I recently opened a retail space and have a seperate kitchen from my decorating area. It has a deluxe oven and a 20 quart mixer, a large walkin and freezer, triple sink, etc. We only use the kitchen area at the beginning of the week, except to clean and make buttercream...my DH brought up perhaps renting out the space but I have no idea how to go about it, or if I can restrict it to only bakers..the oven is not for breads, etc. I have no idea how much to charge or even how to advertise (no, I wont go on craigs list, it is ful of crazy people!) How I be assure they won't break anything or use my products?

Would love to know!

Oh, another question..we are selling cupcakes out of the case and every day have about 2 dozen left over. I would love to donate them to someone, but hospitals and such won't take them without being labeled. Any ideas?


btw, the retail space for me currently is completey overwhelming, but its nice having the space!

Congrats on the new space! You're living my dream

I would suggest advertising through your website because other decorators or wannabes would be looking at websites ( I know I do!). Or if there are any culinary schools or college programs in your area, you could ask the profs to put out the word or put up a flyer for you.

Also, only rent it out during the day when you are there so you can keep an eye on the renters and answer any questions they have about equipment. They will have to carry their own liability insurance policy and you'll have to tell your insurance company if you do rent out the space because it will be a signficant factor in assessing the insurance risks.

A daily walk-thru with a checklist for each piece of equipment and other items, before and after the use of the kitchen, would ensure there is documentation of the condition of the items. If a dispute arose over who actually did the damage, the docs would show when the equipment was in use for you vs. renters.

Oh, I wish you were in Maryland! I would be calling you right now!

One of the most important things in making a profit is controlling waste. Why would you want to get rid of day old cupcakes? Can't you find something else to do with them? I would either turn them into cakeballs, or use the cake portion for cake crumbs, etc.

I've also thrown old cake crumbs into a new cake mix for coffee cakes.

As a point of reference for pricing, here is a commercial kitchen that rents out space in the SF Bay area:
http://www.kitchenbythehour.com/prices.html

For advertising, perhaps you can pay for an ad on CC? Chowhound is another good site that has forums divided by metro area.

Regarding the cupcakes, why not put them out in front the next day? They should be fine if kept refrigerated.

I did a google search not too long ago and used "commercial kitchen for rent, colorado" and actually came up with a website that listed only commercial kitchens for rent! I had to enter my location so I don't think it was limited to my state, I think it was bigger than that. Unfortunately, I didn't save the link but it might be worth a shot for you to try.

I don't know anything about renting commercial space but I would think you'd want to charge some sort of deposit (just like a residential rental) to cover the cost of any damages, should they happen.

A cupcake company here where I live actually places cupcakes for sale in our hospital gift shop, try driving them past as you close up, and you'd even make a bit of extra profit off of them. If the gift shop is open in the evenings, the hospital employees will start to realize that you supply the shop in the evening and you'll probably build your following that way as well! As a nurse I can tell you that during a hard day a yummy cupcake is the perfect pick me up!

Oh, how I wish I were closer - I'm in Greensboro.

I can't offer much advice for the kitchen rental... BUT.. A realy great thing to do with your leftovers is to drop them off at local fire stations , business offices , beauty salons, etc.. with a few of your cards. Its a great way to promote your business so its not as big of a waste. Consider it "marketing". I know the guys at my local Fire dept. and Ambulance station are always happy to get a box of cupcakes.

I have to agree with handing them out to other businesses. It's a great way to market yourself. I was a chef at a bakery a while back and that's one of the things that the owner did. We would occasionally walk around the shopping center we were in and hand out small boxes of leftovers for our neighbors. Everyone was always delighted and it really did bring in business.

Can't you mark them as "day olds" and sell them at a reduced price the next morning? Wouldn't it be better to make a little on them than nothing at all? All the bakeries I see sell "day olds"