. I have heard great things about him from a mutual friend and from the city we live in licensing department. He has been very helpful and gracious in the two times we have talked.

What questions should I ask him?

He had mentioned putting me on his insurance as a rider ( he says he has done it before) and just having me pay the premium.

He also said we can work out a deal to help with the rent fees. My friend that knows him also makes cakes, thats how we meet and she says he is looking for someone to do cupcakes for his resturant.

Also to those that rent kitchens how do you work it. Do you bake and decorate in the same day. Usually I bake a cake and throw it in the freezer, crumb coat and let it settle, and then ice and decorate. I can do that all in 2 days but prefer 3 if time allows.

Thanks for the help.

I am not renting a kitchen myself, so take everything I say with much salt... (longish post warning)

I would recommend that not only are you under his insurance but that you also get your own insurance, in case someone gets sick and wants to sue you or if someone is meeting you about a cake and falls and wants to sue you, etc.

When you rent a kitchen for your business, every single thing that you make for a cake has to be done in that kitchen. Gum paste decorations, drying bow loops, etc. You will want to have a spot in his kitchen that you can store stuff - maybe a rolling cabinet that locks.
You will also need to know if you can use cooler and freezer stuff - usually the most prized stuff in a restaurant kitchen. Will you buy ingredients and bring them in or will you give them a list and they order it for you? It will be cheaper if you can buy it from their vendors, but then will you be paying separately for the stuff or does it get tacked on the rent bill? Can you store flour, sugar, etc in their dry storage?

What hours can you work? When are they the busiest and when will you be welcome in the kitchen?

For his restaurant... are they buying cupcakes outright or are they getting cupcakes in exchange for a reduction in rent? Your supplies or their supplies? How much of a priority are these cupcakes? Do they come before custom cakes when you are busy? Are they delivered on a schedule or do they call you daily and let you know how many they want for tomorrow? If they are in exchange for some of the rent, I would want it clearly outlined X number of cupcakes every so many days = $____ reduction. (Like 2 dozen cupcakes every Tuesday and every Friday for $50 off per week) That way if sales increase, you can reevaluate the agreement if they need lots more than you planned.

Finally, I would get every single thing in writing before I walked in that kitchen to work.

Hope this helps!